No, not the General Public License, that's a different kind of moral licensing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_licensing
Rather, the way that doing occasional good deeds makes people feel free to do bad ones in compensation. I've seen this pattern in my own thinking and behavior fairly often, to the point that I have my own term for it; but for some reason it didn't occur to me that psychologists might have one already. Anyway I'm glad I now have a "legitimate" term to keep in mind.
On some related notes:
- IIRC some serial killers show an extreme example of this. "I'm a pillar of the community, I've helped so many people; what's a few murders to that?"
- The most morally stringent people I've met have all had a cruel streak... Working in soup kitchens and women's shelters, having work ethics to put me utterly to shame, saving the lives of strangers and all but destroying themselves for their ideals; and yet always willing to hurt those around them on the small scale. I wonder if that's related, in some weird inverse way.
FWIS3
In memory of our guiding lights - Russ, Mike and Charlie - “To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and don't worry about the darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest”
Moral licensing
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Moral licensing
by Cyborg Girl » Fri Aug 22, 2014 11:19 pm
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Cyborg Girl - Boy Genius
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Re: Moral licensing
by SciFiFisher » Sat Aug 23, 2014 2:54 pm
Al Capone. 
"To create more positive results in your life, replace 'if only' with 'next time'." — Author Unknown
"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward." — Vernon Law
"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward." — Vernon Law
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SciFiFisher - Redneck Geek
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Re: Moral licensing
by SciFi Chick » Sat Aug 23, 2014 6:28 pm
SciFiFisher wrote:Al Capone.
I see your Al Capone and I raise you a Congress.
"Do not speak badly of yourself, for the warrior that is inside you hears your words and is lessened by them." -David Gemmel
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Re: Moral licensing
by Sigma_Orionis » Sat Aug 23, 2014 7:45 pm
Amateurs 
I see your Congress and your Al Capone and raise you a Chavez
Game Set Match.
I see your Congress and your Al Capone and raise you a Chavez
Game Set Match.
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
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Sigma_Orionis - Resident Oppressed Latino
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Re: Moral licensing
by SciFiFisher » Sat Aug 23, 2014 9:07 pm
I will go all in with Stalin....
oh wait. I don't think he bothered to do the occasional good deed.
oh wait. I don't think he bothered to do the occasional good deed.
"To create more positive results in your life, replace 'if only' with 'next time'." — Author Unknown
"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward." — Vernon Law
"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward." — Vernon Law
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SciFiFisher - Redneck Geek
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Re: Moral licensing
by FZR1KG » Sun Aug 24, 2014 5:38 am
Stalin was an atheist that thought he was a God.
- FZR1KG
Re: Moral licensing
by code monkey » Sun Aug 24, 2014 5:23 pm
and here i was thinking of people who resolve to do better and perform acts of atonement in recognition of their sins and other shortcomings.
and still i persist in wondering whether folly must always be our nemesis. edgar pangborn
come gentle night. come loving black browed night
give me my romeo. and when he shall die
take him and cut him out in little stars
and he will make the face of heaven so fine
that all will be in love with night
and pay no worship to the garish sun. william shakespeare
come gentle night. come loving black browed night
give me my romeo. and when he shall die
take him and cut him out in little stars
and he will make the face of heaven so fine
that all will be in love with night
and pay no worship to the garish sun. william shakespeare
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Re: Moral licensing
by Cyborg Girl » Sun Aug 24, 2014 5:45 pm
More the opposite of that, cm - people doing a good deed here and there, and using that as an excuse to do wrong. Stalin might have been an extreme example (or something else entirely) but apparently most people do this all the time. Looking at how I behave, I could believe it.
I'm coming more and more to believe that there are no good or evil people, only people influenced to do good or evil by circumstances.
This could have a bright side, i.e. that social progress and improved standards of living might influence people to be more decent.
Making the most of being an Electric Ant kind of sucks, though.
Edit: what I'm getting at is, the pattern of
sin -> penance -> sin -> penance -> etc.
is a form of rationalization. Or maybe more to the point, if someone is repeating the same wrong behavior and trying to make up for it by doing right elsewhere, they're still doing the wrong thing.
... Hope I'm not touching too many nerves here BTW.
I'm coming more and more to believe that there are no good or evil people, only people influenced to do good or evil by circumstances.
This could have a bright side, i.e. that social progress and improved standards of living might influence people to be more decent.
Making the most of being an Electric Ant kind of sucks, though.
Edit: what I'm getting at is, the pattern of
sin -> penance -> sin -> penance -> etc.
is a form of rationalization. Or maybe more to the point, if someone is repeating the same wrong behavior and trying to make up for it by doing right elsewhere, they're still doing the wrong thing.
... Hope I'm not touching too many nerves here BTW.
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Cyborg Girl - Boy Genius
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- FZR1KG
Re: Moral licensing
by SciFiFisher » Sun Aug 24, 2014 6:55 pm
FZR1KG wrote:No nerves to touch here. I'm prefect.
I thought you were awesome?
"To create more positive results in your life, replace 'if only' with 'next time'." — Author Unknown
"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward." — Vernon Law
"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward." — Vernon Law
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SciFiFisher - Redneck Geek
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Re: Moral licensing
by Sigma_Orionis » Sun Aug 24, 2014 7:27 pm
Prefect? you related to Ford?
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
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Sigma_Orionis - Resident Oppressed Latino
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Re: Moral licensing
by Rommie » Mon Aug 25, 2014 1:21 pm
No, I'm pretty sure Stalin was just evil and had no intentions of really doing "good" in any sense, so not buying it. I mean if there was ever a candidate for someone worse than Hitler...
Also not sure why this is under sci-tech but that's neither here nor there I guess.
Also not sure why this is under sci-tech but that's neither here nor there I guess.
Yes, I have a life. It's quite different from yours.
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Re: Moral licensing
by cid » Fri Aug 29, 2014 7:21 pm
Sigma_Orionis wrote:Prefect? you related to Ford?
Nah...he's more of a Yugo...
Dear Algebra -- stop asking us to find your x. She's not coming back - ever. Get over it.
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