Joshua Greene (psychologist)

Joshua Greene (born 1974) is an American experimental psychologist, philosopher, and cognitive neuroscientist. He is a Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, where he directs the Moral Cognition Lab.

Greene is best known for his research using neuroimaging (primarily fMRI) and behavioral experiments to investigate the neural basis of moral judgment. His work explores the tension between intuition and reason in moral decision-making, often using thought experiments such as the trolley problem to highlight conflicting moral principles.

His research examines the cognitive processes underlying moral dilemmas, particularly focusing on the distinction between "deontological" (rule-based) and "utilitarian" (consequence-based) approaches to morality. He proposes that different brain systems are associated with these two distinct modes of moral reasoning.

Greene's influential dual-process theory of moral judgment suggests that deontological judgments are driven by fast, emotional responses, while utilitarian judgments are driven by slower, more deliberative reasoning processes. He has argued that this understanding of the brain's moral circuitry has implications for understanding ethical disagreements and potentially for resolving them.

Beyond his research, Greene is a public intellectual who engages in discussions about the implications of neuroscience for ethics, law, and public policy. He is the author of Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Battle Between Us and Them (2013), which applies his research on moral psychology to understanding and addressing intergroup conflict.