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

U.S.-Mexico border ahead. CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderlane/3367611581">Wonderlane</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC</a>)

NOV 27, 2018 Article

Kerch and San Ysidro

What do the events in the Kerch Straits and on the U.S.-Mexico border have in common? In a world that may be shrinking ...

L to R: Tanisha Fazal, Chris Capozzola, Katherine Akey, Charles Sorrie, and Seiko Mimaki. CREDIT: Billy Pickett

NOV 19, 2018 Transcript

The Living Legacy of the First World War

Five Fellows from "The Living Legacy of the First World War" project present their work. Their talks cover the history of war-induced psychological trauma and ...

Myanmar security forces member near burnt-down houses in Rakhine State. CREDIT Steve Sandford (VOA) via <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Rohingya_persecution_in_Myanmar#/media/File:BGP_officer_near_a_burnt_down_house_in_Rakhine_State.jpg">Wikipedia</a>

NOV 16, 2018 Podcast

Myanmar and the Plight of the Rohingya, with Elliott Prasse-Freeman

The Rohingya are seen as fundamentally 'other,' says Prasse-Freeman. "Hence, even if they have formal citizenship, they wouldn't really be accepted as citizens, as ...

NOV 12, 2018 Podcast

Enemy of the People: Trump's War on the Press, with Marvin Kalb

Trump has a love-hate relationship with the press, which he calls "the enemy of the people" when it crosses him, knowing nothing of the origins ...

CREDIT: Camelia.boban <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BigData_2267x1146_white.png">Wikimedia Commons</a>

NOV 5, 2018 Article

The Ethics of Personal Data Collection: A Spectrum of Experiences from Kenya, India, and The Gambia

Many advocates now depend on mobile apps and crowdsourced data to address violations of human rights, such as physical assaults on women in India. In ...

OCT 29, 2018 Podcast

The Alternatives to War: From Sanctions to Nonviolence, with James Pattison

In this interview with the Council's John Krzyzaniak, James Pattison (University of Manchester, UK), discusses his book, "The Alternatives to War." Taking what he calls ...

OCT 26, 2018 Podcast

Reckless: Henry Kissinger and the Tragedy of Vietnam, with Robert K. Brigham

Henry Kissinger is smart, charming, and a great writer, says historian Robert Brigham. But when it came to Vietnam, his arrogance and deceit made a ...

OCT 19, 2018 Podcast

Fight for Liberty, with Max Boot, Philip Bobbitt, Garry Kasparov, & Bret Stephens

We live in a time when liberal democracy is on the defensive, not only in the U.S. but around the world. Yet these speakers, ...

Fatima AlRiami at work

OCT 17, 2018 Article

Unlocking the Potential of Young Working Women in the Middle East and North Africa

Through the story of Fatima AlRiami, a doctor in Yemen, Mariel Davis of Education for Employment not only illustrates some of the challenges that young ...

OCT 16, 2018 Video

Ethics in Business: In Their Own Words, with CFA Institute's Paul Smith

As part of a film series on ethics in business, Paul Smith, president and CEO of CFA Institute, discusses ethical issues in financial management. What ...