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 ...

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CREDIT: Nick Royer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

AUG 16, 2016 Podcast

Interview with Robert Sparrow on Autonomous Weapon Systems and Respect in Warfare

Professor Sparrow works on ethical issues raised by new technologies. Here he discusses Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS), often referred to as "killer robots." Unlike drones, ...

AUG 15, 2016 Podcast

The Conscious Consumer

Part one of this three-part series on conscious capitalism examines the role of the conscious consumer. In this episode, hear the story of a victim ...

Signing of the U.S. Constitution by Howard Chandler Christy. Public Domain via <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington#/media/File:Scene_at_the_Signing_of_the_Constitution_of_the_United_States.jpg">Wikipedia</a>

AUG 1, 2016 Article

The U.S. Election Is a Referendum on American Values

Liberalism is the simple but powerful idea that freedom and equality are values worth defending. It has been a guiding light for U.S. politics ...

Toronto Refugee Collective.  Photo provided by Samantha Jackson

JUL 12, 2016 Article

Welcome to Canada: the Ryerson University Lifeline Syria Challenge

In just under a year, Toronto's universities raised more than CAD$4.3 million and helped 19 Syrian families (99 people) settle in Canada, with many more on the ...

JUN 24, 2016 Podcast

The Needs of Refugee Women and Children in the Global Humanitarian Crisis

In this powerful talk, executive director Sarah Costa explains the work of the Women's Refugee Commission, and discusses the current crisis. The numbers are staggering: ...

JUN 23, 2016 Podcast

Time to Wake Up

"The story of our failure on climate change is a story of our failure to understand the truly manipulative and evil effects of money in ...

CREDIT: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20151030_Syrians_and_Iraq_refugees_arrive_at_Skala_Sykamias_Lesvos_Greece_2.jpg" target="_blank">Ggia - Wikimedia (CC)</a>. Syrian and Iraqi refugees arrive at Lesvos, Greece, October 2015.

JUN 16, 2016 Article

Integration and the European Migration "Crisis"

How we treat the millions arriving in Europe will affect all our futures, writes migration expert Jenny Phillimore. "We can genuinely welcome people, accept them ...

JUN 15, 2016 Podcast

Panama Papers in Perspective: Tracing Illicit Capital Flows

In this Institute of Current World Affairs speech on May 20, with the sensational revelations from the "Panama Papers" still emerging, Krishen Mehta, a longtime friend ...

JUN 6, 2016 Podcast

How Rights for Indigenous Peoples Can Save the Environment

From Greenland to Kenya, indigenous peoples are fighting for their land against governments, corporations, and climate change. UN special rapporteur Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, herself an indigenous ...

United Nations headquarters in New York City. CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mononoke/225965762">Ashitaka San</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">(CC)</a>

JUN 1, 2016 Podcast

An Evaluation of Gender Balance in the Leadership of the UN Secretariat

"We see the UN come out time and time again for a need for gender parity, not only within its organization, but at the state ...