Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Ethics

Our Mission The Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics seeks to strengthen teaching and research about pressing ethical issues; to foster sound norms of ethical reasoning and civic discussion; and to share the work of our community in the public interest. In a time of rising polarization, rapid technological change, and renewed threats to democratic institutions, ethical questions are more pressing, and more complex, than ever. Leaders across government, business, and other fields continue to face profound moral challenges. Yet today’s ethical dilemmas are shaped not only by personal character, but by the accelerating complexity of public life, the widening scope of professional responsibility, and the need to navigate disagreement in increasingly diverse societies. The Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics responds to these challenges by preparing teachers, scholars, and public leaders to confront moral questions in real-world contexts. We are committed to bridging theory and practice, linking academic research with urgent problems in public life—from the design of just institutions to the ethical impact of emerging technologies, and the norms of civil discourse that sustain democratic communities. Our work spans disciplines and professions, and we pay particular attention to the structures—social, political, legal, economic—that shape ethical choices. We also seek to foster the habits of open inquiry and reasoned disagreement that are essential to democratic life, and to help citizens and institutions alike make decisions with integrity in a deeply interconnected world.