Notre Dame Institute for Ethics and the Common Good

06/17/2026

This isn’t about wishful thinking. It’s a bit of a rebel move, but we think this humanity thing is still worth the effort.

In a world full of division, choosing radical love isn't passive—it’s a fierce commitment to human dignity. We believe love is the foundation of our moral and social lives. It means acknowledging the worth of our neighbors, strangers, and yes—even our enemies. Solving our deepest social problems requires harnessing that limitless capacity.

Welcome to The Love Ethic. A storytelling platform building a network of people who refuse to give up on a better world.

Come hang out and help us remember how to be people without all the sharp edges.

Explore the site and join us:

Everyone is worthy of love, because every human has dignity. Love is the foundation of our moral and social lives. We are thus called to love our neighbors, strangers and even our enemies – everyone. Solving our deepest social problems requires harnessing our limitless capacity for love.

06/15/2026

ECG 🤝 NYT

ECG staff recently traveled to San Francisco for Hard Fork Live, hosted by The New York Times.

ECG director Meghan Sullivan sat down for an interview to discuss the rapidly changing role of AI in our society. As Sullivan asked “There’s this deeper question: What are we supposed to be? What kind of society are we meant to build now that we have extraordinary technology?”

The full recording is now available. You won’t want to miss it!

Aristotle never saw a chatbot. Augustine never debugged a weapons a...

06/12/2026

Introducing our new cohort of Graduate Fellows!

Meet the twelve new Notre Dame Ph.D. candidates who will join the institute for the 2026–27 academic year.

These talented scholars will bring exciting new projects to the institute, contributing to the cutting edge of multidisciplinary ethics research.

The Institute for Ethics and the Common Good (ECG) is proud to announce its new class of Graduate Fellows for the 2026–27 academic year. This grou...

06/11/2026

👀 Take a peek at our recent trip to San Francisco!

Institute team members were in the Bay Area last night for Hard Fork Live, the second live taping of the "Hard Fork" podcast from The New York Times.

The podcast focuses on tech, AI, and the future of our daily lives. The team was onsite to share about the DELTA Network, which brings together faith leaders, tech developers, educators, and students wrestling with questions of what it means to be distinctly human in this shifting landscape.

At the event, Meghan Sullivan joined journalist Aarti Shahani and Georgetown tech scholar Renee DiResta for a conversation on ancient wisdom that can help us navigate new questions posed by AI's rapid development.

Full recording coming soon!

06/08/2026

In a time when AI can write a research paper or just about any other homework assignment in seconds, there’s a new idea resonating with educators across the country:

The Dignity of Learning

In a new essay in the National Catholic Reporter, ECG’s DELTA Network Director Adam Kronk explains why the concept has been so powerful in the institute’s work with schools and colleges.

“The ways in which Magnifica Humanitas resonates — or, as my children would characterize it, "slaps" — have been well documented since its release on May 25, 2026. But one thing I've been particularly excited to see and savor is the picture it paints of something for which teachers and students have been thirsting in this moment: namely, the articulation of a "dignity of learning" (my term, not his).

In the same way that Pope Leo XIII contributed a conceptualization of the dignity of labor which has helped generations from 1891 through today take into account a more expansive framing of the value of work, the 14th Leo has just contributed something analogous and sorely needed when it comes to education.”

Full story:

At the forefront of educators' minds — and at the center of hearts — must be the recognition that schooling is a sacred setting in which much more than grades, credentials and career prep are at stake.

06/05/2026

Meet Katharine Steffes

✅ Notre Dame rising senior
✅ Ethics Research Fellow at the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good
✅ Beinecke Scholar

University of Notre Dame rising senior Katharine Steffes has been awarded a Beinecke Scholarship worth $35,000 in support of her graduate education. She is Notre Dame’s 11th Beinecke Scholar overall and third since 2023.

06/03/2026

This weekend, members of the Institute staff took part in the Understory Festival in Washington, DC—a major gathering of Christian thought leaders and creatives. The team shared the DELTA framework for AI ethics (Dignity, Embodiment, Love, Transcendence, Agency) and enjoyed the incredible beauty of the Washington National Cathedral.

06/01/2026

🗣️ Reminder!

Register for the online public dialogue on AI, Catholic social teaching, and Pope Leo’s new encyclical.

When: Tue June 2, 2026, 3:00PM - 4:15PM EDT

Where: Online via livestream

Professor Meghan Sullivan, founding director of the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, will offer insight into the Pope’s new encyclical, 'Magnifica Humanitas,' in an online public dialogue on Tuesday, June 2nd.

Joined by several other commentators including Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Bishop Paul Tighe, secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, Sullivan will give an inside look at the Catholic Church’s newest teaching on human dignity and society’s relationship to developing technologies.

Details + livestream registration:

This dialogue on Pope Leo’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, will explore how technological changes can enhance, rather than replace, humanity’s co-creative relationship with God. It will also consider what new divisions we might face if we allow new technologies to replace our capacities ...

05/29/2026

Join the dialogue!

When: Tue June 2, 2026, 3:00PM - 4:15PM EDT

Where: Online via livestream

Meghan Sullivan, director of the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, will join the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, and other participants to offer insight into Pope Leo's new encyclical in an online public dialogue on Tuesday, June 2nd.

Meghan Sullivan is the founding director of the Notre Dame Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, where she leads the DELTA Network, a major effort to develop a shared, faith-based ethical framework for scholars, religious leaders, tech leaders, and others to discern appropriate uses of artificial intelligence. She will join the online Public Dialogue “Magnifica Humanitas: AI, Catholic Social Teaching, and Pope Leo’s New Encyclical” on Tuesday, June 2 at 3:00 pm EDT. RSVP: bit.ly/PopeLeoAI

05/28/2026

Through our Signature Course Fellowship program, we invited faculty from universities around the globe to imagine what it would look like to teach a truly transformative class.

Then we gave them the time, resources and community to turn their idea into a reality.

This week, we hosted our Signature Course Fellows for a summative conference featuring live demonstrations of the classes they cooked up, and they did not disappoint!

Interested to learn more about the Signature Course Fellowship? Check out our website for more details: https://ethics.nd.edu/fellowships-and-grants/signature-course-fellowships/