A little good is good enough: Ethical consumption, cheap excuses, and moral self-licensing.
This paper explores the role of cheap excuses in product choice. If agents feel that they fulfill one ethical aspect, they may care less about other independent ethical facets within product choice. Choosing a product that fulfills one ethical aspect may then suffice for maintaining a high moral sel...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2020-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227036 |
| _version_ | 1819017470399217664 |
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| author | Jannis Engel Nora Szech |
| author_facet | Jannis Engel Nora Szech |
| author_sort | Jannis Engel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper explores the role of cheap excuses in product choice. If agents feel that they fulfill one ethical aspect, they may care less about other independent ethical facets within product choice. Choosing a product that fulfills one ethical aspect may then suffice for maintaining a high moral self-image in agents and render it easier to ignore other ethically relevant aspects they would otherwise care about more. The use of such cheap excuses could thus lead to a "static moral self-licensing" effect, and this would extend the logic of the well-known dynamic moral self-licensing. Our experimental study provides empirical evidence that the static counterpart of moral self-licensing exists. Furthermore, effects spill over to unrelated, ethically relevant contexts later in time. Thus, static moral self-licensing and dynamic moral self-licensing can exist next to each other. However, it is critical that agents do not feel that they fulfilled an ethical criterion out of sheer luck, that is, agents need some room so that they can attribute the ethical improvement at least partly to themselves. Outsiders, although monetarily incentivized for correct estimates, are completely oblivious to the effects of moral self-licensing, both static and dynamic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T03:04:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-383e29574f214f1eb0a6566b165c2306 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T03:04:02Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-383e29574f214f1eb0a6566b165c23062022-12-21T19:18:07ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032020-01-01151e022703610.1371/journal.pone.0227036A little good is good enough: Ethical consumption, cheap excuses, and moral self-licensing.Jannis EngelNora SzechThis paper explores the role of cheap excuses in product choice. If agents feel that they fulfill one ethical aspect, they may care less about other independent ethical facets within product choice. Choosing a product that fulfills one ethical aspect may then suffice for maintaining a high moral self-image in agents and render it easier to ignore other ethically relevant aspects they would otherwise care about more. The use of such cheap excuses could thus lead to a "static moral self-licensing" effect, and this would extend the logic of the well-known dynamic moral self-licensing. Our experimental study provides empirical evidence that the static counterpart of moral self-licensing exists. Furthermore, effects spill over to unrelated, ethically relevant contexts later in time. Thus, static moral self-licensing and dynamic moral self-licensing can exist next to each other. However, it is critical that agents do not feel that they fulfilled an ethical criterion out of sheer luck, that is, agents need some room so that they can attribute the ethical improvement at least partly to themselves. Outsiders, although monetarily incentivized for correct estimates, are completely oblivious to the effects of moral self-licensing, both static and dynamic.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227036 |
| spellingShingle | Jannis Engel Nora Szech A little good is good enough: Ethical consumption, cheap excuses, and moral self-licensing. PLoS ONE |
| title | A little good is good enough: Ethical consumption, cheap excuses, and moral self-licensing. |
| title_full | A little good is good enough: Ethical consumption, cheap excuses, and moral self-licensing. |
| title_fullStr | A little good is good enough: Ethical consumption, cheap excuses, and moral self-licensing. |
| title_full_unstemmed | A little good is good enough: Ethical consumption, cheap excuses, and moral self-licensing. |
| title_short | A little good is good enough: Ethical consumption, cheap excuses, and moral self-licensing. |
| title_sort | little good is good enough ethical consumption cheap excuses and moral self licensing |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227036 |
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