Importance of Intentions

In Wole Soyinka's play Death and the King's Horsemen, irreconcilable cultural differences play a large part in the tragedy that occurs. The British can't seem to wrap their heads around customs of the native people that they deem barbaric, while the native people only see the British as foreigners out to ruin their way of life. Both peoples ignorance of the others viewpoint is the cause of the death of both Elesin and Olunde, but a British man named Pilkings plays a bigger role in this tragedy than anybody else. Simon Pilkings is a District Officer whose job is to keep the peace and enforce British law in the part of Nigeria he has been put in charge of. So when Pilkings is informed that a chief is intent on committing suicide to satisfy a cultural tradition, he sets out to stop it, ignorant of the importance of this ceremony to the Nigerian people. However, is Pilkings ignorance his fault? I argue that it is not, as he is merely a product of his circumstances. The famous German philosopher Immanuel Kant believed that one's intentions are all that matter in order to judge whether their actions are morally benevolent or malevolent, and I agree in most cases. Pilkings was just trying to do what he thought was right by saving mans life. While his ignorance can be held against him, his noble intentions can not.