Rick Hanson & Joshua Greene on From Us and Them to All of Us | EP 704

Passion Struck with John R. Miles

Passion Struck Network

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4.9 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 18 December 2025

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if the most significant leadership challenge of our time isn’t strategy, speed, or scale but our shrinking capacity to care for one another?

In an era of deepening polarization and quiet loneliness, this special episode of Passion Struck confronts the root of division: our brain's ancient "us vs. them" wiring that once ensured tribal survival but now fragments society.

Host John R. Miles joins Harvard cognitive scientist Joshua Greene (author of Moral Tribes) and psychologist Rick Hanson (New York Times bestselling author and founder of the Global Compassion Coalition) to explore how evolutionary moral instincts fuel exclusion and how neuroscience and compassion practices can rewire them toward broader belonging.

Blending rigorous science with profound wisdom, the conversation explores how to expand the "moral circle" from narrow identities to shared global humanity, cultivate moral courage without erasing differences, and turn insight into action.

A highlight: the tied-in Pods Fight Poverty initiative, uniting leading podcasters to support GiveDirectly's evidence-based cash transfers. These lift entire Rwandan villages out of extreme poverty with dignity-restoring direct aid (amplified by Giving Multiplier's matching funds).

This episode does not just diagnose division. It offers a hopeful, actionable path to inclusion, proving small acts of expanded empathy ripple into real-world change. At a time when trust is eroding, this reminds us that true belonging is not zero-sum. It is the future we can choose.

Go Deeper. Read the full show notes: https://passionstruck.com/us-vs-them-psychology-rick-hanson-joshua-greene/

Support the Impact: Join the effort to transform lives in Rwanda: GiveDirectly.org/PassionStruck

About the Guests

Rick Hanson, PhD

Rick Hanson is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times bestselling author of books including Hardwiring Happiness, Resilient, and Just One Thing. His work focuses on the neuroscience of resilience, compassion, and well-being. Rick is also the president of the Global Compassion Coalition and co-hosts the Being Well podcast with his son, Forrest Hanson.

Joshua Greene, PhD

Joshua Greene is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Harvard University and a leading expert in moral cognition. He is the author of Moral Tribes, a groundbreaking book exploring why we clash over moral values and how we can find common ground. His research bridges philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience to understand how humans make moral decisions in an increasingly interconnected world.

🔗 All links in one place — books, Substack, YouTube, and Start Mattering apparel:

https://linktr.ee/John_R_Miles

Disclaimer

The Passion Struck podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Passion Struck or its affiliates. This podcast is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a licensed physician, therapist, or other qualified professional.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Coming up next on Passionstruck.
0:02.2	All living systems are built on a combination of cooperation and competition.
0:08.6	So cooperation at multiple levels means starting with primordial soup.
0:12.8	You have molecules come together to form cells, and cells come together to form more complicated
0:17.7	cells and colonies and individuals with organs that are
0:21.6	worked together in complementary ways. And then we have individuals forming small-scale societies,
0:26.8	villages, chiefdoms, nations, and sometimes even United Nations. And all of that works because
0:33.1	the parts are able to accomplish more together than they can separately, and so they form a whole.
0:38.3	Welcome to Passionstruck. I'm your host, John Miles. This is the show where we explore the art of human
0:45.3	flourishing and what it truly means to live like it matters. Each week, I sit down with change makers,
0:51.3	creators, scientists, and everyday heroes to decode the human experience
0:55.7	and uncover the tools that help us lead with meaning, heal what hurts, and pursue the fullest
1:01.2	expression of who we're capable of becoming. Whether you're designing your future,
1:05.7	developing as a leader, or seeking deeper alignment in your life, this show is your invitation to grow with purpose and act with intention.
1:13.8	Because the secret to a life of deep purpose, connection, and impact
1:17.6	is choosing to live like you matter.
1:27.0	Hey friends, this is episode 7004 Passionstruck, and today's episode is a little different.
1:33.3	This is a special conversation I'm sharing to support an event that deeply matters to me
1:38.3	and to our shared future. Our world is divided in ways we can see and in ways we can feel.
1:45.0	Us versus them, my group versus yours.
1:48.0	This conversation brings together two leading voices,
1:51.4	psychologist and best-selling author Rick Hansen
	...

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