Ethics

As a Jesuit and Catholic institution, Georgetown is deeply committed to the study of ethics.

The university is home to leading experts in fields such as bioethics, metaethics, and philosophy. Faculty research explores the moral dilemmas associated with an array of issues, such as international affairs, business, medicine, and human rights. Across schools, Georgetown’s commitment to educating future leaders about ethical values is reflected in its curricula and student programming. Several university centers, such as the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, are devoted to understanding the importance of moral principles in education, science and technology, and international relations, among other fields and disciplines.

Featured News

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Wealthy Countries Should Share Vaccine Doses Before It Is Too Late

The equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines is an ethical and humanitarian imperative. Instead of hoarding doses, wealthy countries should reallocate them for the greater good, write Lawrence Gostin, Eric Friedman, and Suerie Moon in Foreign Affairs.

Ethical and Legal Issues on COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

Approaching “Elective” Surgery in the Era of COVID-19

An Ethical Framework for Global Vaccine Allocation

Select Academic Programs

Minor in Religion, Ethics, and World Affairs

The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs sponsors this program through which students can earn a minor in the College or the School of Foreign Service. Participants explore the role of faith and values across topic areas.

Minor in Philosophy and Bioethics

The Department of Philosophy and the Kennedy Institute of Ethics co-sponsor this undergraduate minor. Students discuss the ethical dimensions of medicine, public policy, and technology.

Ph.D. in Philosophy

Georgetown's Department of Philosophy sponsors this Ph.D. program for graduate students. The program has particular strengths in bioethics, ethical theory, the history of, the Roman Catholic philosophical tradition, the philosophy of language and mind, and political philosophy.

Select Centers, Institutes,
and Research Programs

Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and ServiceGeorgetown Unit

Established in 2001, the Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service is a center for service-based scholarship and community outreach in pursuit of the common good.

Edmund D. Pellegrino Center for Clinical BioethicsGeorgetown Unit

Established in the 1990s, the Edmund D. Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics in the Medical Center is a university-based ethics resource for individuals who shape and give health care. The center is committed to the dynamic interplay between theory and practice, experience, and reflection.

Georgetown Institute for the Study of Markets and EthicsGeorgetown Unit

The Georgetown Institute for the Study of Markets and Ethics in the McDonough School of Business brings together an interdisciplinary group of scholars and teachers to advance understanding of the ethical issues inherent in the functioning of the market society.

Kennedy Institute of EthicsGeorgetown Unit

The Kennedy Institute of Ethics is a center for practically engaged ethics at Georgetown University. Established in 1971 with a founding interest in medical ethics, it is one of the oldest academic ethics centers in the world.

Program on Justice and PeaceGeorgetown Unit

The Georgetown University Program on Justice and Peace is a transdisciplinary, cross-cultural community that fosters creative and collaborative explorations of complex questions of practical morality and domestic and global politics.

Past Event

February 24

COVID Vaccination Challenges: Ethical Imperatives and Local Realities

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Past Event

February 19

18th Annual John Collins Harvey Lecture: A Conversation With Dr. Anthony S. Fauci

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Past Event

November 19

Race and Policing in the Time of COVID in Latin America

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