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
JAN 21, 2010 • Article
Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: Cosmopolitanism as Virtue
Without high levels of migration, and a related ethical commitment to cosmopolitanism, nation-states will fail to develop the individual and collective virtues suitable to "living ...
JAN 21, 2010 • Article
Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: The Capabilities Approach and Collective Ownership of the Earth
If people of a particular country are using more than their proportionate share of the collectively owned planet, they should allow for immigration.
JAN 21, 2010 • Article
Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: Precarious Lives
If existing refugee protection and international humanitarian regimes are already under serious strain, how can global cooperation be extended for the protection of vulnerable persons ...
JAN 20, 2010 • Article
Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: Reconciling an Ethical Immigration Policy with the Nation-state Myth
Don't we, as collective owners and stewards of the Earth, have a basic right to move? Indeed, the right to move is necessary to realize ...
JAN 20, 2010 • Article
Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: The Ethics of Language Choice in Immigration
Should language rights be understood as collective rights or individual rights? Do language rights entail active endorsement of immigrant languages on the part of the ...
JAN 20, 2010 • Podcast
Top Risks and Ethical Decisions 2010
What's next? Using Eurasia Group's Top Risks as a starting point for identifying the major global challenges in 2010, the panelists identify what they see on ...
JAN 19, 2010 • Article
Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Innovations: Developing a Reconciliation Indicator
A composite indicator is needed to substantiate the impact of community-led reconciliation processes and to better target sustainable development aid in post-conflict zones.
JAN 8, 2010 • Podcast
Top Risks and Ethical Decisions 2010
The Eurasia Group identified ten top global risks for business this year, which should be understood not just as political and economic, but also as ...
DEC 22, 2009 • Podcast
East Asian Security and Democracy: The Place of Taiwan
Taiwan has transformed itself into a prosperous, vibrant democracy, and recently tensions between Taiwan and China have lessened. As the balance of power between the ...
DEC 18, 2009 • Podcast
The Cost of Climate Change
This short clip on ethics asks: Is climate change a common public burden, or should individuals make their own choices? Globally do modernized countries have ...