Moral Hypocrisy

Definition

Webster's Desk Dictionary of the English Language (1990) defines moral as “1. of or concerned with principles of right or wrong conduct. 2. being in accordance with such principles” (p. 586); it defines hypocrisy as “a pretense of having desirable or publicly approved attitudes, beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually possess” (p. 444). Moral hypocrisy is the motivation to appear moral, while, if possible, avoiding the cost of being moral. This is in opposition to moral integrity, which is the motivation to act in accord with moral principles—to actually be moral.

Phenomenon

Moral people often fail to act morally. One of the most important lessons to be learned from the atrocities of the past century—mass killings, terrorist bombings, and corporate cover-ups—is that horrendous deeds are not done only by monsters. There are several possible reasons why a typical person might fail to act morally in some situations. One of these may be that people are often motivated by moral hypocrisy rather than by moral integrity.

Moral philosophers often assume a causal link from moral reasoning to moral action, but there is limited evidence for this link. People's ability to see the morally right path does not guarantee that they will follow it. Early in life, most people learn that moral hypocrisy (e.g., appearing to act fairly when not doing so) can be advantageous if one does not get caught. But how best not to get caught? In the moral masquerade, self-deception may be an asset, making it easier to deceive others. Evolutionary biologist Robert Trivers suggested that if one can convince oneself that serving one's own interests does not violate one's principles, one can honestly appear moral and so avoid detection without paying the price of actually upholding the relevant moral principle. Most people are adept at justifying to themselves why a situation that [Page 590]benefits them or those they care about does not violate their moral principles—for example, why storing their nuclear waste in someone else's backyard is fair. Such justification may allow people to apply these principles when judging others, yet avoid following the principles themselves.

Evidence

Research suggests that moral hypocrisy is common. College students given the opportunity to anonymously assign themselves and another person (actually fictitious) to two different tasks—one clearly more desirable than the other—typically assign themselves to the more desirable task 70% to 80% of the time. Students reminded of the moral principle of fairness, and given the chance to flip a coin to fairly determine the task assignment, flip the coin about half the time. Yet, even those who flip the coin assign themselves to the more desirable task 80% to 90% of the time. Clearly, most who lose the coin flip fail to abide by it. Furthermore, those who lose the coin flip but assign themselves the more desirable task rate their action as more moral than do those who assign themselves the more desirable task without going through the charade of flipping the coin. This appearance of fairness (flipping the coin) while avoiding the cost of being fair (assigning oneself the desirable task) has been taken as evidence of moral hypocrisy.

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