Applied Ethics

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

JUL 5, 2023 Article

A Framework for the International Governance of AI

Carnegie Council, in collaboration with IEEE, proposes a five-part AI governance framework to enable the constructive use of AI.

APR 12, 2022 Podcast

Surveillance Tech's Infinite Loop of Harms, with Chris Gilliard

In this discussion with Senior Fellow Arthur Holland Michel, Chris Gilliard explains why the arc of surveillance technology and novel AI bends toward failures that ...

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MAY 21, 2019 Podcast

Global Ethics Weekly: The Mueller Report & U.S. Foreign Policy, with Jonathan Cristol

A lot of the talk about the Mueller Report has focused on its political and legal implications, but how will it affect U.S. foreign ...

MAY 17, 2019 Podcast

Civic Responsibility in the Internet Age, with Michael H. Posner

Historian Ted Widmer and Michael Posner, an NYU Stern professor and former U.S. State Department official, discuss local politics, journalism, and money in elections ...

MAY 13, 2019 Podcast

Ethics in Business: In Their Own Words, with GPIF's Hiro Mizuno

Hiro Mizuno, executive managing director and CIO of Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), speaks about the role of ethics in managing one of the ...

Josephine Marrocco.  CREDIT: Amanda Ghanooni

MAY 10, 2019 Article

Sex, Drugs, and Propaganda: Why AIDS Persists in the Russian Federation

On May 3, 2019, Josephine Marrocco's presentation on HIV/AIDS in Russia was selected as the winner of the Council's fifth annual Student Research Conference. Afterwards, Carnegie ...

MAY 9, 2019 Podcast

Global Ethics Weekly: Ethics, Politics, & the Veteran Community, with Reed Bonadonna

Senior Fellow Reed Bonadonna, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel, discusses the role of ethics in the transition to civilian life. With presidents Eisenhower ...

APR 22, 2019 Podcast

Human Rights, Liberalism, & Ordinary Virtues, with Michael Ignatieff

Central European University's President Michael Ignatieff is a human rights scholar, an educator, a former politician, and, as he tells us, the son of a ...

CREDIT: <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/LeandroDeCarvalho-2623015/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=1682266">Leandro De Carvalho</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=1682266">Pixabay</a>

APR 9, 2019 Article

Ethical Implications of Climate Change for Education

"Education is often tied with privilege and who has access," writes Brian Mateo, assistant dean of civic engagement at Bard College. "Let us not continue ...

APR 2, 2019 Video

Ethics in Business: In Their Own Words, with Deloitte China's David Wu

David Wu, vice chairman of Deloitte China, discusses the role of ethics in financial services and consulting. In particular, he emphasizes the importance of transparency ...

Statue of Liberty. CREDIT: <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/Ronile-126846/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=267948">Ronile</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=267948">Pixabay</a>

APR 1, 2019 Article

Democratic Decline?

We are familiar with one type of democratic decline: the loss of faith by voters in institutions and politicians, the breakdown in trust in expertise ...

MAR 28, 2019 Podcast

Global Ethics Weekly: Liberal Democracy, Empathy, & AI, with Alexander Görlach

In this wide-ranging talk, Carnegie Council Senior Fellow Alexander Görlach discusses the importance of empathy in liberal democracies, the shocking Uyghur detention in China, ...