Joshua Greene

Joshua Greene is an American philosopher, experimental psychologist, and cognitive neuroscientist known for his pioneering interdisciplinary research on moral judgment and decision-making. A professor at Harvard University, he directs the Moral Cognition Lab, which uses tools from neuroscience, psychology, and economics to investigate the biological and computational foundations of human morality. His influential work, particularly the dual-process theory of moral judgment and his analysis of the trolley problem, bridges the gap between normative ethics and empirical science.

Early life and education

Greene completed his undergraduate studies in philosophy at Harvard University, graduating *summa cum laude*. He then pursued a PhD in philosophy at Princeton University, where he studied under prominent philosophers. His doctoral dissertation, which integrated philosophical inquiry with emerging findings from cognitive neuroscience, foreshadowed his future interdisciplinary approach. During this period, he began conducting some of the first fMRI studies on moral decision-making, collaborating with researchers at Princeton University and beyond to explore the neural correlates of responses to classic dilemmas.

Academic career

Upon completing his doctorate, Greene returned to Harvard University as a faculty member, where he is currently a professor in the Department of Psychology. He holds a secondary appointment in the Harvard Law School, reflecting the broad impact of his work on jurisprudence and social policy. As the director of the Moral Cognition Lab, he mentors graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from diverse fields including neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy. His teaching and research have established him as a central figure in the growing field of experimental philosophy, which applies empirical methods to traditional philosophical questions.

Moral Tribes

In 2013, Greene published his widely cited book, Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them. The work synthesizes years of his research to argue that human moral thinking is governed by automatic, emotion-driven processes (akin to a point-and-shoot camera) and slower, more flexible reasoning (like a manual mode camera). He applies this framework to modern moral conflicts, suggesting that our tribal morality, evolved for small-group living, is ill-suited for a globalized world. Greene proposes a meta-ethical framework he calls "deep pragmatism," advocating for a common currency of utilitarian-inspired reasoning to adjudicate between competing tribal values, a concept he relates to the work of philosophers like John Stuart Mill and Peter Singer.

Philosophical and scientific contributions

Greene's most famous scientific contribution is his neuroimaging research on the trolley problem, which helped popularize the dilemma in contemporary science. His studies suggested that characteristically deontological judgments (opposing harmful actions) are associated with increased activity in brain regions linked to emotion, such as the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, while utilitarian judgments (favoring greater overall good) correlate with activity in areas associated with cognitive control, like the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This supported his dual-process theory of moral judgment. His work has sparked extensive debate within moral psychology, philosophy of mind, and neuroethics, engaging thinkers such as John Mikhail, Frances Kamm, and Patricia Churchland. He has also written on implications for global warming, effective altruism, and artificial intelligence.

Awards and recognition

For his innovative research, Greene was awarded the 2012 Stanton Prize from the Society for Philosophy and Psychology, which honors significant contributions to interdisciplinary research. His research has been funded by major institutions including the National Institutes of Health and the John Templeton Foundation. His book Moral Tribes was named a *New York Times* Editor's Choice and received the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science. His work is frequently cited across disciplines and he is a sought-after speaker at conferences like the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology and the Neuroscience of Morality series. Category:American philosophers Category:Harvard University faculty Category:Moral psychologists