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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AUG 21, 2009 Podcast

Global Migration: Open the Doors or Build the Walls?

Do immigrants help or hurt America? Closed borders cut off the world's best and brightest, while open borders may invite the world's desperate, criminal, and ...

AUG 18, 2009 Podcast

Interview with Seth Merrin of Liquidnet Holdings

Seth Merrin is the CEO and founder of Liquidnet, a successful investment firm which gives 1 percent of its pretax income to philanthropic initiatives. Here Merrin ...

AUG 14, 2009 Podcast

Dealing with Dictators: North Korea

Should you ever deal with dictators? Two American journalists held hostage in North Korea were released as a result of Bill Clinton's recent meeting with ...

AUG 11, 2009 Podcast

Interview with Michele Wucker

"People should be able to pursue whatever helps them to fulfill their greatest potential, and that's what migration is about," says World Policy Institute's Michele ...

AUG 7, 2009 Podcast

The Garden, Veggies, and Ethics

If you don't know the roots under a farmers' market or a colleague's produce, should you trust the food you get from them? How does ...

AUG 6, 2009 Podcast

Interview with Joseph Cahalan

"The more Xerox found out about the value of inclusion--" says Joseph Cahalan of Xerox, "that good talent comes in all colors, genders, religions, and ...

Get Off My Property <br> Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gryphtor/3218922391/" target="_blank">leoj / Joel</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en" target="_blank">CC</a>)

AUG 4, 2009 Article

The Balance between Risk and Return Is Everybody's Business

The 2008 taxpayer bailout and a long string of corporate restructurings and downsizings have shifted risk from corporations to individuals, writes Ann Rutledge. Most Americans were ...

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaytamboli/3567571676/">Jay Tamboli</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

JUL 30, 2009 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Innovations: Good Ideas Are From Anywhere

The recent confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor touched upon a central issue of the international legal and moral order: natural law and ...

CREDIT: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/jXxdtXFEjcc">Blake Guidry</a> on Unsplash

JUL 28, 2009 Transcript

Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism

As Americans in a globalized world, how can we define our moral responsibilities to humanity? Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal recommends a "cosmopolitan patriotism," rooted ...

CREDIT: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/jXxdtXFEjcc">Blake Guidry</a> on Unsplash

JUL 28, 2009 Podcast

Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism

As Americans in a globalized world, how can we define our moral responsibilities to humanity? Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal recommends a "cosmopolitan patriotism," rooted ...