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Undergraduate Honors Program

Interdisciplinary scholars developing a sophisticated understanding of the problems of social concern.

The Buzz

The Center's news portal fueled by Stanford students interested in ethics.

Hope House Scholars Program

The Center sponsors humanities courses at Hope House, a residential treatment facility for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts.

Ethics of Wealth

A series exploring the ethical questions at the heart of wealth.
×Apply for a NEW research ethics course!: The Center for Ethics has organized a week-long course in September for grad students, "Ethical Dilemmas in Research: Reflecting on Problems, Principles, and Practices Beyond the IRB." Application deadline is May 12. Learn More »

Upcoming Events

Tue 22 Apr

American Whistleblowers: Essential Voices for Accountability

Special Events
7:00pm on Tuesday, April 22, 2014 At Law School, Paul Brest Hall

Every year, thousands of Americans witness wrongdoing on the job.

Thu 24 Apr

Chrystia Freeland | Plutocrats, the Hollowed out Middle Class and Democracy

Ethics of Wealth Series
7:00pm on Thursday, April 24, 2014 At Law School, Room 290

Chrystia Freeland will discuss the status of plutocrats in North America today, who have never been richer or wielded

Thu 1 May

Does Teaching Ethics do any Good?

Special Events
5:30pm on Thursday, May 1, 2014 At Law School, Room 290

The newspapers are filled with examples of ethical lapses on the part of elected officials, business leaders, and pro

Tue 6 May

Ethics and Government Work

Ethics and the Professions Series
12:00pm on Tuesday, May 6, 2014 At Encina, Oksenberg Room, on the 3rd floor of Encina Hall
Are you interested in working in government or politics?
Thu 8 May

Andrea Fraser: Art, Equity, and Inequity

Ethics of Wealth Series
5:30pm on Thursday, May 8, 2014 At Annenberg Auditorium

Noted performance artist Andrea Fraser explores the motivations—everything from prestige to financial investment to p

View All Upcoming Events

Welcome to Ethics in Society

The McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society is committed to bringing ethical reflection to bear on important social problems through research, teaching, and engagement. The major problems faced by our troubled globe -- extreme poverty, environmental sustainability, and international peace and security -- are not only technological in nature, but also moral. To that end, we develop initiatives with ethical dimensions that relate to important public problems and draw on the established strengths of interdisciplinary Stanford faculty.

Learn More About the Center

Recently from The Buzz

Can schools create "good people"?

By Lily Lamboy on March 27, 2014

Honesty. Integrity. Fairness. Wisdom. Kindness. Humor. Grit. These all seem like great qualities. Any parent would feel lucky to have a child who tells the truth, treats others with consideration, displays a sense of humor, and works hard to overcome challenges. But do schools have a responsibility to instill these values in students?

What is family, what are strangers? MacFarquhar profiles couple who adopted 20 special needs children

By Salil Dudani on March 14, 2014

If two people are drowning, you can only save one, and one of them is your wife, are you permitted to save her? According to writer Larissa MacFarquhar, most would say yes. She pushes the scenario further: What if it’s a choice between saving five people or your wife? Twenty people? Twenty thousand? And what if your wife is a demented serial killer on the run? “At a certain point you will start to feel guilty,” Larissa MacFarquhar, a long-time staff writer for The New Yorker, said during her March 6 talk titled “What is Family, What are Strangers?”

More from The Buzz