Not only professional ethicists may take part in the conversation about ethics, but all those who bear responsibility in their everyday lives, ask about ethics, make decisions based on them and arrive at action. Within the framework of the Institute, we would like to promote and, where necessary, challenge interprofessional dialogue between experts in medicine, psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy, pastoral care and education. In addition, a public group of participants interested in ethical questions in politics, business and the arts is called upon to make committed use of the Institute's offers in Mannheim. The initiative of the Mannheim Institute has been conducting public dialogue in the Heidelberg and Mannheim area for many years. Together with their friends and supporters, they have come to the conclusion that the ethical dialogue between specialised scientists should be supplemented by a broad social discourse with the aim of reaching a common liveable consensus. Wherever possible, this consensus should be responsibly formulated in order to be able to prove itself in practice as a politically realisable strategy. Complementary to the public discourse is the offer of the counselling outpatient clinic, which fits this goal, although it takes place in a completely different, separate and discrete arrangement.