Ethics

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This article is for the PC version of Stellaris only.

Ethics types interface

Ethics – sometimes called Ethos – are the guiding principles of an empire and its people and determine an empire or pop's favored courses of action and responses to situations. Empires and individual populations don't always align ethically, and this can cause internal strife in large nations. AI empires follow the same ethics rules and their behavior is heavily dependent on the ethics they follow. Naturally, a Militarist Xenophobe alien empire will react very differently to the player than a Pacifist Xenophile. AI empires will, however, compromise on their ethics if circumstances are dire enough, for instance, if threatened with imminent conquest.

Every empire except Fallen Empires must have either three moderate ethics or one fanatic and one moderate ethic, or be Gestalt Consciousness. Fallen Empires have only one fanatic ethic. Pops have only one moderate ethic each.

Empire ethics

Each empire has 3 ethic points which must all be spent. Moderate ethics cost 1 point and fanatic ethics cost 2 points. Thus an empire can have either one fanatic and one moderate or three moderate ethics. Gestalt Consciousness is the "ethic" for hive mind and machine empires without individual agency; it costs 3 ethic points and requires either the Utopia DLC or the Synthetic Dawn DLC.

An empire's ethics often determine which options are available for events, policies, and many other actions. As a result, ethics choices have a greater impact on game experience than simply the bonuses and maluses listed on this page.

There are 4 ethic axes present:

The Authoritarian-Egalitarian axis looks at whether the empire's political power belongs in the hands of the few or the many.
The Materialist-Spiritualist axis looks at whether the unknowns of the universe can be explained by science or the existence of something greater.
The Militarist-Pacifist axis looks at whether the empire's military should be used offensively or strictly defensively.
The Xenophile-Xenophobe axis looks at whether alien species and cultures should be embraced or distrusted.

Fanatic Spiritualist Random weight: 150 +20% Monthly unity −20% Edict cost and upkeep Principles0 Can use the Veneration of Saints edict Can build Temple buildings Cannot use Citizen Rights AI policy Description0 Our science has proved that Consciousness begets reality. We regard with patience the childlike efforts of those who delude themselves it is the other way around, as they play with their blocks of 'hard matter'.		Fanatic Militarist Random weight: 250 −20% Claim influence cost +20% Ship fire rate Principles0 Can use the No Retreat War Doctrine policy after completing the Supremacy tradition tree tradition tree Cannot use Defensive Wars policy Description0 The ability to project force is of paramount importance. The only way to preserve our way of life is to make sure everyone shares it; willingly or not...		Fanatic Xenophobe Random weight: 150 −40% Starbase influence cost +20% Pop growth speed Principles0 Can use the Fear Campaign edict Can Purge and Displace aliens Can enslave aliens Can use Livestock slavery Decreased Opinion with alien empires Cannot grant aliens Full Citizenship Cannot grant aliens Full Military Service Cannot use Refugees Welcome Refugees policy Cannot use Proactive First Contact Protocol policy Description0 Any alien influence must be ruthlessly quashed. Only by staying pure, and true to ourselves and the planet that gave us life can we guard against insidious Xeno plots. Even mastery over the Alien might not be enough to guarantee our own safety...
	Spiritualist Random weight: 100 +10% Monthly unity −10% Edict cost and upkeep Principles0 Can use the Veneration of Saints edict Can build Temple buildings Cannot use Citizen Rights AI policy Description0 There are those think it behooves us to remember how tiny we are, how pointless our lives in this vast uncaring universe... What nonsense! The only truth we can ever know is that of our own existence. The universe - in all its apparent glory - is but a dream we all happen to share.	Militarist Random weight: 150 −10% Claim influence cost +10% Ship fire rate Principles0 Can use the No Retreat War Doctrine policy after completing the Supremacy tradition tree tradition tree Description0 The only true virtues are courage and discipline, and channeled properly they can overcome any obstacle. Therein lies true strength; force withheld, a promise made.	Xenophobe Random weight: 100 −20% Starbase influence cost +10% Pop growth speed Principles0 Can use the Fear Campaign edict Decreased Opinion with alien empires Can Purge and Displace aliens Can enslave aliens Can use Livestock slavery Cannot grant aliens Full Citizenship Cannot grant aliens Full Military Service Cannot use Refugees Welcome Refugees policy Cannot use Proactive First Contact Protocol policy Description0 The stakes could not be higher as we reach into the vast uncharted expanses of the galaxy, for we are gambling with the very survival of our species! Never trust the alien; its false smile hides an unknowable mind...
Fanatic Authoritarian Random weight: 150 +1 Monthly influence +10% Worker job output Principles0 Can use the Information Quarantine edict Allows Stratified Economy Living Standards Can enslave aliens Must use Autocratic authority Description0 A single voice, a single throne, a single state. It is the solemn duty of the masses to obey those enlightened few who have been charged with the great responsibility of leadership.	Authoritarian Random weight: 100 +0.5 Monthly influence +5% Worker job output Principles0 Can use the Information Quarantine edict Allows Stratified Economy Living Standards Can enslave aliens Cannot reform into or start with Democratic authority Description0 A strong, guiding hand is essential to the success of any civilization - the alternative would be anarchy and chaos. It is the duty of the state to steer its citizens towards the paths that are the most productive.	Gestalt Consciousness Random weight: Varies −20% War exhaustion gain +1 Monthly influence +2 Encryption Cannot change ethics Principles0 Must use Hive Mind or Machine Intelligence authority, and cannot change authority Can use the No Retreat War Doctrine policy after completing the Supremacy tradition tree tradition tree Factions cannot form Gestalt Pops cannot survive in empires with a different authority Gestalt Pops are not affected by happiness Gestalt Pops use Menial Drone and Complex Drone strata Description0 We reach into the void. The vast expanse becomes us.	Egalitarian Random weight: 100 +25% Faction unity gain +5% Specialist job output Principles0 Can use the Encourage Political Thought edict Allows Utopian Living Standards Cannot use Capacity Boosters Leader Enhancement policy Cannot reform into or start with Autocratic authority Description0 Any society that does not embrace equality between its members - where an individual can rise to any position with enough hard work - is not only deeply unfair, but ultimately counterproductive.	Fanatic Egalitarian Random weight: 150 +50% Faction unity gain +10% Specialist job output Principles0 Can use the Encourage Political Thought edict Allows Utopian Living Standards Cannot use Selected Lineages or Capacity Boosters Leader Enhancement policies Must use Democratic authority Description0 Beware always those who would be despots, under the false presumption that their desires and agendas are somehow more imperative than those of their fellows. A society that does not see to the needs and rights of all of its members is not a society - it is a crime.
	Xenophile Random weight: 66 +10% Trade value +1 Available envoys Principles0 Can use the Land of Opportunity edict Increased Opinion with alien empires Cannot use Population Controls Enabled species rights Cannot Displace aliens Cannot use No Refugees Refugees policy Cannot use Aggressive First Contact Protocol policy Cannot use Hunted or Extermination Pre-sapients policy Description0 There exists, in all of us, a deep-seated fascination for the unknown. An adventurous spirit that rejects the familiar and glories in the unfamiliar, whatever - or whomever - it may be.	Pacifist Random weight: 66 −15% Empire size from pops +5 Stability Principles0 Can use the Peace Festivals edict Cannot use Unrestricted Wars War Philosophy policy Cannot use Unrestricted Studies Native Interference policy Cannot engage in Indiscriminate Orbital Bombardment Cannot use Aggressive First Contact Protocol policy Description0 Conflict as a means to an end is a ridiculous concept. It is by nature destructive, destroying what was to be obtained or giving room to grow that which was to be destroyed.	Materialist Random weight: 100 −10% Robot upkeep +5% Research speed Principles0 Allows Academic Privilege living standards Cannot use Outlawed AI policy Cannot use Outlawed Robotic Workers policy Description0 As we reach for the stars, we must put away childish things; gods, spirits and other phantasms of the brain. Reality is cruel and unforgiving, yet we must steel ourselves and secure the survival of our race through the unflinching pursuit of science and technology.
Fanatic Xenophile Random weight: 100 +20% Trade value +2 Available envoys Principles0 Can use the Land of Opportunity edict Increased Opinion with alien empires Cannot use Population Controls Enabled species rights Cannot Displace aliens Cannot use No Refugees Refugees policy Cannot use Aggressive First Contact Protocol policy Cannot use Hunted or Extermination Pre-Sapients policy Description0 If there ever was such a thing as an absolute moral imperative, it would be to explore the cosmos and embrace all within it. We were never meant to journey alone.		Fanatic Pacifist Random weight: 33 −30% Empire size from pops +10 Stability Principles0 Can use the Peace Festivals edict Must use Defensive Wars War Philosophy policy Cannot use Unrestricted Studies Native Interference policy Cannot engage in Indiscriminate Orbital Bombardment Cannot use Aggressive First Contact Protocol policy Description0 As civilized beings, the end of all armed conflict should be our primary concern. War is an evolutionary dead end, as futile as it is wasteful.		Fanatic Materialist Random weight: 150 −20% Robot upkeep +10% Research speed Principles0 Allows Academic Privilege living standards Cannot use Outlawed AI policy Cannot use Outlawed Robotic Workers policy Description0 Although it hurts, we must grow up and put aside our outdated notions of morality. There is no 'divine spark' granting special value to a living mind. No object has any intrinsic value apart from what we choose to grant it. Let us embrace the freedom of certitude, and achieve maximum efficiency in all things!

The random weight of the Gestalt Consciousness ethic varies depending on which DLC you own. It has a base weight of 0, which increases to 100 if you own either Utopia or Synthetic Dawn, and to 200 if you own both.

Pop ethics

Each pop in an empire will embrace a single, moderate ethic, which determines the Faction a pop will eventually join. At the start of the game the population's ethics will match the empire ethics but as an empire grows its population will become more diverse in its views and wants. Each ethic has an attraction value for each pop in an empire depending on both the empire's situation and their own situation.

Over time, the ethics of the pops will drift in such a way that it roughly matches the overall attraction of that value. For example, if the materialist attraction sits at 10% for decades, it's likely that after that time, around 10% of all pops will be materialist. There is some random factor so it's likely never going to match up perfectly, but the system is built to try and go towards the mean, so the more over-represented an ethic is compared to its attraction, the more likely pops are to drift away from it and vice versa.

The following attraction factors are valid for each ethic:

+2 if the empire has the ethic in moderate form
+3 if the empire has the ethic in fanatic form
+2 if the empire does not have the ethic and the Faction representing it has formed
+0.5 if the leader of the Faction representing the ethic is the empire ruler
+2 if the empire is a subject loyal to an overlord that has the ethic

Each ethic has its own multitude of factors that will increase or lower its attraction.

Ethic	Attraction	Requirement	Attraction	Ethic
Authoritarian	2.00	Pop has Noble job	0.10	Egalitarian
	1.50	Member of a Hegemony	1
	1.50	A pop of this species is enslaved. Ignores robot Pops.	1
	1.25	Pop is Decadent	0.50
	1.25	Authority is Imperial	0.75
	1.25	Pop has Stratified Society living standards and is not worker	1
	1.25	A pop from another biological species is enslaved. Unless a pop of this species is also enslaved.	1.50
	1	Pop does not have Full Citizenship	1.25
	1	Is in Defense Pact, Commercial Pact or Federation with a Egalitarian or Fanatic Egalitarian empire	1.50
	1	Any non-subject Egalitarian or Fanatic Egalitarian empire has migration access	2.00
	0.75	Authority is Democratic	1.25
	0.75	Pop has Social Welfare, Utopian Abundance or Shared Burden living standards	1.25
Materialist	2.00	Pop is Mechanical	0.25	Spiritualist
	1.50	Member of a Research Cooperative	1
	1.50	Pop is Cybernetic	1
	1.33	Research Agreement with a Fanatic Materialist or Materialist	1
	1.25	Citizen Rights Artificial Intelligence policy	0.75
	1.25	Origin is Mechanist	1
	1.25	Pop is not a robot but Robot pops live on the planet	1
	1.25	Pop has trait Natural Engineers	1
	1.25	Pop has trait Natural Physicists	1
	1.25	Pop has trait Natural Sociologists	1
	1	Has Psionic Theory technology	1.10
	1	Pop is Latent Psionic	1.10
	1	Pop is Psionic	1.20
	1	Has Mind Over Matter ascension perk	1.50
	1	Has Great Awakening tradition	1.50
	1	Has defense pact, commercial pact or Federation with a Fanatic Spiritualist or Spiritualist	1.50
	1	Non-Subject Fanatic Spiritualist or Spiritualist empire has migration access	2.00
	0.10	Pop has Priest, High Priest, Prosperity Preacher, Death Priest or Mortal Initiate job	1
Militarist	3.00	Planet is occupied	1	Pacifist
	2.00	Pop has Duelist job	0.10
	2.00	Another empire controls a planet the empire was the original owner of	1
	2.00	At war	1
	2.00	Recently lost a war	1
	1.50	A neighbor is hostile, domineering or a rival	0.50
	1.50	Member of a Martial Alliance	1
	1.25	Pop has Soldier job	1
	1.25	A neighbor is a rival and has Superior relative power	1
	1.20	Pop is Very Strong	1
	1.10	Pop is Strong	1
	1	Has Fanatic Purifiers civic	0.50
	1	Has Unrestricted Wars policy	0.75
	0.75	Has been at peace for over 20 years (After year 2250)	1.33
	0.75	Has been at peace for over 40 years (After year 2250)	1.33
	0.75	Has been at peace for over 60 years	1.33
	0.75	Has been at peace for over 80 years	1.33
	0.75	Has been at peace for over 100 years	1.33
	0.75	Pop is Weak	1.10
	0.33	Has Inward Perfection civic	1.50
Xenophile	2.00	Pop is not enslaved and a sapient free alien pop is on the world	0.50	Xenophobe
	2.00	Pop is an alien, does not have full citizenship and is not enslaved	1
	1.50	Allows alien leaders	0.75
	1.50	Non-subject alien empire has migration access	0.75
	1.50	A charismatic alien pop is on the world	1
	1.33	In a defensive pact, commercial pact or Federation with an alien empire	1
	1.10	World has a Xeno-Outreach Agency holding	1
	1	A Repugnant alien pop is on the world	1.50
	1	A Noxious alien pop is on the world	1.50
	1	Pop is not enslaved but an alien is enslaved on the world	2.00
	1	In a defensive war against an alien empire	3.00
	0.50	Pop is Necrophage	1
	0.50	Has Inward Perfection civic	1.50
	0.50	An alien empire has enslaved a pop of the empire's primary species	2.00
	0.35	Encountered a Genocidal empire	3.00
	0.33	Has Fanatic Purifiers civic	1.50
	0.25	An alien empire has committed genocide on the empire's primary species	4.00

Governing ethics attraction

Governing ethics attraction is a modifier that attracts pops towards the primary ethics of an empire rather than unrelated ethics. As the factions corresponding to the governing ethics tend to have more faction approval, having pops match those ethics to join those factions is desirable. The main factor that determines governing ethics attraction is the happiness of pops – each point of happiness above or below 50 adds the same amount of governing ethics attraction. In addition, an empire's governing ethics attraction can be affected by the following:

Source	Governing ethics attraction
Empire Capital designation	+100%
Hearts and Minds edict	+100%
One Vision ascension perk	+50%
Information Quarantine edict	+50%
Clone Soldier trait	+50%
Clone Soldier Ascendant trait	+50%
Conformists trait	+30%
Thought Enforcement edict	+25%
Isolationist diplomatic stance	+25%
The Greater Good tradition	+25%
Divine Sovereign civic	+25%
Psionic Archive relic activation	+25%
Conservative trait	+25%
Clone Soldier Descendant trait	+20%
Chosen One ruler trait	+20%
Primordial Dragonslayers empire modifier	+20%
Full Circle empire modifier	+20%
Goes Around, Comes Around empire modifier	+20%
Spurred by the Past empire modifier	+10%
The Gains of Freedom empire modifier	+10%
Psychic ruler trait	+10%
Consumer Goods minor deficit	−25%
Consumer Goods major deficit	−50%
Consumer Goods severe deficit	−75%
Consumer Goods catastrophic deficit	−100%
Deviants trait	−15%

Changing ethics

Empire ethics can be changed once every 10 years by embracing a faction. Embracing a faction causes an ethic shift towards the faction's ethic – adding it or increasing it into fanatic. Whenever an empire shifts its ethics, all other empires in communication receive a notification. Other ethics are demoted or removed to maintain the total ethic points at 3, using the following rules:

Situation	Example
Situation	Ethics	Shifts to	Result
Shifting to a new ethic
Shifting to a new ethic
Shifting to an existing ethic
Shifting to an existing ethic
Shifting to an opposite ethic


means the ethic with the lowest attraction

An effective tactic to ensure a particular ethic has the lowest attraction, and thus will be removed, is to suppress it and promote other factions while the game is paused, shift ethics and then undo the suppression and promotions before unpausing.