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
MAR 13, 2026 • Video
Character and Leadership: A Conversation with Lt. General (ret.) Mark Hertling
FEB 20, 2026 • Podcast
Keeping it Real(ism), with Assoc. Professor Paul Poast
With realism having a political moment, Paul Poast discusses the intellectual roots of the theory and how it's being applied in U.S. foreign policy.
DEC 11, 2025 • Video
Re-examining our Capacity for Just Peace
Watch this discussion featuring distinguished experts reflecting on the state of war in 2025 and the obstacles to achieving just peace.
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
JUN 17, 2015 • Podcast
A Conversation with Ashoka Founder Bill Drayton on Social Entrepreneurship
For millennia, the world was organized around efficiency and repetition, says Bill Drayton, but now this system is being replaced by a world organized around ...
JUN 15, 2015 • Article
Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Innovations: The Next Pig Idea
Food waste expert and environmentalist Tristram Stuart has had an unexpectedly big idea that could change the world.
JUN 12, 2015 • Podcast
Introduction to "Ethics & International Affairs," Summer 2015
In this podcast, Senior Editor Zach Dorfman introduces the journal's summer issue. Topics discussed include essays on liberal education in illiberal societies, and on Edward ...
JUN 11, 2015 • Podcast
Why We Cheat: Stories of Dishonesty and Human Nature from Dan Ariely and Others
In this last installment of our three-part series on workplace ethics in collaboration with EthicalSystems.org, we take an honest look at cheating. According to ...
JUN 10, 2015 • Podcast
A Conversation with Ethan Zuckerman on the Ethics of the Internet
"We have the capacity to get stories from every part of the globe. The question is, what do we want to pay attention to? The ...
JUN 8, 2015 • Article
Migrant Deaths Worldwide
There is no going back to a world in which migration can be prevented. The only solution to the global crisis of migrant deaths is ...
JUN 1, 2015 • Podcast
From Nuclear Deterrence to Disarmament: Evolving Catholic Perspectives
In this timely and important discussion on nuclear weapons, Des Browne provides the broader policy context; Archbishop Auza presents the Holy See's position over the ...
MAY 29, 2015 • Podcast
Ethics in U.S. Foreign Policy: Spymaster Jack Devine on the CIA
"The thing that attracted me to the Agency was a sense of mission," says 32-year CIA veteran Jack Devine. In this discussion he talks candidly ...
MAY 28, 2015 • Article
Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: It's Time for a U.S.-Canada Electric Auto Pact
The Canada-U.S. auto pact of 1965 was a major milestone, but it is time for a renewed vision for Canada-U.S. automotive cooperation and for ...
MAY 28, 2015 • Podcast
An Interview with Shefa Siegel on Liberia, Ebola, and the Cult of Bankable Projects
It's not for lack of money that international organizations failed to prevent the disastrous spread of Ebola, says Shefa Siegel. It's for lack of flexibility ...