About
Mission
The Institute for Ethics and the Common Good convenes a multidisciplinary community of scholars, students, and leaders to advance moral understanding and develop compelling responses to the most pressing ethical issues of our era. Inspired by the Catholic intellectual and social tradition, we promote broad ethical inquiry in service to human dignity, interdependent flourishing, and the common good.
Vision
We will be among the world’s leading institutes for the study of foundational and applied ethics, distinctive in our commitment to the insight that faith perspectives offer in renewing and shaping those pursuits.
Our Work
The Institute for Ethics and the Common Good (ECG) serves as the catalyst for Notre Dame’s global ethics initiatives.
ECG's work includes:
- managing a $50.8 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support DELTA, a robust, interconnected network of scholars, religious leaders, tech leaders, teachers, journalists, and young people that will provide practical resources to help navigate challenges posed by rapidly developing AI
- the Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Center for Virtue Ethics, established in honor of University President Emeritus Father Jenkins, which manages a five-year, $10 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation on the importance of love in ethical thought and application, and offers a robust slate of ethical formation programs for students
- the Notre Dame–IBM Technology Ethics Lab, sponsored through a 10-year, $20-million investment from IBM
- highly competitive and successful fellowship programs for faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates
- the popular Signature Course Fellowship program, supported by a major grant from the John Templeton Foundation
As ECG grows, it will focus attention on other pillars of applied ethics, including environmental ethics and the ethics of business and governance.
ECG is a signature element of the Ethics Initiative, one of several University-wide strategic efforts that draw on expertise from multiple colleges, schools, centers, and institutes in order to make the most meaningful contributions to questions of national and international concern.
Watch ECG's introductory video, which asks What ethical dilemma keeps you up at night?