Lecture: The Paradox of Moral Value

Professor Fiery Cushman discusses the neuroscience of moral decisions.

For two decades neuroscientists have been studying how the brain makes moral decisions - for instance, whether to lie, cheat or steal. For the most part, the answer has been: The same way it makes ordinary decisions, like whether to eat a steak or a salad. But something doesn't seem right about this. It certainly feels like morality constrains us in a way that is different from, and more powerful than, our ordinary preferences. Professor Cushman's lab has been working to solve this paradox of moral value.

Fiery Cushman is a professor of psychology and director of the Moral Psychology Research Lboratory at Harvard University. He studies how people make decisions, with a special emphasis on moral decisions. His work has addressed the structure and function of punishment, th aversion to performing harmful actions, and how candidate actions spontaneously come to mind for consideration. He received hi BA and PhD from Harvard and taught for several years at Brown University prior to joining the faculty at Harvard.

The Harvard Clubs of the Southwest Region invite you to join us on Zoom on December 1 at 5pm PT for a discussion with Harvard Professor Fiery Cushman as he shares his work in this area. 

RSVP: hcnnevada@gmail.com