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
MAY 10, 2022 • Podcast
Making Decisions When Values Conflict or Are Prioritized Differently, with Paul Root Wolpe
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 ...
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

FEB 3, 2023 • Article
"Forced Migrants," Human Rights, and "Climate Refugees"
Senior Fellow Michael Doyle explores arguments for assistance and asylum that those who are driven by climate to cross international borders can and should claim.

DEC 15, 2022 • Article
Revising MIMC: Finding Solutions to the Challenges of Today's Migration
On October 13-14, 2022, the Model International Mobility Convention (MIMC), Carnegie Council’s migration impact initiative, convened a workshop to find solutions to the most pressing ...

DEC 15, 2022 • Article
Family Reunification: Domestic and Human Rights Regional Courts Perspective
Domestic and regional courts have a relevant role not only in applying international law but also in developing it. This paper aims to critically analyze ...

DEC 7, 2022 • Article
Five Moments That Will Shape Ethics in International Affairs for 2023
How can ethics help us better understand the world in 2023 and the choices we face within it? Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal discusses the FTX ...

OCT 4, 2022 • Podcast
Ethics in the Classroom: Empowering the Next Generation
This panel brings together contributors from the Carnegie Council’s journal "Ethics & International Affairs" to explore how ethics can be used in the classroom to ...

SEP 9, 2022 • Podcast
Freezing Order: Surviving Vladimir Putin's Wrath, with Bill Browder
What will it take to stop Russia’s President Vladimir Putin? Few have seen his wrath as closely as American-born British financier Bill Browder, who ...

JUN 27, 2022 • Podcast
Should American Nonprofits Work In China? with Freedom House's Michael Abramowitz
For decades, American nonprofits and philanthropies worked with Chinese citizens and the Chinese Communist Party. But over the last several years, the space for foreign ...

JUN 8, 2022 • Article
Ethics & Artificial Intelligence: Migration
With Russia's invasion of Ukraine leading to Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II, this article from researchers Gustavo Macedo and Lutiana Barbosa details ...

MAY 13, 2022 • Article
Ethics As We Know it is Gone. It's Time for Ethics Re-envisioned.
Given the troubling state of international affairs there is reason to be greatly concerned about how ethics is framed or co-opted. To meet this moment, ...

MAY 6, 2022 • Podcast
For Companies, Could China Be the Next Russia? with Perth Tolle
Isaac Stone Fish and finance expert Perth Tolle discuss the global economic backlash to Russia after the Ukraine invasion, China, and much more.