Ethics Toolkit: Put Values to Action

At the McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society our approach to ethics is rooted in a pragmatic, society-centered mindset. We are therefore proud to introduce the Ethics Toolkit — built for academics and professionals alike — as an actionable resource to guide ethical considerations and to empower you to put values into action in your research and work.

The Toolkit consists of five simple, actionable tools and guides that enable you and your teams to explore the impacts of your work, assess their ethical implications, and plan thoughtful actions in response.

Ethics is everyone's responsibility, a shared societal undertaking. By offering shared language and frameworks, our goal is to make ethics an intrinsic part of your work from start to finish, prevent unintended consequences, and ensure technology ultimately promotes individual and societal well-being. We hope this Toolkit will empower you to innovate purposefully, achieve better outcomes for your organization while advancing prosperity for society at large.

This Toolkit was created by Manuela Travaglianti, PhD, Project Lead and Researcher, and Thomas Both, Designer, at the McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society at Stanford University, with the financial support of the Project Liberty Institute.

If you’re interested in joining a workshop to learn more about the tools of if you'd like guidance or advice in adapting the tools to your context, please reach out to us.

Please share with us how you have used this toolkit! We'd love to understand how we can support the many uses.

Download the full toolkit with instructions or download individual tools from the sections below.

Ethics Toolkit Overview

Select the tools that serve your needs —
The image is a flowchart titled "Explore, Evaluate, Make Decisions," outlining a process for considering ethical implications. It features three main sections: "Explore," "Evaluate," and "Make Decisions." Tools listed under "Explore" include "Future Story," "Impacts Explorer," and "Ethics Frame." The "Evaluate" section contains "Ethics Gauge," while "Make Decisions" has "Weighing Options." Each element provides a concise description of its purpose in ethical analysis.
Future Story
Write the story of your work, looking back from the future, to imagine implications.
The image presents a template titled "Future Story," designed for analyzing ethical considerations. It includes sections for "Problem / Motivation," "Solution / Value Prop," "Benefits," "Harms," "Subsequent Impacts," and "Mitigating Actions." Each section prompts users to reflect on a specific aspect of their work. An example on the right illustrates the framework, detailing a narrative about vaping's societal impact. The design is simple, with clear typography and the Stanford University logo.
Impacts Explorer
Consider effects on people and society, and how related ethical values are promoted or degraded.
The image titled "Impacts Explorer" serves as a framework for analyzing the ripple effects of actions. It features a series of concentric semicircles, with four labeled sections: "Action / Creation," "Effects," "Secondary Effects," and "Values Impacted." Each section prompts users to reflect on aspects of their actions—what they are considering doing, the immediate effects on people and society, potential secondary effects, and how values are promoted or degraded.
Ethics Frame
A single worksheet to outline ethical considerations, and actions in response.
The image titled "Ethics Frame" is a template for ethical decision-making. It includes sections for defining the action being considered, the driving values, and their impacts. Users evaluate "Benefits," identifying positive outcomes, and "Harms," reflecting on potential negative effects. There's also a section titled "Who is affected, in what way?" which prompts consideration of how different groups experience benefits and harms, including the fairness of distribution.
Ethics Gauge
Assess the implication of your actions on a more granular level across multiple considerations.
The image titled "Ethics Gauge" is a structured template for ethical assessment. It consists of two sections: "How is it beneficial?" and "How is it harmful?" Each section presents statements to evaluate benefits and harms, accompanied by scales with green and red circles for rating the levels of impact. The statements range from limited benefits to significant harms, offering a clear method for consideration. The template is designed with a clean layout and features the Ethics Center logo
Weighing Options
A tool to compare different options, considering the effects on society and your organization.
The image titled "Weighing Options" is a decision-making template designed to evaluate two possible courses of action. It is divided into sections that outline the current situation and two options for action. Each option features subsections for assessing societal and organizational impacts, with space to note benefits and harms. Key questions prompt the user to consider who gains or suffers from each option, alongside how the organization may be affected internally and externally.
Values Explainer Cards
Understand ethical values, and consider those at play. Use these with the other tools to deepen your analysis.
The image titled "Well-Being and Justice" outlines a framework for evaluating the effects of actions on individual and societal flourishing. The "Well-Being" section considers how actions can enhance or degrade health, happiness, and personal growth, using a scale from "Degrading" to "Promoting." The "Justice" section addresses the fair distribution of benefits and burdens, examining disproportionate impacts on certain groups and how actions may either reinforce or reduce biases.