Global Dialogues

We often look to international institutions, religious leaders, or intellectuals as moral anchors—but at the end of the day, these roles are inhabited by individuals. And individuals are messy, imperfect, and often more honest than the institutions they represent.

The challenge is that when we conflate individuals with their organizations, we start to see them as ideological extensions rather than as human beings. A diplomat becomes the mouthpiece of their nation, a religious leader the embodiment of an institution’s doctrine, a professor just an echo of academia. But when we strip away the formal roles and engage with people on a personal level, we often find nuance, self-reflection, and even dissent. That’s where moral authority begins. Not in blind alignment with institutional values, but in the willingness to break from them when conscience demands it. In today’s fragmented world, moral leaders are those who make this separation clear. They may be public intellectuals, whistleblowers, community organizers, even disillusioned insiders—people who use their platforms not to reinforce the organization they’re part of, but to challenge it from within. These individuals build credibility by showing moral consistency even when it costs them something.

They are everywhere—across borders, ideologies, and social classes. From the Iranian woman burning her hijab in defiance of both theocratic rule and Western caricature, to the Israeli journalist who criticizes their own government’s policies on Gaza, to the American executive who calls out corporate hypocrisy on social justice—moral authority today lies with those who refuse to outsource their values. In the absence of a universal moral compass, we need more of these people—not louder institutions. In the long run, moral leadership isn’t measured by the size of the platform—it’s measured by the integrity of the voice using it.

Dhruv Peri (B'26) is a junior in the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.