The author's introduction is a work unto itself and it provides a rare picture of Jews in the 18th century. A "State of the Union" of sorts, it describes the state of affairs of religious life as the Ramchal saw it and he is fiercely critical. Keep in mind that the Ramchal lived in Padua, Italy and Amsterdam, Holland - both major centers of Jewish life at the time.
The Ramchal argues that "Mussar," ethics and piety, is not simply a matter of religiosity, but is a mandatory course of study - one which demands the full intellectual rigour of the best Jewish minds. How can we invest so much time in the analysis of Halachos that are not even in practice today, he asks, and leave such basic principles as love and awe of Hashem and the refining of our character to habit? In this he appears to be challenging not the man on the street, but the rabbinic leadership and the traditional Jewish curriculum.
I leave it to you to consider if things have changed.
