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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DEC 5, 1996 Article

Human Rights Dialogue (1994–2005): Series 1, Number 7 (Winter 1996): New Issues in East Asian Human Rights - A Conference Report: Articles: Identity, Recognition, and Group Rights

The threat of either homogenization or "forced multiculturalism" posed by globalization has fueled crises of identity, the politics of difference, and struggles for recognition. Indigenous ...

Joel Rosenthal seated at table, Elie Wiesel at podium, Louis Nizer Lecture, 1996

NOV 6, 1996 Article

Nizer Lectures (1994–1998): Ethical Issues for Today

What is the difference between ethics and law? Unlike the law, ethics involves other people, says Elie Wiesel, in this powerful, moving, and wide-ranging talk ...

SEP 5, 1996 Article

Human Rights Dialogue (1994–2005): Series 1, Number 6 (Fall 1996): The Human Rights Discourse in East Asia: Reports from the Region: Articles: MALAYSIA

Examined are Two Faces: Detention Without Trial; "Why the EIA of the Bakun Project is Invalid;" "Kenapa EIA Projek Hiro Elektrik Bakun Tidak Sah," ...

SEP 5, 1996 Article

Human Rights Dialogue (1994–2005): Series 1, Number 6 (Fall 1996): The Human Rights Discourse in East Asia: Reports from the Region: Articles: INDONESIA

These works approach human rights violations more theoretically: Why Are We Suing?; Shadows of the Indonesian Communist Party; The World Bank and Human Rights in ...

SEP 5, 1996 Article

Human Rights Dialogue (1994–2005): Series 1, Number 6 (Fall 1996): The Human Rights Discourse in East Asia: Reports from the Region: Articles: THE PHILIPPINES

Works discussed are A Distant Peace; Philippines: The Killing Goes On; Resistance 3: Torment and Struggle After Marcos; Issues and Concerns of Overseas Filipinos: An Assessment ...

SEP 5, 1996 Article

Human Rights Dialogue (1994–2005): Series 1, Number 6 (Fall 1996): The Human Rights Discourse in East Asia: Reports from the Region: Articles: TAIWAN

Discussed are "A Preliminary Investigation on the Right to Work of the Disabled;" "Proposal for an Educational System for Indigenous Peoples in Taiwan;" "Political Tolerance ...

JUN 5, 1996 Article

Human Rights Dialogue (1994–2005): Series 1, Number 5 (Summer 1996): Cultural Sources of Human Rights in East Asia: Articles: The Validity of a Cultural Approach to Human Rights

Culture is an integral part of any human rights question. Workshop participants examined human rights practices in different East Asian contexts and their convergence and ...

JUN 5, 1996 Article

Human Rights Dialogue (1994–2005): Series 1, Number 5 (Summer 1996): Cultural Sources of Human Rights in East Asia: Articles: Sources of Human Rights in Asian Cultures

The Buddhist duty of avihimsa (nonviolence); the importance Islam places on umma (community) and equality before God; and Confucian ren (humanity) each lead to ethical ...

JUN 5, 1996 Article

Human Rights Dialogue (1994–2005): Series 1, Number 5 (Summer 1996): Cultural Sources of Human Rights in East Asia: Articles: Textual Interpretation

Textual interpretation, when applied to cultural sources of human rights, becomes a question of power. Who interprets these texts? Who decides whether the interpretations ...

JUN 5, 1996 Article

Human Rights Dialogue (1994–2005): Series 1, Number 5 (Summer 1996): Cultural Sources of Human Rights in East Asia: Articles: Building on the Existing International Human Rights Regime

Even as they seek to construct a framework that takes into account non-Western cultures, both Onuma's intercivilizational approach and An-Na im's "cultural mediation" of human ...