The Theory By Louis Pojman
Merit: Why do we value it?
Louis Pojman thesis lies on the concept of whether or not is proper for the good to proper while the evil suffer depending on the extend of their virtuousness or viciousness. His final conclusion is that individuals should get what they have earned in terms of penalties and punishments for a crime done and those who have done well should be rewarded with praise and prizes. This, according to him is how the society will acquire justice and peace. The theory that Pojman puts forth on merit is based on rationality, where man dwells in a society which people are assumed to have rationality. The worthiness of individuals can therefore, be ascertained by his or her actions. Those whose actions are vicious benefit from the moral good in life while those who do what is wrong deserve to fail and to be punished. This is what the idea of desert is all about (Pojman, 1999, pp 45).
In a day to day life application of Pojman theory is that, as a student I have to work hard in order to pass my examination. But if I act lazily and failed to study, I deserve to fail in my academic grades. This means that in every action an individual does in the society, he or she will be rewarded based on the effort done or the laziness acted. Therefore, the idea of merit can also apply in academics because those students, who study well, take note, and present assignments on the right time deserve passing grades.
Much more than the academic scenario of passing exams in relation to ones effort, is the idea of proportionality which Pojman acknowledged. He postulates that better rewards are for those who do greater good actions and death penalty is warranted for those with severe evil deeds. Pojman on this idea of proportionality mentions Kant’s view of acts that are done halfheartedly deserve little merit as opposed to those done on goodwill (Ellington, 1993, pp 65). Application to the idea of proportionality is where a petty thief will be jailed in prison for two to three days while a murderer and hardcore criminal will be in prison for longer duration and may also deserve death penalty. The same case also applies in academics. Those students who study halfheartedly and spent less time in class and studying will score lower grades that those who devoted their time and effort on studies. Committed student are always on the top in their classes.
The idea of merit according to Pojman theory is that not always does on deserve merit. Pojman presents natural qualities and talents which are inborn. This includes being beautiful, dark or tall and the likes. The bearer of these qualities has natural rights and he or she must do something to develop and perfect these qualities for them to deserve merit. For example in role play like acting casting is important for play director because the right natural qualities possessed by a person will bring out the true character and n meaning of the play. This means that if one is to play the role of Othello in Shakespeare’s play, he should have the physical attributes, qualities and the talent to take up this position. I therefore agree with Pojman’s theory that natural rights are not desert. One has to labor these rights for them to deserve merit.
Basing on the idea of natural rights, an individual can be inherently intelligent. It is thus, the bearer’s natural right to be intelligence. For the bearer to show that he has the intelligence, he has to work very hard in his or her studies otherwise his intelligence will be nothing. This is his desert. Therefore, he has to process his intelligence to get an A in the exams. After achieving these good grades, the student deserves praise and reward from the students and the professor. The intelligence he is an attribute of his or her labor in academics which will be seen in the final prize during graduation.
In the analysis of rationality and merit, it has been observed that the absence of merit in this world will lead to havoc and confusions. This means that people will not see the benefit of working hard without the essence of merit. Similarly, people will do wrong things since there will be no punishment. Also in job employment, if there was no merit, everyone will be qualified for scarce positions. This leads to lack of effectiveness and efficiency in the work place. Therefore, Pojman idea of merit is of great benefit to the society.
On the question of whether or not merit is the ultimate measure of the life we live, Pojman acknowledges that this concept is not without pitfalls and neither is it absolute. He says that failure or success is based strictly on merit but no one should be accountable of actions that are out of his control. For example, even after a student studying hard the whole semester for exams, he or she becomes sick in the examination room. He fails to concentrates and gets lower grades in the exam. This therefore, is one flaw of the idea of merit because sickness is a factor that was out of the student’s control that made him to fail the examination. Merit is thus, not absolute. Another flaw of the theory is that no one is omnipotent and omniscient judge and match punishment with vice and happiness with virtue. Yet in real life man is never omniscient to judge the happening on earth. This is also no one who is omnipotent to measure desert or merit. Therefore, there is no cosmic justice that exists in the world of Man.
Despite the few draw backs of the Pojman theory, the augment of desert and merit is very valuable. It makes man to improve and thrive to be better. Upon Man’s desert there is merit which is a concept that is deeply rooted. The theory calls for moral effort in humanity with a deontological basis and truth.
References
Kant, Immanuel; translated by James W. Ellington [1785] (1993). Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals 3rd Ed.
Pojman, Louis. (1999). Merit: Why Do We Value It? Journal of Social Philosophy, Vol. 30 No.1. Blackwell Publishers.
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