Joshua Greene – Moral Tribes
Summary: In „Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them,“ Joshua Greene explores how our brains were designed for tribal life — getting along with a select group while fighting off everyone else — but modern times have forced the world’s tribes into a shared space. Greene identifies two main problems of modern existence: „Me vs. Us“ (individual cooperation within groups) and „Us vs. Them“ (conflicts between different moral tribes), both affected by how our brains process moral decisions. The book reveals the underlying causes of modern conflict and shows when to trust our instincts versus when to reason, demonstrating how the right kind of reasoning can move us forward. Greene advocates for a utilitarian approach — „making the world as happy as possible“ — as a universal moral philosophy and proposes developing a shared moral language based on reason and compassion to resolve disagreements between different groups.
Why we like it: For everyone who likes to dig a little deeper into conflict management and the underlying reasons for it this book is not only helpful but a reasonable guide. Green’s approach of a universal moral philosophy is challenging but more than valuable – especially against the background of some of the current developments.