My PhD, from Emory University, is in social ethics. But what exactly does that mean?

Social ethics is an interdisciplinary field that draws on two main academic traditions—moral philosophy and social scientific research—to identify and respond to societal-level injustices. Social ethicists work on a variety of issues: institutional racism, environmental harm, and healthcare inequity, to name a few. During my PhD, my work was about responding to inequities in maternal well-being. Think of it as if Chidi from The Good Place suddenly stopped overthinking everything and started incorporating empirical methods to help him make decisions. He’d be unstoppable!

At many universities, including Emory, social ethics is part of the religion and/or theology departments. This is because historically, social ethics has been a part of the broader field of Christian ethics, written by and for Christians concerned with doing justice in the world. (The most well-known Christian ethicist: Reinhold Niebuhr, famously President Obama’s “favorite philosopher”). My training is informed by that tradition, but my work speaks much more widely to all who care about building a world where everyone can thrive.

In fact, one particular strength of social ethics training is that it provides a vocabulary and tools for reasoning that can help all people clarify their values, goals, and underlying commitments. Wherever I’m working, whether a classroom or a user interview or a product development meeting, this training helps me listen for “what really matters” to those involved and reflect these insights back with empathy and curiosity.