A Little Good Is Good Enough: Ethical Consumption, Cheap Excuses, and Moral Self-Licensing

Abstract

This paper explores the role of cheap excuses in product choice. If a product improves upon one ethically relevant dimension, agents may care less about other independent ethical facets of the product. Opting for a product that fulfills one ethical aspect may thus suffice for keeping a high moral self-image in agents, and render it easier to ignore other ethically relevant aspects they would otherwise care about. The use of such cheap excuses could thus lead to a 'static moral self-licensing' effect. This would extend the logic of the well-known moral self-licensing over time.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 moral self-licensing over time can amplify each other. Outsiders, though monetarily incentivized for correct estimates, are completely oblivious to the effects of moral selflicensing, both, static and over time.

Comment on “Local Recurrence After taTME for Rectal Cancer”

“…5 (3) The authors' decision to self-licensing seems not justified by the stated criterion of their proficiency in taTME. 6 In fact, a 1.7% rate of positive distal margin 1 is surprising in a procedure, where the number one potential benefit has been promoted as clearance of the very same margin due to direct visualization. Moreover, the 7.3% circumferential margin involvement exceeds the learning curve data reported by Wasmuth et al 2 In conclusion, the observational study by Roodbeen et al has not alleviated our concerns about the oncological outcomes that were raised by our colleagues in Norway.…”

“…The authors’ decision to self-licensing seems not justified by the stated criterion of their proficiency in taTME 6 . In fact, a 1.7% rate of positive distal margin 1 is surprising in a procedure, where the number one potential benefit has been promoted as clearance of the very same margin due to direct visualization.…”

Groups and socially responsible production: An experiment with farmers

“…Producers' SR actions have been viewed primarily as responses to consumer demand Tirole 2010, Kitzmueller andShimshack 2012). Consumer attitudes regarding SR products have been studied in laboratory settings involving students and other selected groups and outside the lab with consumers (Krystallis and Chryssohoidis 2005, Didier and Lucie 2008, Vanberg 2015, Engel andSzech 2020). Producer behavior, on the other hand, has been studied almost entirely in laboratory settings using student participants (Pigors and Rockenbach 2016, Etilé and Teyssier 2016, Feicht et al 2016.…”