Definition & Introduction
Moral resilience is the human capacity to stay true to your values in the face of moral adversity.
As Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal describes in “A Moment for Moral Resilience—Not Exhaustion,” zero-sum thinking, partisanship, wicked collective-action problems, and more present adversity that can be hard to overcome or reconcile with. Apathy or a flat-out rejection of moral responsibility in these situations is not uncommon. But he goes on to argue that some “issues are just too important to ignore,” and even though sometimes they may seem insurmountable, “we can derive satisfaction and meaning from doing our part.”
Moral resilience is not just some abstract philosophical concept, but is increasingly a focus of study in the healthcare industry as an example. In Moral Resilience: Transforming Moral Suffering in Healthcare (2018), Cynda Hylton Rushton defines moral resilience as “the capacity of an individual to sustain or restore their integrity in response to moral adversity.”
In countless daily contexts—whether at work, school, or home—we’re faced with difficult ethical decisions that may seem too complex or too overwhelming to confront. What is the right response in these situations? Learn more about the role of moral resilience by exploring the resources curated below.
A Moment for Moral Resilience—Not Exhaustion
Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal argues that longstanding principles like humanitarianism and international cooperation “are being challenged and outright rejected,” and that can lead to moral exhaustion.
How should we act when in moments that feels like a moral crossroad?
United Nations Under-Secretary-General on Building Moral and Professional Resilience
Gilles Michaud, UN under-secretary-general for safety and security, reflects on how anyone can cultivate moral and professional resilience in an increasingly unstable and dangerous world.
During the conversation, he explores the moral and political difficulties facing United Nations personnel, who often find themselves in extremely challenging security environments.
Is moral resilience a skill you can develop over time?
Discussion Questions
- What problems are you facing in daily life where moral resilience is called for?
- What conditions or circumstances make being morally resilient feel daunting or even impossible?
- What challenges facing society today call for moral resilience as a necessary response?
- Is moral resilience justifiable in every challenging circumstance?
- Is moral resilience primarily an individual trait or can it be extended to communities and collective-action problems?
- If a problem exists that is too large for a single individual to address, is continued engagement with the problem a sign of moral resilience or naivety?
- How does moral resilience differ from naivety, stubbornness, or denial?
- How do “impossibly high purity standards and zero-sum thinking” reinforce moral exhaustion as an appropriate response? What can be done to maintain a commitment to ethics?
Living a Moral Life in a Catastrophic World, with Philosopher Travis Rieder
In discussion with the Council’s Kevin Maloney, host of the Values & Interests podcast, philosopher and author Travis Rieder examines nihilism and its role as a response to the many moral catastrophes of today like climate change, corporate irresponsibility, and political polarization. How can individuals confront the feeling of helplessness?
Mosul, Iraq, 2020. CREDIT: Levi Meir Clancy/Unsplash.
Moral Injury and the Lived Experience of Political Violence
Writing for Carnegie Council’s Ethics & International Affairs journal, Daniel Rothenberg analyzes the ways in which the concept of moral injury can help document and understand atrocities, while moving toward reconciliation after the fact.
The essay presents field research among Iraqi human rights investigators as a means of reflecting on the value of rediscovering agency in the aftermath of societal trauma.
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Additional Resources
How to Make Tough Choices in a Morally Exhausting World
In an adapted excerpt in “Time” magazine from "Catastrophe Ethics,” author Travis Rieder argues for an ethic of conscientiousness.
ReadHow Moral Resilience Helps Nurses Work Through Ethical Strife
“Nurses experience deep suffering when they can’t act according to their moral compass. Our research shows a way forward.”
ReadClimate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Fall 2024
This report is based on findings from a nationally representative survey conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication.
ReadMoral Stress: Considering the Nature and Effects of Managerial Moral Uncertainty
To better illuminate aspects of stress that are relevant to the moral domain, this article in the “Journal of Business Ethics” presents a definition and theoretical model of "moral stress.”
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