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
MAY 26, 1995 • Article
Morgenthau Lectures (1981–2006): The New Dimensions of Human Rights
"The interface between ethics and science will hence be the new frontier of politics—the third new dimension of human rights," warns Zbigniew Brzezinski in ...
MAY 22, 1987 • Article
Morgenthau Lectures (1981–2006): The Political Ethics of International Relations
Leading international relations theorist Stanley Hoffmann argues that the greatest danger to ethical thinking in international affairs is "disembodied idealism," i.e., posing ethical solutions ...
MAY 12, 1985 • Article
Morgenthau Lectures (1981–2006): Words and Deeds in Foreign Policy
Moral principles become disconnected from political actions in three ways: contextualizing ethics for time and place as well as man, politics, and the nation-state; subjugating ...
DEC 3, 1984 • Article
The Bishop and South Africa: An Interview with Desmond Tutu
"I am glad I'm not a Westerner; I am glad I'm not white; I am glad I'm not civilized, if civilized means doing the kind ...
MAY 26, 1984 • Article
Morgenthau Lectures (1981–2006): Interest and Conscience in Modern Diplomacy
Famed Israeli diplomat Abba Eban examines modern developments that are said to have vitiated the power of modern-day diplomacy, refuting each in turn. He says ...
MAY 12, 1982 • Article
Morgenthau Lectures (1981–2006): Thoughts on Man's Purpose in Life
"I do not claim to have a magic answer, but I believe there are some basic principles of existence, propounded by thinkers through the ages, ...
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' ...