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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JUN 1, 2010 Podcast

Public Ethics Radio: Sarah Holcombe on Indigenous Intellectual Property Rights

What rules should govern business and academic interactions with so-called traditional knowledge? Sarah Holcombe examines questions of knowledge management, intellectual property rights, and research ethics ...

MAY 17, 2010 Podcast

Public Ethics Radio: Anne Phillips on Ownership and the Body

Is the human body a piece of property? We object to the sale of whole human beings, but what about cases where a person merely ...

MAY 14, 2010 Podcast

Global Ethics Corner: Are We Born Good?

Are babies born with the morality they need or do they learn it from society? Is morality a biological trait that builds communities through enlightened ...

MAY 11, 2010 Podcast

Devin Stewart Interviews Unmesh Brahme, Cofounder of the Climate Civics Institute

Unmesh Brahme of HSBC India discusses his newly-launched Climate Civics Institute, which grew out of a Yale World Fellowship. The Institute's mission is to create ...

The Plundered Planet:  Why We Must — and How We Can — Manage Nature for Global Prosperity

MAY 7, 2010 Podcast

The Plundered Planet: Why We Must--and How We Can--Manage Nature for Global Prosperity

What, asks Oxford economist Paul Collier, are realistic and sustainable solutions to correcting the mismanagement of the natural world? Can an international standard be established ...

MAY 7, 2010 Podcast

Sebastian Junger and David Speedie on Afghanistan (NEWSWEEK On Air Interview)

Sebastian Junger recounts some of his experiences while embedded with U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Referring to a recent Carnegie Council panel, David Speedie discusses ...

Adm. Mullen testifies at Senate Armed Services Committee  <br> CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thejointstaff/4325376893/in/set-72157623335956302/" target=_blank">DoD photo, Cherie Cullen</a>

MAY 4, 2010 Article

This Is about Leadership: The Circular Debate of the Military's Gay Ban

In August 2010, three months after writing this article, West Point Cadet Katherine Miller publicly announced she was gay and resigned from West Point, saying that "...

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/noborder/2494723189/">Sara Prestianni</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

APR 21, 2010 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: The Fate of the Paperless

Detention centers are on the rise as a means to control illegal immigration, while reports of human rights abuse and rising financial costs call into ...

APR 16, 2010 Podcast

Global Ethics Corner: The Irony of Nuclear Weapons?

This short video on ethics asks: Are nuclear weapons a necessary evil? Is it better to live in a world with nuclear deterrence or one ...

APR 9, 2010 Podcast

Global Ethics Corner: Sports, NCAA Basketball, and Money

Is the role of the NCAA to help students succeed through sports, or to garner money for educational institutions? With the high drop-out rate of ...