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 12, 2020 • Podcast
Great Power Populism, COVID-19, & Missing Leadership, with Damjan Krnjević Mišković & Nikolas Gvosdev
What is "great power populism" and what does it mean during the pandemic? Are we heading towards another global conflict? And are there any leaders ...
MAY 8, 2020 • Podcast
Democracy on the Verge: Leadership in Times of Crisis, with Ted Widmer
In this fascinating conversation with Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal, historian Ted Widmer looks back on 13 pivotal days in Abraham Lincoln's life in 1861--the basis ...
MAY 7, 2020 • Article
China's Changing Role in the Pandemic-Driven World: A Dove's Perspective
What do China's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and U.S. reactions to China inform us about the relations between these two major powers? Is ...
MAY 5, 2020 • Podcast
COVID-19 & the Future of Health Data, with Mona Sloane
The implementation of contact tracing and the collection of health data may be necessary for life to return to "normal" in the face of the ...
MAY 1, 2020 • Podcast
Prospects for Global Coordination in an Age of Pandemics & Emerging Climate Technologies, with Cynthia Scharf
Much like efforts to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, combatting climate change requires cooperation on a global scale. And yet the history of ...
APR 30, 2020 • Podcast
Ethical Frontlines: Journalism & Government, with Mei Fong & Daniel Lippman
What unique ethical challenges does COVID-19 present to journalists? How might a lack of trust in media and government affect the public's response to the ...
APR 24, 2020 • Podcast
Health Data, Privacy, & Surveillance: How Will the Lockdowns End? with Effy Vayena & Jeffrey Kahn
How should we think about privacy and government surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic? Johns Hopkins' Jeffrey Kahn and ETH Zurich's Effy Vayena discuss health data ...
APR 20, 2020 • Podcast
Ethics, Surveillance, & the Coronavirus Pandemic, with Arthur Holland Michel
As U.S. states and European nations contemplate how to end the COVID-19 quarantine, Senior Fellow Arthur Holland Michel discusses all aspects of surveillance and ...
APR 17, 2020 • Podcast
Fractured Globalization & Dissolving Ethics, with Nikolas Gvosdev
If global interconnections begin to fray in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, what happens to the ethical underpinnings of international relations? Senior Fellow Nikolas ...
APR 3, 2020 • Article
Facing a Pandemic in the Dark
Over 1 million Rohingya refugees living in crowded, unsanitary conditions in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh could soon be facing their own COVID-19 outbreak. Making their situation even ...