Episode 3: Musing with Josh Greene

In this episode, guest Professor Joshua Greene and host Charlie Bresler hit upon an important question — and have somewhat different answers. Many of us claim to be pretty “moral” human beings with an admirable set of values. But do we always live up to it? Obviously not, or we likely wouldn’t need police or lawyers or jails. The question Josh and Charlie found thornier is the why. Why don’t we live up to our professed values? According to Charlie, it seems we simply learn to suppress our better angels when they aren’t convenient or comfortable. Sure, it may cause cognitive dissonance to pass by a hungry homeless person, but somehow we manage. For Josh, the reason may be more embedded in our survival instinct. We have evolved to live in relatively small groups of friends and family, and our nobler intentions don’t always extend beyond that circle. Universal cooperation just isn’t in our genetic makeup. Which is it? Nature, nurture, or a smidge of both? Whatever, the larger question here — and the one they agree on — is how do we overcome our smaller, more selfish behavior to help anyone in need? Josh Greene is an experimental psychologist, neuroscientist, philosopher, and professor at Harvard University . He studies how humans make moral judgments and decisions, but includes a very science-based perspective: primarily behavioral experiments and functional neuroimaging (fMRI). He is the author of Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them.

Om Podcasten

We are excited to launch a new season for “Musings….” This season we have changed the title to reflect a shift in our focus. The new title is “Musings on Wellbeing.” Why the change? At a time of increased polarization in the United States and Europe, as well as threats to peace in the Middle East and Africa, the time is right to dive deeply into the concept of wellbeing. After all, isn’t that what we all seek for ourselves, our families, our communities, and our planet? Together with host Charlie Bresler, guests will explore a variety of perspectives on the theme of wellbeing. Hopefully, these interviews will provoke listeners to do their own exploration: What is your pathway to personal wellbeing? How, as a society, can we create a pathway that promotes the wellbeing of all our citizens? In a world that too often makes us feel powerless, Charlie and guests are helping us identify steps (quite literally) to take to increase personal and societal wellbeing. Charlie Bresler, Ph.D. is a clinical and social psychologist who, after a career as a graduate professor of psychology, ventured into the world of business and philanthropy. He is the former president of a large international retail company and co-founder of The Life You Can Save.