Grant's work has endured because, as Matthew Arnold observed, it has "the high merit of saying clearly in the fewest possible words what had to be said, and saying it, frequently, with shrewd and unexpected turns of expression".
But one that has the merit of saying why one is fighting, and against whom.
Any evaluation of the merit of, say, a new biomarker needs to take into account the abilities of the known clinical predictors.
Five minutes on the neighborhood playground will confirm that parents still try their best to instill in their children the merits of saying "I'm sorry".
They debated the musical merits of, say, an Episcopal hymn (too atonal or modern?) or what instrument was more appropriate (piano or violin?).
In fairness, comparing these two is like trying to establish the relative merits of, say, paint and porridge, but it has to be done.
But any thought that this would be a gleeful strategy session with an eye toward extending theory's global reach, or an impassioned debate over the merits of, say, Derrida and Lacan, was quickly dispelled.
In a statement on Thursday, Mr. Gingrich kept his criticism confined to process, rather than the merits of marriage, saying: "The president is replacing the rule of law with the rule of Obama".
By validation I mean that we want our partner to agree with us, to say that our point of view has merit, to say that we're right.
The purplish-red vinaigrette tasted O.K., but was not interesting enough to merit using it instead of, say, an excellent olive oil vinaigrette.
"He is one of the easiest people in Congress to work with, because he bases his positions on the merits of issues," says Barney Frank, who has worked with Paul on efforts to ease the regulation of gambling and medical marijuana.
