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
FEB 13, 2017 • Podcast
The Global Phenomenon of #GivingTuesday
Jessica Schneider, of the Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, explains how and her team ...
FEB 6, 2017 • Podcast
The Populist Explosion: How the Great Recession Transformed American and European Politics
How exactly should we define populism? What led to its current resurgence in Europe and the United States, on both the right and the left? ...
FEB 2, 2017 • Podcast
Shalini Kantayya: The Intersection of Ethics, the Environment, & Economics
"I think we as a movement have not done a good job of making climate change a kitchen-table issue, of making this an economic issue ...
JAN 12, 2017 • Podcast
Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations
From massive leaps in technology to ever-increasing globalization to the acceleration of climate change, workplace, politics, geopolitics, and ethics are all going through tectonic shifts. ...
JAN 5, 2017 • Article
Ethics, Undocumented Immigrants, and the Issue of Integration: Making a Better Life for Everyone in New York City
"Given that many undocumented immigrants live invisibly for a long time, the NYC Municipal ID card truly acknowledges their existence. It was, and still is, ...
DEC 21, 2016 • Article
The Ethics of Climate Change Activism: Fear vs. Reality
"The time has come to act on climate because we can no longer afford not to. We know what consequences are in store for us ...
DEC 21, 2016 • Podcast
Women's Rights are Human Rights: Global Challenges to Reproductive Health
How will the Trump presidency affect women's rights, not only in the U.S. but around the world? Will the Sustainable Development Goals really succeed ...
DEC 16, 2016 • Podcast
Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion
We often think that empathy, our capacity "to feel someone's pain," is the ultimate source of goodness. Nothing could be farther from the truth, argues ...
DEC 15, 2016 • Podcast
A Conversation on Effective Altruism with Jennifer Rubenstein
The term effective altruism means that individuals should be sure to maximize the good they do, by donating to the most cost-effective charities, for example, ...
DEC 12, 2016 • Podcast
The Ethics and Governance of Geoengineering
The definition of geoengineering is "large-scale human intervention with the Earth in order to change the climate," says Janos Pasztor, and to manage the world's ...