Career
He took the candidate.mag. (similar to Bachelor) degree in sociology and anthropology, before studying at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main from 1985 to 1990. He took the dr.philos. degree at the University of Oslo in 1993.
Before becoming a full professor at the University of Oslo in 1998, Vetlesen worked as a research fellow and associate professor
His books in English include Evil and Human Agency (2005), Perception, Empathy, and Judgment (1994), and Closeness (1997).