Ethos
Observatory for Public Ethics

Ethos – Observatory for Public Ethics

Ethos is an Observatory for Public Ethics, led by Sebastiano Maffettone.

The Observatory, established in 2019 at Luiss Business School, carries out research, consultancy, and training activities across various fields of public ethics. Ethos works in areas such as the ethical and political implications of business, medicine, sustainability, and artificial intelligence, engaging some of the most influential figures in the national and international academic landscape.

The Observatory, established in 2019 at Luiss Business School, carries out research, consultancy, and training activities across various fields of public ethics. Ethos works in areas such as the ethical and political implications of business, medicine, sustainability, and artificial intelligence, engaging some of the most influential figures in the national and international academic landscape.

Ethos brings together prominent figures from Italian cultural life, scholars and professionals from various fields of research, and students. The primary aim is to examine major issues in contemporary society from an ethical perspective. Ethos was founded in Rome, Italy, but already has branches in several Italian cities and has established contacts for various memorandums of understanding with groups operating in other countries. The chosen ethical perspective involves taking an external, evaluative view of various activities. This is typically carried out in collaboration with those who work in the fields concerned and who feel an urgent need to consider the relationship between their professional endeavours and broader social and moral goals. The reasons for establishing Ethos are manifold, ranging from the need to address similar issues and problems in an era like ours to the imperative of seriousness, which demands that this be done consciously and with a proper understanding of ethical reflection.

Purpose

The Ethos Observatory was conceived by Professor Sebastiano Maffettone with the aim of developing a dedicated Ethics project for Luiss Business School, which would nevertheless be directed at all of the University’s departments. The project in question encompasses courses, training programmes, seminars, conferences, research modules, and proposals for businesses.

Specifically, Ethos aims to achieve the following objectives:

Four broad areas have been identified, corresponding to the topics under study:

• ETHICS and the social world: Business ethics, Digital ethics, Art-ethics (in this initial phase, the focus will be primarily on contemporary art; a historical-critical model on a global scale, viewed from an intercultural perspective, has been envisaged), Public ethics and the Mezzogiorno, Ethics and information, which takes the issue of disinformation and fake news seriously.
• ETHICS and Life with Others: The ethics of globalisation, multiculturalism, migration, gender ethics, prison ethics, ethics and non-human beings, the social function of theatre 
• ETHICS and Caring for Ourselves: Bioethics or medical ethics and disability ethics, addiction, volunteering, meditation or mindfulness, agriculture and food, ethics and sport 
• ETHICS and the Morality of the Humanities: the most innovative section, which aims to promote humanistic knowledge within science-oriented faculties (Visual Art, Museology, the Culture of the Greco-Roman and Mediterranean World, Theatre, Cinema, Music, Literature)