Framing ethical perspectives
Applied ethics refers to the practical applications of the moral principles that govern behavior. Carnegie Council focuses on this field, mostly through the realm of international affairs, by identifying and addressing the most critical ethical issues of today and tomorrow. Our initiatives, content, and experts analyze the way that governments, institutions, and individuals interact and make choices on global issues, such as climate change, emerging technology, and governance.
Featured Applied Ethics Resources
Practical conversations, decision analysis, and more
MAR 13, 2026 • Video
Character and Leadership: A Conversation with Lt. General (ret.) Mark Hertling
FEB 20, 2026 • Podcast
Keeping it Real(ism), with Assoc. Professor Paul Poast
With realism having a political moment, Paul Poast discusses the intellectual roots of the theory and how it's being applied in U.S. foreign policy.
DEC 11, 2025 • Video
Re-examining our Capacity for Just Peace
Watch this discussion featuring distinguished experts reflecting on the state of war in 2025 and the obstacles to achieving just peace.
Related Initiatives
Carnegie Ethics Accelerator
The Carnegie Ethics Accelerator is a new kind of incubator designed to empower ethics in the face of swiftly evolving challenges in technology and public policies.
Ethics & International Affairs Journal
Ethics & International Affairs is the quarterly journal of Carnegie Council. It aims to close the gap between the theory and practice of ethics.
Carnegie Ethics Fellows
The Carnegie Ethics Fellows program (CEF) seeks to cultivate the next generation of ethical global leaders across business, policy, technology, NGOs, and academia.
Explore Our Applied Ethics Resources
MAY 26, 1984 • Article
Morgenthau Lecture: Interest and Conscience in Modern Diplomacy
Israeli diplomat Abba Eban examines modern developments that are said to have vitiated the power of modern-day diplomacy, refuting each in turn.
MAY 12, 1982 • Article
Morgenthau Lecture: Thoughts on Man's Purpose in Life
Admiral Hyman George Rickover considers our human need to find purpose and meaning in our lives.
MAY 1, 1980 • Article
Banned in South Africa: A Personal Account
David Russell was a courageous white South African Anglican priest. On October 19, 1977, the government cracked down on the press, organizations, and individuals who fought apartheid. ...
MAY 1, 1978 • Article
"Do Not Forget Us!"
Activist Bayard Rustin reports on meeting Indochinese refugees in Thai camps, who fled their countries in fear of their lives. He exhorts America to open ...
JUN 1, 1976 • Article
An Interview With Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
"Today this nuclear threat still hangs over both sides, but the West has chosen the wrong path of making concessions. Nuclear war is not even ...
MAR 1, 1975 • Article
Environmental War
"Harnessing weather as a means of warfare would at one time have seemed unthinkable, a grotesque variation on chemical and biological warfare. But 'weather war' ...
JAN 1, 1972 • Article
Languages of Murder: William Calley and Charles Manson
Peter Berger grapples with the most shocking U.S. crimes of the 1960s: the My Lai massacre and the Manson murders. While it would be ...
MAY 1, 1970 • Article
On the Moral Implications of Torture and Exemplary Assassination
First published in May 1970 during the Vietnam War, this WORLDVIEW magazine article is just as relevant today.
APR 29, 1970 • Article
Mission to Hanoi, 1968
In February 1968, peace activist Father Daniel Berrigan and historian Howard Zinn flew to Hanoi to obtain the release of three American prisoners of war. Here ...
JAN 5, 1970 • Article
"In Your Hands: A Guide for Community Action"
"America's advances depend on every citizen. From now until the Declaration's tenth anniversary on December 10, 1958, you will want to study and discuss the Declaration, examine ...