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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MAY 14, 2014 Podcast

Moral Imagination

David Bromwich draws upon thinkers such as Burke, Lincoln, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. to show that it is moral imagination which allows us ...

CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/narendramodiofficial/12231286173/">Narendra Modi</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">CC</a>).

MAY 14, 2014 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: Islamophobia Is Not Just a Western Problem

The success of nationalists in India's election shows how easily an intricate social fabric can be rent for political purposes.

MAY 13, 2014 Podcast

The Rise of the New Far Right in Europe and Implications for European Parliament Elections

This panel gives an excellent overview of the complexities of the rise of right-wing populism across Europe, focusing in particular on France, the UK, and ...

MAY 6, 2014 Podcast

The Invisible Casualties Of America's Longest Wars

Did you know that one in three U.S. women veterans has been sexually assaulted? In 2013, even with about 85 percent of the assaults going unreported, ...

Nightlife in Shinjuku via <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=171980396"> Shutterstock </a>

MAY 5, 2014 Article

Japan's Change Generation

For the past two decades, Tokyo has been described as stagnant, glacial, and arthritic. But that is only part of the story. Outside the government, ...

APR 30, 2014 Podcast

A Conversation with Douglas Rushkoff, Digital Media Expert, Graphic Novelist and Documentarian

With the advent of new means of interaction from the TV remote to Twitter, the media became a two-way conversation, says Douglas Rushkoff. But who ...

The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist: When Girl Meets Oil

APR 17, 2014 Podcast

The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist: When Girl Meets Oil

How can corporations work to prevent human rights violations on their watch, as well as disasters like the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion? Christine Bader discusses ...

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-168137429/stock-photo-breaking-chain-group-as-a-business-concept-for-organization-stress-and-partnership-failure-as-a.html?src=belUKHfXDLO2u8hg6G5JMw-1-42">Shutterstock</a>

APR 16, 2014 Article

Ukraine, The Great Powers, Budapest, and "Astheneia"

Was it unethical for the United States to give Ukraine non-binding security guarantees as an inducement for giving up nuclear weapons?

APR 7, 2014 Podcast

Conviction, Conflict, Community: A Conversation with George Rupp

The United States' problem is the presumption of individualism, which is deeply resented and resisted in most of the world, except in some parts of ...

APR 3, 2014 Podcast

Driving Competitive Advantage through Values-Based Leadership

"There can be no choice between doing well financially and behaving responsibly in business," declares Barclays Group Chief Executive Antony Jenkins. "The last half-dozen years ...