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 22, 2009 Podcast

Global Ethics Corner: How Do We Know When We've Been Bad?

To become ethical, must behavior be grounded in a religious faith or other system of belief? How do we judge the behavior of states and ...

Bookshelf of the Universe, in 30 Volumes.

MAY 19, 2009 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: Our Biology Makes Us All Truly Equal

"Race" is a persistent example of our imagination.

MAY 8, 2009 Podcast

Global Ethics Corner: The Health Legacy of Nuclear Test Veterans

Participants in Britain's nuclear weapons testing program argued recently that health was damaged by radiation. Who is responsible? Should compensation be a legal matter or ...

MAY 1, 2009 Podcast

Global Ethics Corner: Jumping Parties: Principles or Pragmatism?

Senator Specter is now a Democrat. Was his decision to switch parties principled, pragmatic, or just expedient?

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2723654681/">Okinawa Soba</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

APR 27, 2009 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: A Blight on the Nation: Slavery in Today's America

Certain things we know to be true. We know that the South kept slaves, and the North fought a righteous war of liberation. We know ...

Hit and run. Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chozno01/2049157702/">Claudio</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

APR 24, 2009 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: The G-20's Global Hit-and-Run

The economic crisis has been compared to familiar catastrophes such as the sinking Titanic and a tsunami. But the car crash analogy works much better ...

APR 24, 2009 Podcast

Global Ethics Corner: For Torture, Who Should We Prosecute?

Torture is wrong. So who is culpable? The point people? The memo writers? The overseers? No one? Everyone?

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vhhammer/8885641187/">V. H. Hammer</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

APR 22, 2009 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Innovations: Spring 2009 Poetry Contest Winners

Policy Innovations is pleased to announce the winners of its Spring 2009 Poetry Contest. The following five submissions, each from a different city, represent the inspiration ...

Trust. Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thorinside/194806347/" target="_blank">Neil Sanche</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en" target="_blank">CC</a>)

APR 22, 2009 Podcast

Restoring Trust in the Global Financial System

This Workshop for Ethics in Business panel analyzes the growing lack of trust in the financial system and how it threatens to keep the global ...

Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/3191664147/">Kevin Dooley</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

APR 15, 2009 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: Homo sociens and the New Ecological Growth Economy

What does it mean to build an economy on sound ecological principles? It means that all forms of business and other human activity will be ...