Re:GitHub, fuck your name change
by zimpenfish on Wednesday March 17, 2021 @06:35AM
(#26489081)
> After doing a "good" deed, we're liable to believe that we've done our part, and owe society no further action.
Yet people keep on recycling and switching their lightbulbs after they do the first one (a "good" deed.) People keep protesting even after they've succeeded in one protest. etc.
People will naturally continue with their existing behaviour, but I think the GP was saying that once people have adopted a behaviour to aid cause X they sometimes stop looking for other "gooder" behaviours addressing the same issue.
Surprisingly, human minds do seem to work that way. After doing a "good" deed, we're liable to believe that we've done our part, and owe society no further action. Even if our good deed didn't actually change anything.
This effect is often called "moral licensing".