Arguments for Merit and Desert by Pojman - Essay Example

Pojmans Argument for Merit and Desert Background At times, the argument and quotations given by the philosophers’ turnout to be misleading, because of their careless approach. This is best understood with the help of Pojmans statement- “the virtuous are rewarded and the vicious punished in proportion to their relative merit and deserts”. It is a careless statement but holds merits and desert both in it. Introduction Merit is a reward or a punishment given or granted to a person; on the other hand desert is obtaining a reward or punishment earned. The inference that can be drawn from the statement “the virtuous are rewarded and the vicious punished in proportion to their relative deserts” is- those who do good deeds are always rewarded while those who perform evil or bad actions are always punished. These actions are towards the attributes with which every individual is born. It also signifies the extent of goodness or evilness of the action that was performed and this is going to decide the merit or desert of the act (Pojman, 1999). In terms of merits the statement given by Pojman holds true in the sense that it promotes people to perform good or rather their best to secure rewards. This act is going to culminate the entire world a place where people are going to procure their merits according to their actions. These actions are in terms of promoting good deeds to make a healthy and congenial atmosphere. In the judicial system, it is not always true that those who have performed virtues are going to be rewarded! At times judgments have gone in favor of the evil task performer. Such cases create a sense of insecurity in the minds of people and tremble their trust and faith from the judiciary system of the country. The statement given by Pojman does not imply that this is how it is; instead it says that is how it should be. The theory in circumstance pronounce that it is not possible to change the minds of people and change the attitude but we all can strive hard to make this world a better place to live where people will receive their merits in proportion to their acts. There are various examples where people receive merits not because they have achieved something but they have deceived others to achieve their targets. Some examples are discussed here: one of the biggest politicians Saddam Husain was very popular amongst the people of Iraq; people rewarded him and offered him their wealth and everything what so ever they could and crowned him as the strongest person in the country. But as there is a saying that power corrupts so he started taking all the decisions of criminal temperament. Finally American Army caught hold of him and was punished for his deeds. In reality things actually turn out quite opposite from the initial statement. Many innocent “criminals” sit in jails and prisons while the guilty are free to roam the streets. Some people work extremely hard to make the ends meet and still are not rewarded for their hardships while others eat only the fruits and are rewarded! The irony in today’s scenario is “it is not true what you get is what you put”. In the present scenario, the saying “as you sow so you reap” does not hold true “how you sow and how you reap” is imperative in the present case. It is like fairy tales that if we do put genuine efforts to achieve our target we will definitely attain the same on the other hand if we do not put hard work we will not be able to get a good reap because of the corruption creeping in all aspects of life. The question arises why can’t we make the world a lot more pleasant and create trust in the people towards each other, to direct each other to be true in deeds and actions, why can’t everyone do actions towards progress and happiness why do people adopt fallacies to march ahead! Why can’t we give the world to our children where their hardships be rewarded. Pojman is trying to portray the world where the guilty are punished in accordance with their crime (Pojman, 1999). According to Pojman, we value merit. He wants to promote the actions of people in the manner of getting merit, this is the universal truth and all the virtues must result in gratitude and all the vice should result in resentment (Pojman, 1999). What Pojman is thinking is it really possible? No. it is not possible. It is easy to say then to follow. Human nature varies from person to person what one feels is the path of truth may be the path of length for others and they do adopt shortcuts to attain success. This directs the individual to make wrong decisions, mess up and bend the rules to fit their own personal needs. This results in making people judgmental and fills them with the belief that what they are doing should be justified (Waller, 2008). It is therefore Pojman’s efforts are in the direction to make this world think with open eyes what is true is true rather than giving biased opinion and suggestions. Even if people like to follow the path of right, and fill the world with a deep moral truth at a certain stage we become fixed and stand to think when others who are adopting shortcuts surpass us and we stand helpless on such path. This is the root cause of jealousy, agony, anguish and diverts people from the path of truth (Pojman, 1999). There is something that every one of us can do to provide an impact on the people around ourselves. There is a different kind of reaction about situations by everyone. Some people have a bossing temperament and they believe in hiring and firing their associates and distance themselves, reward and punish. They think that this act can influence the society and those around them to take a right path. Does this hold significance as per the Pojman statement? The answer is no because certain acts cannot be justified by one individual and this is the reason rules and regulations are laid down and one has to follow them to behave and conduct in a congenial and constructive manner. There are certain things which we can control and safeguard many evils from happening. The Pojmans statement taken out of context, "The virtuous are rewarded and the vicious punished in proportion to their relative deserts," in itself is false. However, when the entire thesis is read it brings on new meaning. "It seems a deep moral truth that we should strive to make this world a place where justice is more closely approximated, where a moral symmetry obtains, wherein the virtuous are rewarded and the vicious punished in proportion to their relative deserts. This is a parameter where everyone should lead their lives in that manner (Pojman, 1999). Conclusion Within all people lies a greatness waiting to be unearthed to entice a movement of change in an otherwise corrupted cycle of injustice. One such historical person brought this greatness to life. This needs an understanding with examples: The incomparable Martin Luther King, Jr. was a person of in historical time that enraptured peacemaking beyond all leaps and bounds. It can surely be said that this man was one of the most caring, passionate, intelligent individuals in history. He put himself aside for the aid of humanity and displayed true honorary characteristics. American history has seen more shameful acts. The ignominy of hateful prejudice became such a disease in the past that it paralyzed the unity and succession of generations. When this kind of attitude is spread along with the selfish pursuits of individuals, it can be lethal to the high-quality of man. Martin Luther King, Jr. rose to the occasion and demanded respect and acknowledgement as an African American male and as a human being. His focus was on desegregation and rights for people that have been so horridly abused civilly and otherwise in our nation. Because of the flawless demeanor he possessed, along with his peaceful ways of communication, Martin Luther King, Jr. became a brightly lit candle in a time of true darkness. If environmental ethics are warranted, and we indeed have dramatic changes that need to be made, it is evident that our society is in conflict with what should be done or if anything should for that matter. Our world could come to a screeching halt or go on as usual, unaffected by the ways we exploit its resources. Because we cannot know for sure, it is probably a wise decision to keep the public informed and try to be aware of our actions. If environmental crisis is a complete farce, it can still be argued that recycling and other earth friendly endeavors can only help the world we live in, nature and humans alike. Even those that say environmentalists and activists are merely screaming that the sky is falling, many can still agree on one universal truth: the earth is precious and we should do what we can to nurture it as it has done for us. Our culture typically loves the outdoors and enjoys all of the manmade pleasures that became possible by nature’s resources. We love to hike, ski, have picnics in the park, climb mountains, kayak, and fish. The question in my opinion is do we use our natural resources more than we protect them? Give and take is a major ethical concept that one must ponder. It exists naturally in all aspects of life. It is wonderful to give back because receiving is so fundamentally important. Love cannot survive without give and take, nor can healthy lifestyles, or a professional career. By practicing give and take with our environment, we will undoubtedly enjoy our resources more if we do what we can to care for them. I believe that it is imperative to continue to study the changes that occur with our planet, and try and predict dangers that may arise. It cannot be ignored that although these factors of climate changes and dangerous predictions of future theological conditions may not be directly related to human consumption, they do indeed exist. And it cannot be denied that we have all witnessed garbage in our oceans, devastating fires erupting in our forests from the hands of careless people, and many other disrespectful actions towards nature. By reflecting on the past of environmental ethics, we can understand the current state it holds today, and the possible futuristic outcomes that may arise. Whether the motivation is to care for nature because it deserves its own rights as an entity, or to protect it solely because it affects humans, it is clear that we should try to humor any notions that evolve to better the world we live in. References: 1. Pojman, L. Merit: Why Do We Value It? Journal of Social Philosophy, 30: 82-100. 1999. 2. Waller, B.N. Consider Ethics: Theory, readings and contemporary issues. Pearson Education, Inc. 2008. Read More