Moral Tribes by Joshua Greene

Moral Tribes by Joshua Greene

Moral Tribes is a masterpiece--a landmark work brimming with originality and insight that also happens to be wickedly fun to read. The only disappointing thing about this book is that it ends. --Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology, Harvard University; author of the international bestseller Stumbling on Happiness

Our brains were designed for tribal life, for getting along with a select group of others (Us) and for fighting off everyone else (Them). But modern times have forced the world's tribes into a shared space, resulting in epic clashes of values along with unprecedented opportunities. As the world shrinks, the moral lines that divide us become more salient and more puzzling. We fight over everything from tax codes to gay marriage to global warming, and we wonder where, if at all, we can find our common ground.

A grand synthesis of neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, Moral Tribes reveals the underlying causes of modern conflict and lights the way forward. Greene compares the human brain to a dual-mode camera, with point-and-shoot automatic settings (portrait, landscape) as well as a manual mode. Our point-and-shoot settings are our emotions--efficient, automated programs honed by evolution, culture, and personal experience. The brain's manual mode is its capacity for deliberate reasoning, which makes our thinking flexible. Point-and-shoot emotions make us social animals, turning Me into Us. But they also make us tribal animals, turning Us against Them. Our tribal emotions make us fight--sometimes with bombs, sometimes with words--often with life-and-death stakes.

An award-winning teacher and scientist, Greene directs Harvard University's Moral Cognition Lab, which uses cutting-edge neuroscience and cognitive techniques to understand how people really make moral decisions. Combining insights from the lab with lessons from decades of social science and centuries of philosophy, the great question of Moral Tribes is this: How can we get along with Them when what they want feels so wrong to Us?

Ultimately, Greene offers a set of maxims for navigating the modern moral terrain, a practical road map for solving problems and living better lives. Moral Tribes shows us when to trust our instincts, when to reason, and how the right kind of reasoning can move us forward.

A major achievement from a rising star in a new scientific field, Moral Tribes will refashion your deepest beliefs about how moral thinking works and how it can work better.

The New York Times described Joshua M. Greene as a storyteller...who traces journeys to enlightenment. In 1982, after living thirteen years in the ashrams of India and Europe, he returned to his native New York City and produced a series of Emmy award-nominated children's films for The Disney Channel and PBS. In 1995, he became Director of Programming for Cablevision, the nation's fifth largest cable provider. From 1999 to 2002 he served as Senior Vice President at Ruder Finn, New York's largest public relations firm, where he advised faith communities on their role in peacekeeping initiatives. In 2000, Mr. Greene was appointed Director of Strategic Planning for the United States Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders. That year, his book Witness: Voices from the Holocaust was produced as a feature film for PBS. His next book, Justice at Dachau, revealed the story of the largest yet least known series of war crimes trials in history. His editorials on tribunals in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay appeared in the Los Angeles Times and the International Herald Tribune. Mr. Greene is a frequent lecturer and has spoken at the Pentagon, the World Economic Forum, the New York Public Library Distinguished Author series, and numerous universities. He serves on the boards of several non-profits an d provides volunteer family meditation services.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781594202605
ISBN 10	1594202605
Title	Moral Tribes
Author	Joshua Greene
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Penguin Press
Year published	2013-10-31
Number of pages	422
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.