The Good Place and Philosophy, Michael Schur
The Good Place and Philosophy, Michael Schur
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The Good Place and Philosophy
Everything is Forking Fine!

Author: Michael Schur, Kimberly S. Engels

Narrator: Joe Hempel, Amy McFadden

Unabridged: 10 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 03/23/2021


Synopsis

Dive into the moral philosophy at the heart of all four seasons of NBC's The Good Place, guided by academic experts, including the show's philosophical consultants Pamela Hieronymi and Todd May, and featuring a foreword from creator and showrunner Michael Schur.

● Explicitly dedicated to the philosophical concepts, questions, and fundamental ethical dilemmas at the heart of the thoughtful and ambitious NBC sitcom The Good Place.

● Navigates the murky waters of moral philosophy in more conceptual depth to call into question what Chidi's ethics lessons—and the show—get right about learning to be a good person.

● Engages classic philosophical questions, including the clash between utilitarianism and deontological ethics in the "Trolley Problem," Kant's categorical imperative, Sartre's nihilism, and T. M. Scanlon's contractualism.

● Explores themes such as death, love, moral heroism, free will, responsibility, artificial intelligence, fatalism, skepticism, virtue ethics, perception, and the nature of autonomy in the surreal heaven-like afterlife of the Good Place.

About Michael Schur

Michael Schur is a television writer and producer who has worked on shows like The Office, Master of None, The Comeback, and Hacks, and created or cocreated Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn 99, The Good Place, and Rutherford Falls. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Jennifer, and their two kids, William and Ivy.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Burrito on March 09, 2021

Really dynamite stuff for my demographic - A Good Place maniac, and budding philosophy enthusiast. I’ve watched the series several times, and though I’m k Chidi, I’d say I’m better versed in philosophical concepts and figures than the av-er-age bear. L If you don’t know who Descartes, Locke, Mill, Ka......more

Goodreads review by Stephanie on December 28, 2021

If you're a fan of the show The Good Place, and like thinking about philosophy, ethics, morality, free will, etc, I think you'll enjoy this book. Each paper is about 10 pages long, so it's very easy to pick up and put down as you please while you're reading other books!......more

Goodreads review by Liz on September 02, 2023

I really enjoyed reading this. It was a nice change of pace from all the fantasy (and escapism) I have been (happily) enjoying. It made me feel smart and it was pretty complex, and it went way beyond just fun references to a great show. My favorite essays were “Some Memories You May Have Forgotten:......more

Goodreads review by Jilena on June 16, 2023

Such a fun book about a great show.......more

Goodreads review by Alex on September 05, 2023

Neat. This book covers the basics and explains ethical philosophy using examples from a TV sitcom that was made specifically for breaking down ethical topics from Kant, Hume, Sartre, Camus, Aristotle, etc. for a wider demographic. It's all stuff I wanted to dig into for many years, and the show was......more