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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SEP 3, 2014 Podcast

Was World War I Inevitable?

We're still trying to understand what World War I meant. It is a very complex event, one that has echoes into the present, and we've ...

George Rupp in Sarajevo. CREDIT: Irfan Redzovic

SEP 3, 2014 Podcast

Religion in War and Reconciliation

"There is a long way to go before religious communities become more of a resource for reducing rather than a source for increasing antagonism. But ...

SEP 3, 2014 Podcast

Ethics and War

"In this talk I want to consider how the ways in which we assess the morality of war are changing. My concern is not to ...

Adam Roberts in Sarajevo. CREDIT: Irfan Redzovic

SEP 3, 2014 Podcast

Legal and Moral International Norms Since 1914

"What lessons has humankind learned from the events of 1914 in Sarajevo? And are there further lessons that we should have learned, but didn't? Have our ...

Ivo Banac in Sarajevo. CREDIT: Irfan Redzovic

SEP 3, 2014 Podcast

War and Reconciliation in the Twentieth-Century Balkans

What are the remedies for the endless cycles of violence in the Balkans? Croatian historian Ivo Banac examines various solutions that have been tried and ...

SEP 3, 2014 Podcast

Sarajevo Symposium, Closing Remarks

"We have all got to live with each other. There will be Serbs here in a thousand years, Croats here in a thousand years. We're ...

Enisa, a multiple-rape survivor from the Bosnian war, left, with Majda Prljaca, communications officer for the UN Population Fund in Sarajevo.  © Armin Smailović

AUG 7, 2014 Article

Helpless Bosnia and Its Women, 20 Years After Ethnic War

Carnegie Council Trustee Barbara Crossette looks at courageous women who have gone from victims of the Bosnian War (1992-1995) to heroines. Yet many foresee a ...

AUG 6, 2014 Podcast

Carnegie's Vision for Peace: WNYC's Brian Lehrer Interviews Joel Rosenthal

On the eve of the 100th anniversary of World War I, Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal discusses the legacy of Andrew Carnegie, who thought that ...

Decision. CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/8275165638">Thomas Hawk</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">CC</a>)

AUG 4, 2014 Article

Toward Understanding Our World's Moral Landscape: Carnegie Council's Centennial Projects on a "Global Ethic"

As part of its Centennial activities, Carnegie Council launched several projects, including the Global Ethical Dialogues and Thought Leaders Forum, to explore the concept of ...

Roma Community, Romania. CREDIT: <a href="http://bit.ly/1xLVcfD"> World Bank </a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">CC</a>)

AUG 2, 2014 Article

Modern Europe's Roma: Still Denied Social Justice

Despite sustained EU efforts to develop a vigorous Roma inclusion policy, the vast majority of the 10–12 million strong European Roma remain severely marginalized, frequent targets ...