Details from Audible:
How to Be Perfect
The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question
By
Narrated by
2,574 ratings
From the creator of The Good Place and the cocreator of Parks and Recreation, a hilarious, thought-provoking guide to living an ethical life, drawing on 2,500 years of deep thinking from around the world. Read by the author, this one-of-a-kind audio production features guest appearances by members of the cast of The Good Place.
Most people think of themselves as “good”, but it’s not always easy to determine what’s “good” or “bad”—especially in a world filled with complicated choices and pitfalls and booby traps and bad advice. Fortunately, many smart philosophers have been pondering this conundrum for millennia and they have guidance for us. With bright wit and deep insight, How to Be Perfect explains concepts like deontology, utilitarianism, existentialism, ubuntu, and more, so we can sound cool at parties and become better people.
Schur starts off with easy ethical questions like “Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?” (No.) and works his way up to the most complex moral issues we all face. Such as: Can I still enjoy great art if it was created by terrible people? How much money should I give to charity? Why bother being good at all when there are no consequences for being bad? And much more. By the time the book is done, we’ll know exactly how to act in every conceivable situation, so as to produce a verifiably maximal amount of moral good. We will be perfect, and all our friends will be jealous. Okay, not quite. Instead, we’ll gain fresh, funny, inspiring wisdom on the toughest issues we face every day.
How to Be Perfect is narrated by Michael Schur, Kristen Bell, D’Arcy Carden, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper, Manny Jacinto, Marc Evan Jackson, Jameela Jamil, and Todd May!
Initial Thoughts:
Like many people, I loved “The Good Place” and really enjoyed watching it. Recently, my therapist told me about this book and suggested that I read it because I’m always wondering if I’ve made the right choices in life. This book also fits my criteria perfectly: a non-fiction book by the author, so I picked it up on Audible and finished it last week.
Main Points:
This book isn’t easy to review. It has many complex moral arguments, theories, situations, and ideas. I studied philosophy in university (I have a minor in it), and I was familiar with several of the philosophers he talks about: Aristotle, Socrates and Descartes, to name a few, but I’ll admit to being completely unfamiliar with many of them here and finding the concepts he discusses very deep and often complicated. Michael does a good job explaining everything with real-world examples and humour. Having all the main characters from the show read selected parts was a wonderful touch, and I was very surprised to see Geddy Lee (from the Canadian band Rush) make a brief appearance as well.
While I didn’t agree with many ideas, he doesn’t always agree with them either, and some just seemed impossible for any normal person to achieve; others rang true. He says that if you are a straight white male, you are on the easiest setting of living in this world (not for everyone, of course, but like 80% or more) and you should recognize just how lucky you are. Part of realizing how good/lucky you have it is helping those less fortunate. That doesn’t mean giving away all your posessions/money but you should find ways to help your fellow human whenever you can. We are all part of this community called humanity; being selfish and caring only about yourself makes the world worse and turns you into a shitty person. Think about how you want the world to be; think about the choices you make, and if you feel that this choice would be bad if everyone did the same, then make a different choice.
Final Thoughts:
I thought the ending of this book was by far the best part, not the acknowledgments, though I do applaud him for making that entertaining. Michael admits that, of course, none of us are perfect, and trying to achieve that will only result in frustration and disappointment. What he does say is to come up with a moral philosophy which suits you, does no harm to others and makes the world a little better. There will be moments, days, maybe even weeks, where you fall short of being the best version of yourself; it doesn’t matter. You will fail constantly, but the important part is to keep trying, and eventually you’ll succeed or, at least, as he says, “fail better.” I thought Michael and the other voice actors do a wonderful job, and I think this book has something for everyone to learn about being a better person. I give this a solid 8 out of 10 and would recommend it to anyone interested in morality and self-improvement. As I said before, parts are also quite funny, and I find myself liking Michael Schur a lot by the end. I would say ages 18+; there is a little coarse language, but I think these complex ideas aren’t easy for a child to grasp, and you need to experience life to fully understand many of his examples. I also enjoyed hearing from an actual philosophy professor throughout the book, who, while he often disagrees, finds a lot of common ground with Schur’s ideas. At just over 9 hours, the book is also a good length, and I was a little sad when it was over; such is always an indication that I enjoyed it, and I would certainly listen to another book by him.