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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JUL 30, 2014 Podcast

Crisis Breeds Opportunity for Worker Safety and Global Labor Rights

Tragic incidents in Bangladesh brought the issue of labor rights to the global stage once again. What are some new approaches to keeping factory workers ...

Tsutenkaku Tower in Osaka, Japan via <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-118243849/stock-photo-osaka-japan-april-tsutenkaku-tower-in-shinsekai-new-world-district-at-night-tsutenkaku.html">Shutterstock</a>

JUL 22, 2014 Article

Japan’s "'76ers" Gain Global Attention: New Liberal Elite Can Change Japan

In this "Nikkei Business" interview, Carnegie Council Senior Fellow discusses his research on Japan's generation known as "76ers"--i.e. those born around 1976. He talked ...

Image via <a href="http://www.unicef.org/ceecis/overview_16605.html">UNICEF</a>

JUL 7, 2014 Article

It's Time for the United States to Ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child

America is one of only two countries that has not yet ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The other is Somalia. As ...

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina via <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-134191220/stock-photo-sarajevo-bosnia-and-herzegovina.html">Shutterstock</a>

JUN 26, 2014 Article

We Have a Plan: From Sarajevo to Baghdad

How should we mark the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the event that led to WWI? Here in Sarajevo, remembering its ...

Protesters in Sao Paulo in June 2013 via <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-190374902/stock-photo-sao-paulo-brazil-june-some-protesters-marching-on-paulista-avenue-holding-signs-with.html?src=9bHtQcDaZEdt6k_Tqv-RUw-1-12">Shutterstock</a>

JUN 25, 2014 Article

The Participation Gap

"Inequality doesn't result only from differences in income or wealth (the focus of French economist Thomas Piketty). It also has a political dimension, fueled by ...

JUN 18, 2014 Article

Cataclysm: David Stevenson on World War I as Political Tragedy

David Stevenson discusses the military and political decisions on both sides that led to World War I; the Eastern, Balkan, and Italian Fronts, which are ...

Rosa Brooks

JUN 12, 2014 Podcast

A Conversation with Law Professor and Columnist Rosa Brooks on Obama's Foreign Policy

With an insider's perspective, Rosa Brooks candidly discusses U.S. foreign policy, from Kosovo to Afghanistan, Syria, and Ukraine, along with her views on Barack ...

Pilot cave at the Onkalo spent nuclear fuel repository in Finland, the first such respository in the world. Photo via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onkalo_spent_nuclear_fuel_repository#mediaviewer/File:Onkalo_2.jpg">Wikipedia</a>

JUN 6, 2014 Article

The Intergenerational and International Justice Dilemmas of Multinational Nuclear Waste Repositories

Despite Fukushima, the use of nuclear power is increasing worldwide. What about the growing mountain of nuclear waste? It has already been accumulating for over 50 ...

Joel Rosenthal headshot. CREDIT: Anadolu Agency

MAY 28, 2014 Article

Sarajevo is a Symbol: Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Assassination

In this interview with the Turkish news organization Andalou Agency, Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal explains the reasons behind the Council's upcoming visit to Sarajevo ...

MAY 21, 2014 Article

"The Past is Another Country:" The Epic Battle for the Civil Rights Act

The 1964 Civil Rights Act was a triumph of one vision--one history--of one America over another. Clay Risen's "The Bill of the Century: The Epic Battle ...