Trolleyology (MORAL DILEMMAS + THE TROLLEY PROBLEM) with Dr. Joshua Greene
Train tracks. Split decisions. And a philosophy humdinger worth debating. Dr. Joshua Greene is a Harvard Psychology professor, neuroscientist, and *actual* Trolleyologist. This thought experiment pops up in everything from policy discussions to board games and looks at: What makes you a good person? What makes you a good person? How do you reason with people who make you scream into a jar like Yosemite Sam? How far would you go to save others? Which charities should get your money? What is active versus passive harm? And what would a monk do? Also: how neurodivergence influences moral decisions, religion used as a moral compass, and your new favorite skeleton on the planet.
Listen via Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Ad-free episodes available by subscribing to SiriusXM Podcasts+. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
Visit Dr. Greene’s website, his charity platform Giving Multiplier, and his online quiz game Tango
Buy his book, Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them, on Bookshop.org or Amazon
A donation went to Giving Multiplier
Links to things we discussed:
Buddhist perspective on the trolley problem?
How Would a Buddhist Monk Solve the Classic “Trolley Problem”?
Defusing political animosity in the United States with a cooperative online quiz game
Greater Happiness for a Greater Number
An integrative theory of prefrontal cortex function
Pushing Moral Buttons: The Interaction Between Personal Force and Intention in Moral Judgment
Of Sexual Irregularities by Jeremy Bentham – review
Jeremy Bentham: Prophet of Secularism
Self-driving Cars and an Age-old Buddhist Moral Dilemma
Other episodes you may enjoy:
Genocidology (CRIMES OF ATROCITY)
Obsessive-Compulsive Neurobiology (OCD)
Bonus Episode: The OCD Experience
Artificial Intelligence Ethicology (WILL A.I. CRASH OUT?)
Attention-Deficit Neuropsychology (ADHD)
Suicidology (SUICIDE PREVENTION & AWARENESS)
Molecular Neurobiology (BRAIN CHEMICALS)
Personality Psychology (PERSONALITIES)
Ologies info:
400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topic
Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes
Transcripts and bleeped episodes
Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month
OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!
Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky
Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok
Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee
Managing Director: Susan Hale
Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth
Transcripts by Aveline Malek
Website by Kelly R. Dwyer
Theme song by Nick Thorburn