Applied Ethics

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

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 ...

Explore Our Applied Ethics Resources

MAY 15, 2020 Transcript

Ethical Leadership in Times of Crisis, with Jeff McCausland

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended daily life for everyone. From large corporations to small non-profits to schools to the military, leaders at all types of ...

Donald Trump & Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, July 16, 2018. CREDIT: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vladimir_Putin_%26_Donald_Trump_in_Helsinki,_16_July_2018_(7).jpg">Kremlin.ru (CC)</a>.

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 ...

Inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln, March 4, 1861. CREDIT: <a href=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abraham_Lincoln_inauguration_1861.jpg>Library of Congress (CC)</a>.

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 ...

Aid packages from China are unloaded at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, Philippines on March 21, 2020. CREDIT: <a href=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:China_COVID19_test_kit_PH_donation_7.jpg> Philippines Presidential Communications Operations Office (CC)</a>.

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 ...

New York Army National Guard at a COVID-19 mobile testing center, New Rochelle, NY, March 14, 2020. <br>CREDIT: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_York_National_Guard_(49667734346).jpg">New York National Guard (CC)</a>.

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 ...

Sheffield, UK, March 2020. CREDIT: <a href="https://flickr.com/photos/shefftim/49683551823/">Tim Dennell</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">(CC)</a>.

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 ...

CREDIT: <a href="https://flickr.com/photos/30478819@N08/48899821263/">Marco Verch</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(CC)</a>

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 ...

Belfast, Northern Ireland, March 24, 2020. CREDIT: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belfast_COVID19_Traffic_Management_Sign.jpg">Gerry Lynch (CC)</a>

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 ...