Date of Lecture: February 27, 2014
About the Speaker: Joshua Greene is the John and Ruth Hazel Associate Professor of the Social Sciences and director of the Moral Cognition Lab at Harvard University. His work focuses on the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and moral philosophy. His work is published in many journal articles and book chapters. “Moral Tribes” (Penguin Press, 2013) is his first book.
About the Talk: Greene explains the underlying causes of modern conflict, and illustrates what happens when the brain makes fast, instinctive moral judgments versus slow, reasoned decisions. He introduces the idea of metamorality, a moral system that can adjudicate among competing tribal moralities. Finally, he suggests that a common currency for solving problems between us and them is to used a reasoned mode of morality and maximize happiness impartially.
His lecture was co-sponsored by the McFarland Center, the Departments of Psychology and Philosophy, and Montserrat.
Watch the lecture below or download it free from iTunes U.