To overgeneralize, I bet there is a copy of the mesillas yesharim in almost every orthodox home, shul and beis medrash. I'm wondering why this work is so popular and accepted.
My wondering is prompted by two possible objections to this work:
The author, the Ramchal, has been the subject of controversy, including suspicion of having sympathies to Shabbtai Tzvi (see paragraph 5 for a concise summary) and for believing that he was the messiah (see, for example his ketubah).
The content itself may be difficult to use as a tool for personal development. Any reader would be hard pressed to believe that he has progressed past the first few stages outlined in this work.
What is it about the Messilas Yesharim that makes it so universally accepted as a classic work?
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