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

FEB 20, 2026 Podcast

Keeping it Real(ism), with Assoc. Professor Paul Poast

With realism having a political moment, Paul Poast discusses the intellectual roots of the theory and how it's being applied in U.S. foreign policy.

DEC 11, 2025 Video

Re-examining our Capacity for Just Peace

Watch this discussion featuring distinguished experts reflecting on the state of war in 2025 and the obstacles to achieving just peace.

Explore Our Applied Ethics Resources

SEP 9, 2009 Podcast

Realism as Pragmatic Cooperation

Remedies to global challenges are less about romantic dreams to improve the world and more about pragmatism and sustainability. The pragmatic and ethical thing to ...

SEP 3, 2009 Podcast

Interview with Julius Walls, Jr., CEO, Greyston Bakery

Greyston Bakery was started on the premise of bringing the unemployed into the workforce. In fact the company's motto is, "We don't hire people to ...

SEP 2, 2009 Podcast

Jeffrey McCausland Interviews Eric "Rick" Olson: The Role of Military Contractors

"I just couldn't conceive of a battlefield now without contractors," says Olson, former Major General in the U.S. army and now an independent defense ...

AUG 28, 2009 Podcast

Ecological Intervention

Do states have a responsibility to protect the planet? If so, who would decide when environmental protection is a legitimate reason to interfere in the ...

AUG 22, 2009 Podcast

Michael Selgelid on Infectious Diseases

Can we infringe individual rights to promote public health? Should, say, people be allowed to decide for themselves when they are too infectious to get ...

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 ...