Kant and Mills on Morality

Dorothea thought Casaubon was an intelligent and she thoughts that she could learn many things from him. Thus, she decides to marry him. However, this marriage left her with a sense of futility. Casaubon is proven to be petty and selfish. He has an authoritative manner that at times is almost arrogant. Also, he treats Dorothea in an authoritarian way. He is restrictive and discouraged Dorothea. She controls her feelings during her marriage life. It is a far from happy marriage.

In chapter 48, Casaubon’s health has deteriorated. One night, Casaubon asks Dorothea to make his promise. She does not know what the promise is. He wants to know Dorothea would give him anything he wants. But she does not reply immediately. She asks Casaubon to wait one more day. Casaubon thinks her hesitation is a refusal. Dorothea feels compassion for him and she realizes that she is imprisoned by her role as wife. She does not have the heart to shake his hurt feeling off. She is a weak and cowardly woman. Her self- sacrifice character suppresses her pride. When Dorothea decides to promise whatever Casaubon wants, she finds that he has died.

If I were in her position, I would have not made his promise. We must respect the will of the individual. Casaubon is a repressive husband. He showed no consideration whatsoever for Dorothea’s feelings. Also, he does not tell what the promise is. Casaubon considers her self-sacrificing character as her duty and he does not appreciate that. Thus, Casaubon’s unnamed promise indicates their relationship toward their marriage. Dorothea never knows about his promise but she will comply with a bad grace. Also, Casaubon know that his unnamed promise will be cramping her life style. He knows that Dorothea desperately wants ...

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...Dorothea takes the Casaubon’s purpose but she feels unhappy for that. So Casaubon’s action is not morally permissible because Kant requires that a morally permissible action satisfies both clauses. Dorothea could take Casaubon’s suggestion to make his promise, but there is a conflict with it. She realizes that he wants to control her even after he dies. Since the action of making her to make his promise does not meets both clauses to Kant’s second formulation the action is not morally permissible.

In this context, both Kant and Mills measure morality in different ways. Utilitarianism focuses on just consequence. However, Kant argues that “thoughts without content are empty”. Agents have their own purpose and have reasons in acting. Kant focuses on organization of means in acting. Thus it is said that the science is organized knowledge and wisdom is organized life.