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
DEC 3, 2012 • Podcast
Corey Brettschneider on Hate Speech
How should states deal with hate speech? In the U.S., the prevailing attitude is that hate speech should be protected. In other liberal democracies, ...
NOV 29, 2012 • Podcast
Human Rights Watch: Promoting Ethical Behavior When It's Contested
It's the job of Human Rights Watch to shine a spotlight on human rights abuses worldwide, including in the U.S., says its executive director ...
NOV 28, 2012 • Article
Losing the Violence Monopoly
The poisonous cocktail of widespread police and military brutality, increasingly lethal inter-communal ethnic violence in several regions, the anxious countdown to the March 2013 presidential elections, ...
NOV 26, 2012 • Article
Ethics, International Relations, and Global Environmental Governance
Lorraine Elliott's recent lecture in Singapore drew on more than a decade of work to canvass ways in which we might understand--and indeed make sense ...
NOV 26, 2012 • Podcast
Global Ethics Corner: Is It Too Soon to Normalize Relations with Burma?
As Burma begins to reform its government, the U.S. has been quick to begin normalizing relations with the Asian state. Are geostrategic considerations overshadowing ...
NOV 20, 2012 • Podcast
Ethics Matter: Dan Ariely on the Hidden Forces that Shape our Decisions
Why do smart people cheat? Why do we eat more than we should or text while driving? In this funny and insightful talk, behavioral economist ...
NOV 19, 2012 • Podcast
Global Ethics Corner: Should Adultery be Illegal for Military Personnel?
Although he was allegedly retired from the military when the affair took place, the scandal surrounding David Petraeus highlights the different ethical standard that members ...
NOV 15, 2012 • Transcript
Summary of Second Annual Global Ethics Fellows Conference in New York
This international conference included three panels: Cultural and Universal Norms; Political Will and Responsibilities; and Managing Systemic Risk and Systemic Crisis.
NOV 6, 2012 • Article
The New Assassination Bureau: On the 'Robotic Turn' in Contemporary War
When the film "2001" first came out, the plot--in which a robot faces an ethical decision--seemed like pure science fiction. Today it's becoming reality. This essay ...
OCT 16, 2012 • Podcast
Public Affairs: America in the 21st Century: A View from Asia
The good, the bad, and the ugly: distinguished Singaporean Kishore Mahbubani politely but firmly tells Americans how Asians see them, and warns, "the world that ...