Moral Credentialing and Moral Licensing

 Moral credentialing is a phenomenon where people become more likely to act in inegalitarian ways, and (critically) become convinced that their actions are nonbiased, after affirming their commitment to egalitarianism or engaging in behaviors they interpret as egalitarian.

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At times, however, conspicuously aligning ourselves with social justice causes can not only blind us to the immorality of our actions, it can even lead us to feel entitled to do things we recognize as immoral, and to view these behaviors as acceptable for us to engage in, at that moment, under those circumstances. This is called "moral licensing."

- Musa Al-Gharbi in We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite