Speaking of Psychology What moral psychology has to say about charitable giving, with Joshua Greene, PhD
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Dec 10, 2025 Joshua Greene, a Harvard psychology professor specializing in moral psychology, explores how we make charitable choices. He discusses the emotional and rational factors influencing donations, the effectiveness of charities, and the innovative Giving Multiplier platform designed to boost impactful giving. Greene also delves into the fascinating world of moral decisions involving psychopaths and monks, and links moral psychology to improving cooperation across political divides. Tune in for insights on bridging polarization through shared values!
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Dual Processes Drive Moral Judgments
- The trolley problem reveals competing brain processes: emotional intuition vs. controlled reasoning.
- Joshua Greene shows these mechanisms produce divergent moral judgments in similar scenarios.
Psychopaths And Monks Reach The Same Verdict
- Greene contrasts psychopaths and Tibetan Buddhist monks who both approve pushing in the footbridge case for very different reasons.
- He links monks' approval to meditation training that allows detachment from emotional impulses.
Charities Vary Enormously In Impact
- Charity effectiveness varies massively, sometimes by hundreds or thousands of times per dollar.
- Greene urges recognizing these differences when deciding where to give to maximize impact.
