Virtue Signaling

Extracted Attributes

• Term Type

  Pejorative neologism

• Origin Year

  2015

• Core Criticism

  Conspicuous display of moral awareness instead of taking effective action

• Primary Medium

  Social media platforms, specifically X (formerly Twitter)

• Inverse Concept

  Vice signaling (promoting negative views for social capital)

• Associated Corporate Practice

  Greenwashing (exaggerating environmental commitments)

Timeline

• James Bartholomew publishes 'I Invented Virtue Signalling. Now It’s Taking Over the World' in The Spectator, popularizing the term. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2015-10-10

• James Bartholomew publishes a follow-up article in The Spectator titled 'The Awful Rise of Virtue Signalling'. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2018-07-07

• Jillian Jordan and David Rand publish an analysis titled 'Are You Virtue Signaling?' in the New York Times. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2019-03-30

• Olufemi Taiwo publishes 'Vice Signaling' in the Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy, exploring the inverse of the concept. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2022-01-01

• Jesse Hill and James Fanciullo publish 'What's Wrong with Virtue Signaling?' in the journal Synthese. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2023-01-01

• Anna Mar publishes a contemporary list of 12 examples of virtue signaling on Simplicable. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2024-05-06

Virtue signalling

Virtue signalling is a pejorative neologism for the expression of a moral viewpoint with the intent of communicating good character, frequently used to suggest that the person is more concerned with appearing virtuous than with actually supporting the cause or belief in question. An accusation of virtue signalling can be applied to both individuals and companies. Virtue signalling often describes behaviour meant to gain social approval without taking meaningful action, such as in greenwashing, where companies exaggerate their environmental commitments. On social media, large movements such as Blackout Tuesday were accused of lacking substance, and celebrities or public figures are frequently charged with virtue signalling when their actions seem disconnected from their public stances. However, some argue that these expressions of outrage or moral alignment may reflect genuine concern, and that accusing others of virtue signalling can itself be a form of signalling. This inverse concept has been described as vice signalling and refers to the public promotion of negative or controversial views to appear tough, pragmatic, or rebellious, often for political or social capital.

Web Search Results

• Virtue signalling - Wikipedia

  Taiwo, Olufemi (2022). "Vice Signaling" (PDF). Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy. 22 (3): 295–316. doi "Doi (identifier)"):10.26556/jesp.v22i3.1192. ISSN "ISSN (identifier)") 1559-3061. [...] Orlitzky, Marc (2018). "Virtue Signaling: Oversocialized 'Integrity' in a Politically Correct World". In Orlitzky, Marc; Monga, Manjit (eds.). Integrity in Business and Management: Cases and Theory. Routledge Studies in Business Ethics. New York: Routledge. pp. 172–182. ISBN "ISBN (identifier)") 978-1-138-80877-5. LCCN "LCCN (identifier)") 2017011721. [...] 6. ^ Hill, Jesse; Fanciullo, James (2023). "What's Wrong with Virtue Signaling?" (PDF). Synthese. 201 (4). doi "Doi (identifier)"):10.1007/s11229-023-04131-4. ISSN "ISSN (identifier)") 1573-0964. article number 117.

• Virtue signaling | Research Starters - EBSCO

  Virtue signaling refers to the act of expressing moral values or beliefs primarily to enhance one's social standing or self-image, rather than from genuine conviction. This term, which emerged in 2015, often carries a negative connotation, suggesting that the individual's statements may be exaggerated or insincere, serving more as a façade than a reflection of true beliefs. Individuals may engage in virtue signaling to align themselves with certain groups, signal their open-mindedness, or [...] Jordan, Jillian, and David Rand. “Are You 'Virtue Signaling?'” New York Times, 30 Mar. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/03/30/opinion/sunday/virtue-signaling.html. Accessed 25 Jan. 2025. Mar, Anna. “12 Examples of Virtue Signaling.” Simplicable, 6 May 2024, simplicable.com/new/virtue-signaling. Accessed 25 Jan. 2025. [...] Bartholomew, James. “The Awful Rise of Virtue Signalling.” Spectator, 7 July 2018, www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-awful-rise-of-virtue-signalling/. Accessed 25 Jan. 2025. Bartholomew, James. “I Invented Virtue Signalling. Now It’s Taking Over the World.” Spectator, 10 Oct. 2015, www.spectator.co.uk/article/i-invented-virtue-signalling-now-it-s-taking-over-the-world/. Accessed 25 Jan. 2025.

• VIRTUE SIGNALING Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

  ˈvər-(ˌ)chü-ˈsig-​nə-​liŋ") or virtue-signalling : the act or practice of conspicuously displaying one's awareness of and attentiveness to political issues, matters of social and racial justice, etc., especially instead of taking effective action And who benefits from displays of woke virtue signaling?—Veronique de Rugy [...] ˈvər-(ˌ)chü-ˌsig-​nəl") virtue signaled also virtue signalled or virtue-signaled or virtue-signalled; virtue signaling also virtue signalling or virtue-signaling or virtue-signalling; virtue signals also virtue-signals For now, we can only dream of a time—not too far off—when the wokest among us will virtue signal by broadcasting the fact that their yoga pants are made of mushrooms. —Sarah Rose Sharp [...] We are living in the age of virtue-signalling with glib soundbites from glibber politicians seeking to address fundamental and complex issues with 280 characters on Twitter.—Nick Dalgarno virtue signal noun plural virtue signals This narrative is fed by social media and endorsed by the usual clutch of celebrities, forever eager to radiate their virtue signals across the globe. —John Kane-Berman virtue signal verb, transitive + intransitive or less commonly virtue-signal

• Virtue Signaling and Moral Discourse - Justice Everywhere

  Still, as Levy notes, accusations of virtue signaling are “typically understood as a serious charge.” Implicit in Levy’s comment is the observation that virtue signaling is something that people accuse others of doing. This is the fact that interests us here. We suspect that judging others as virtue signalers causes more harm than virtue signaling itself. And we think this is epistemically and ethically significant. [...] Instead, virtue signalers mimic sincere moral language. They claim to be outraged by injustice, committed to fighting oppression, or weary with mere lip service. In order to spot a virtue signaler, you must be capable of seeing through the façade created by such language. You must recognize the hidden motivations for such talk. [...] The goal of trying to make oneself look good through one’s moral talk is the constitutive feature of virtue signaling. Thus, in order to recognize that someone is virtue signaling, you need to be able to identify that they have this specific goal.

• What is the Difference Between Virtue and Virtue Signaling - LinkedIn

  Virtue signalers need to think about the fact that virtue signaling is a position taken on an issue while virtue ethics is an expression of one’s beliefs about the kinds of traits a good person needs to adopt to claim the moral high ground. We need to emphasize the latter to get back to a society where one’s character signals the goodness of a person. In this regard it is worth remembering the inspirational words of Martin Luther King: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day [...] Muel Kaptein 2 years ago The Cousins of Virtue Signaling Virtue signaling is a way to call out an individual, company, or organization for backing an idea to make others think the signaler’s position is the right one. Virtue signaling is a form of the cancel culture. You are trying to stifle someone else because of the positions they hold. It does not even matter if those opinions are ‘right or wrong.’ It is the person you seek to cancel from society usually on social media. [...] According to Neil Levy, a senior research fellow of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, accusing someone of virtue signaling is like accusing them of a kind of hypocrisy. “The accused person claims to be deeply concerned about some moral issue, but their main concern is – so the argument goes – with themselves. They’re not really concerned with changing minds, let alone with changing the world, but with displaying themselves in the best light possible.”