The Center for Ethics and World Societies is dedicated to engaging in complex, interdisciplinary issues arising from the interactions of different nations, peoples and communities, with an emphasis on the ethical aspects of those issues. Committed to no ideological platform or goal, the Center offers a forum for intensified study and inquiry that supplements the intellectual life of the Colgate campus and curriculum. Interdisciplinary in approach, the Center draws on the expertise of both guests and Colgate faculty who have produced significant work in a range of fields stretching across the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences.

Through its activities, which include sponsoring lectures, exhibits, theatrical and film events, colloquia, and conferences, the Center seeks to develop an intellectual and ethical orientation to help bring about a vital connection between the life of the campus and the world outside. While serving the campus community, the Center also seeks to engage local, regional, and national communities in its considerations of these issues.