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 8, 2012 Podcast

Ethics Matter: Dov Seidman, a Moral Philosopher in a Suit

Leadership is going from being command-and-control to connect-and-collaborate; from inspecting for trust to giving it away; and from discussing success towards significance: "If we make ...

MAY 1, 2012 Podcast

Special Preview: May Day and Occupy Wall Street

This "Just Business" preview features two Occupy Wall Street (OWS) activists. OWS has hibernated a bit since New York City shut down its flagship encampment ...

APR 27, 2012 Podcast

Global Ethics Corner: A Warrior Ethic: Can Military Ethics be Taught?

After the recent highly publicized stories of American military members desecrating the remains of Taliban soldiers, many in the U.S. armed forces are learning ...

APR 13, 2012 Podcast

Global Ethics Corner: Do Super-Maximum Security Prisons Constitute Cruel and Unusual Punishment?

A surprise ruling from the European Court of Human Rights could send five terror suspects to a super-maximum security prison in the United States. Is ...

APR 9, 2012 Podcast

No One's World: The West, the Rising Rest, and the Coming Global Turn

How do we manage a world where no one power is dominant, and emerging powers have their own views about how to organize political, social, ...

APR 9, 2012 Podcast

New Models for Corporate Giving

Two experts from the world of philanthropy discuss a new kind of corporate citizenship. Today, companies are increasingly making more sophisticated contributions that build on ...

Factory workers assembling fiber optics systems in China. CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/52581560/" target=_blank">jurvetson</a>

APR 2, 2012 Article

Two Faces of Apple

On the customer side, Apple is one of the world's most innovative and successful companies. But when it comes to working conditions at its plants ...

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/seiu/4110489562/">SEIU International</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

MAR 30, 2012 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: Are Values a Lost Cause?

We are always alone with our values before we express them. Greg Smith bravely voiced his concerns when he resigned from Goldman Sachs. He was ...

Portside Watch. CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/marine_corps/16036448269/">Marines</a>

MAR 27, 2012 Article

Ethics and War in Homer's Iliad

Are the values we bring to war today really the same as they were back in the days of the warring Greeks and Trojans?  Or ...

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/zoetnet/5673319519/in/photostream/" target=_blank">zoetnet</a>, The Netherlands

MAR 21, 2012 Article

Europe's Far Right Goes Mainstream: The Failure of Multiculturalism?

What explains the far right's resurgence across Europe? Despite the perceived failures of multiculturalism, the continent should do more to understand why xenophobia remains so ...