by Maggi Jean Mcbride

Created on: November 29, 2008   Last Updated: January 05, 2009

Merit: Why We Value It?

A Query on the Morals of Equality via the Pojman Merit Theory

Louis Pojman had deep feelings that people should earn their way in life. Reading the work he put forth on merit and desert, one would somewhat be inclined to agree that an individual should be entitled to the labor of his hands. The concept goes farther though to cover favored position of birthright, nobles, and the privileged in social status, the distribution of various goods, and even allotment of hard to get commodities such as human organ donations.

The ideology that one deserves the preferred treatment by the merit of who they are or the accomplishments they have made to society should somehow trump equality of humans in the human race is a bit more than egotistical. One human is in the eye of the public with a cure for a horrid disease, maybe a Nobel Peace Prize winner, when another human, just as hard working, noble and courageous person is in the backstreets feeding the hungry and recuing children from drug dealers has no recognition at all. Where is the equality in that? Where are the deserts and merit? The millions daily who do humane charity anonymously seldom receive the deserts or merit deserved. The ideology behind their actions is we do, as we should, no less and no more.

Pojman's theory that someone deserves more for they have the right to more throws the equality of man out. Perfect worlds where recognition given for the proper things would adapt to this well, yet this is not a perfect world. One example I found interesting was that of Mickey Mantle. Mr. Mantle destroyed his liver of his own freewill with drugs and alcohol. His standing as a famous ball player and supposed contribution to society caused him to bump others at the top of the liver donation waiting list. The people he bumped were deserving individuals. I rather doubt his significance as a contributor to society. A monkey can hit a ball with a stick. He was not a rocket scientist. A "real man" would not have allowed deserving individuals to be knocked or bumped from a slot of selection for an organ that he himself destroyed in his own ignorance. (Pojman, Spring 1999, p. 88) Allowing himself to remain on that list and taking the organ, showed he was not worth the "merit or desert" people in charge placed on him. Choices are very hard at times to make. Allowing the placement he, in essence, stole from those more deserving. The true point of view of this was that he was a coward.

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