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

President Trump at the 2017 UN General Assembly. CREDIT: <a href=https://www.flickr.com/photos/un_photo/37501289212/>UN Photo/Ariana Lindquist (CC)</a>.

SEP 9, 2019 Article

Transactionalism and U.S. Foreign Aid

A draft of a new presidential directive on American foreign aid suggests that transactionalism will shift from being a rhetorical device to an actual defining ...

Bridge of the Americas (El Paso–Ciudad Juárez), June 2016. CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/54593278@N03/27793302444">U.S. Customs and Border Protection/Public Domain</a>

SEP 4, 2019 Podcast

The Model International Mobility Convention, with Michael Doyle

In this timely talk, SIPA's Professor Michael Doyle details the Model International Mobility Convention, a "hypothetical ideal convention" developed to define a "comprehensive and coherent" ...

Families partake in a climate emergency protest in Melbourne, Australia. CREDIT: <A href=https://www.flickr.com/photos/takver/3622617318/>Takver (CC)</a>.

SEP 4, 2019 Article

What is the Status Quo for the Climate?

At various points in history, changes in climate contributed to the movement of people and the collapse of empires. How will the current changes in ...

President Trump departing China, November 2017. CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/26541431789">The White House/Public Domain</a>

AUG 20, 2019 Podcast

Ethics & the U.S.-China Trade War, with Nikolas Gvosdev

What role should ethics play in the U.S.-China trade war? Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev looks at these economic tensions in the context of ...

President Donald J. Trump and President Xi Jinping hold a bilateral meeting in Beijing on November 9, 2017. CREDIT: <a href=https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/more-photos-foreign-trip/>The White House (CC)</a>.

AUG 20, 2019 Article

Ethical Considerations in a Trade War with China

Are there ethical considerations that need to be factored in as part of assessing the merits of a "trade war" with the People's Republic of ...

CREDIT: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sustainable_Development_Goals.jpg">UNDP (CC)</a>

AUG 8, 2019 Article

Prioritizing the Linkages Between Sustainable Development Goals to Eradicate Child Marriage

"Child marriage is both a cause and consequence of the other societal ills outlined in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals," writes human rights attorney Megan ...

CREDIT: <a href="https://pixabay.com/illustrations/artificial-intelligence-brain-think-3382510/">Pixabay</a>

AUG 7, 2019 Podcast

AI & Human Rights: The Practical & Philosophical Dimensions, with Mathias Risse

Mathias Risse, director of Harvard Kennedy School's Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, discusses the many connections between artificial intelligence and human rights. From practical ...

AUG 5, 2019 Video

Ethics in Business: In Their Own Words, with IFAC's Kevin Dancey

Kevin Dancey, CEO at the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), speaks about the role of ethics in accounting. He discusses his organization's diversity, how accounting ...

JUL 10, 2019 Video

Ethics in Business: In Their Own Words, with Pendal's Emilio Gonzalez

Emilio Gonzalez, group CEO at Pendal in Australia, speaks about the role of ethics in global investment management. He discusses his organization's charitable work, its ...

JUN 26, 2019 Podcast

Eyes in the Sky: The Secret Rise of Gorgon Stare and How It Will Watch Us All, with Arthur Holland Michel

Arthur Holland Michel, founder of the Center for the Study of the Drone, traces the development of the Pentagon's Gorgon Stare, one of the most ...