Akademik

A person's merits are his or her admirable qualities. Moral merits usually include such virtues as benevolence, temperance, justice, mercy, etc. Non-moral merits may include cheerfulness, intelligence, strength, musicality, etc. The basis of the distinction is unclear, especially when lack of moral merit is thought to be a fault, whereas lack of non-moral merit merely argues bad luck. In Kant, moral merit shrinks to respect for the duty of governing conduct by the categorical imperative, with everything else a mere handmaiden to this end. At the other end of the scale, in Greek thought, and in Hume, there is no serious distinction between moral and non-moral merit. See also desert, moral luck.