How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question
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- Author：Michael Schur
- ISBN：1797135244
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Summary
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。
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。 OK， not quite。 Instead， we’ll gain fresh， funny， inspiring wisdom on the toughest issues we face every day。
Runtime: 9 hours and 42 minutes
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。 OK， not quite。 Instead， we’ll gain fresh， funny， inspiring wisdom on the toughest issues we face every day。
Runtime: 9 hours and 42 minutes
Reviews
Beth Cato
，
I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley。 Note that quotes within my review may be changed in the final edition。Michael Schur is the creator behind the brilliant TV series The Good Place， the rare show that put philosophy and the afterlife in a whimsical yet educational light。 He does much the same with How to Be Perfect。 He readily admits he's no expert， but has gone to the pros for help。 The book explores philosophy and what it means to be human among other humans， and does so in I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley。 Note that quotes within my review may be changed in the final edition。Michael Schur is the creator behind the brilliant TV series The Good Place， the rare show that put philosophy and the afterlife in a whimsical yet educational light。 He does much the same with How to Be Perfect。 He readily admits he's no expert， but has gone to the pros for help。 The book explores philosophy and what it means to be human among other humans， and does so in a way that is accessible， funny， and also incredibly deep。This is by no means an exhaustive overview of philosophers across the ages， but he discusses several major voices and brings in modern， personal dilemmas。 The Trolley Problem is a subject， of course （as it was on The Good Place） but he also brings up things like putting away the shopping cart at a grocery store。 Through the perspective of Ubuntu， the answer for this is simple: putting the cart away helps other people， as we are only people through other people。 This is very much a book of 2022 as it discusses the pandemic and masking。 As the book notes， the pandemic is "an ideal scenario to illustrate contractualism--what we owe to each other in this case is both easy to identify and infinitesimally small， and the benefits are astronomically huge。" Some of the funniest bits in the book are the footnotes。 Later in the book， one observes， "Bet you didn't think when you bought this book on philosophy and got to the chapter on existentialism you were gonna get a Rush lyric thrown at you， huh？ Well， too bad。 It happened。" There's also a chapter that bears the incredibly long title of， "I Gave a Twenty-Seven Cent Tip to My Barista， and Now Everyone's Yelling at Me on Twitter， Just Because I'm a Billionaire！ I Can't Even Enjoy the Soft-Shell Crab Rolls That My Sushi Chef Made for My Private Dirigible Trip to the Dutch Antilles！ How Is That Fair？！"Really， nothing about life is fair， and this book makes that grim injustice something amusing。 I laughed aloud a few times， but the read made me smile throughout， plus I learned something in the process。 。。。more
Mary Kay McBrayer
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If you want a handbook to moral philosophy quipped by the humor of Michael Schur， this is exactly the book for you。 I loved hearing the audio version， and not only did Schur narrate excellently， but actors from his show THE GOOD PLACE also read segments。
Jay Le
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An enjoyable read that delves into the world of ethics in an introductory manner。 Schur covers a broad range of ideologies such as Kant and utilitarianism and makes an effort to answer some of life's everyday ethics-- when to say sorry and when to stop supporting businesses with questionable morals。 I particularly loved the coda to his children and thought that it added a nice sentimental touch to an otherwise humorous and serious book。 An enjoyable read that delves into the world of ethics in an introductory manner。 Schur covers a broad range of ideologies such as Kant and utilitarianism and makes an effort to answer some of life's everyday ethics-- when to say sorry and when to stop supporting businesses with questionable morals。 I particularly loved the coda to his children and thought that it added a nice sentimental touch to an otherwise humorous and serious book。 。。。more
Candy
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Surprisingly entertaining as well as thoughtful。 Schur does a great job narrating。
Cheri
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4。5 Stars’How to Be Perfect takes the delightful， funny lessons of The Good Place， and applies them to everyday life。’ - Ted Danson’Try again。 Fail again。 Fail better。’ - Samuel Beckett’Do the best you can until you know better。 Then when you know better， do better。’ - Maya AngelouI’ve never contemplated whether either philosophy or ethics could be considered entertaining， at least not in and of themselves， but in Michael Schur’s hands it is very entertaining， while at the same time sneaking in 4。5 Stars’How to Be Perfect takes the delightful， funny lessons of The Good Place， and applies them to everyday life。’ - Ted Danson’Try again。 Fail again。 Fail better。’ - Samuel Beckett’Do the best you can until you know better。 Then when you know better， do better。’ - Maya AngelouI’ve never contemplated whether either philosophy or ethics could be considered entertaining， at least not in and of themselves， but in Michael Schur’s hands it is very entertaining， while at the same time sneaking in some very thought-provoking moments。 Why？ He addresses that on the first page in his dedication， in the second sentence of the second paragraph in this book。 Because morality matters。 Schur， for those who don’t know， is the creator of The Good Place， co-creator of Parks and Recreation， television writer， producer， creator and co-creator， the shows he’s worked on in one capacity or another， also include The Office， Hacks， and Rutherford Falls， and others。This is， more or less， a guide to living ethically， sharing the thoughts of many of the world’s more scholarly deep thinkers over more time， which sounds as though it would be terribly unfunny， but while there are ‘scholarly thoughts’ included， he manages to translate these excavations into something which is easily understandable， relatable， heartfelt and very often humorous。 There are occasional delves into more serious concepts including moral obligations （deontology）， utilitarianism， existentialism， and the ubuntu philosophy - a belief in the universal bond of sharing that connects us all。 The perfect blend of humour alongside a serious exploration into how to live a more ethical and considered - and considerate - life while offering entertainment at the same time。 Pub Date: 25 Jan 2022Many thanks for the ARC provided by Simon & Schuster 。。。more
Angie
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This is the book form of what you hope your Philosophy 101 professor will be like - taking complex and often boring ideas from 2000 years ago and making them accessible， applicable to modern day living and throwing in humor when appropriate。 It’s a deeper dive than I expected， but it’s well-crafted and approachable。 Topics that can often feel intimidating are broken down into easier bite-size pieces。 From wondering if you’re able to still enjoy art from problematic people to just wearing a damn This is the book form of what you hope your Philosophy 101 professor will be like - taking complex and often boring ideas from 2000 years ago and making them accessible， applicable to modern day living and throwing in humor when appropriate。 It’s a deeper dive than I expected， but it’s well-crafted and approachable。 Topics that can often feel intimidating are broken down into easier bite-size pieces。 From wondering if you’re able to still enjoy art from problematic people to just wearing a damn mask， Schur succeeds in making us stop to think of the reasons behind our choices while pointing out the different schools of thought and approaches to ethical behavior。 If you’re looking for a light fun read， this isn’t it。 It doesn’t claim to be， but don’t go in thinking “ah it’s that funny tv guy！ This is going to quick and easy！” It *is* fun， but it’s not a humor-based book like you might expect if you only knew the author and didn’t read the description。 Thanks for the publisher and Netgalley for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kelly Paradis
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This is a delightfully engaging book。 The target audience is likely to be those of us who are interested in moral philosophy but at the same time would prefer to learn about it in a more lighthearted / satirical way。 It got a lot deeper into philosophy than I expected initially， but the real-world examples kept it relevant and definitely gave me a lot to think about。 Don’t skip over the footnotes - they are hilarious。 And， really， why ARE there things？ Thank you to Michael Schur， Simon and Schus This is a delightfully engaging book。 The target audience is likely to be those of us who are interested in moral philosophy but at the same time would prefer to learn about it in a more lighthearted / satirical way。 It got a lot deeper into philosophy than I expected initially， but the real-world examples kept it relevant and definitely gave me a lot to think about。 Don’t skip over the footnotes - they are hilarious。 And， really， why ARE there things？ Thank you to Michael Schur， Simon and Schuster， and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Michael Moats
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After several aborted attempts to work through some books about philosophy I finally found one that made sense！ Well written and researched Michael Shur made philosophy not only interesting but also entertaining。 As you work through the concepts and pro and con arguments it becomes a little easier to understand the different philosophies。 It also becomes clear that there is not one concept that actually works by itself。 It feels that every different concept still relies on all the others to actu After several aborted attempts to work through some books about philosophy I finally found one that made sense！ Well written and researched Michael Shur made philosophy not only interesting but also entertaining。 As you work through the concepts and pro and con arguments it becomes a little easier to understand the different philosophies。 It also becomes clear that there is not one concept that actually works by itself。 It feels that every different concept still relies on all the others to actually become a better person。Or I missed the point entirely。 。。。more
Sumedha the wordy habitat
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It was great。 I listened to the audiobook which was narrated really well by the author。 I liked the tone of the book， the way everything was explained， the different theories， the "what ifs"。 It also made be think of things in a different light。Note: I received an ALC from libro。fm in exchange for a review。 It was great。 I listened to the audiobook which was narrated really well by the author。 I liked the tone of the book， the way everything was explained， the different theories， the "what ifs"。 It also made be think of things in a different light。Note: I received an ALC from libro。fm in exchange for a review。 。。。more
MookNana
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LOVE this！！！ This is one of the best types of books--it's fun and it made me smarter！ This breaks down thousands of years of thinking about ethics into easy to understand， enjoyable to read explanations。 Esoteric concepts are related to common， modern issues in。a way that makes them accessible and relevant。 I never thought I'd laugh so much reading about moral philosophy！ This is quite information-dense and thought provoking， so I would recommend savoring no more than one chapter at a time。 Obvi LOVE this！！！ This is one of the best types of books--it's fun and it made me smarter！ This breaks down thousands of years of thinking about ethics into easy to understand， enjoyable to read explanations。 Esoteric concepts are related to common， modern issues in。a way that makes them accessible and relevant。 I never thought I'd laugh so much reading about moral philosophy！ This is quite information-dense and thought provoking， so I would recommend savoring no more than one chapter at a time。 Obviously fans of The Good Place and anyone interested in ethics should definitely pick this up， but I really can't think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy this and learn a little something from it。 Definitely a must-read！Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review！ 。。。more
Natalie （booknerdalie）
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If you watched and loved The Good Place， you absolutely need this audiobook。 As someone who hadn't binged the show when I pressed play on this one， I had a dilemma。 Watch the show first or read the book？ I opted book first and now I'm halfway through the show and am thinking about re-listening to the book。 I'll forever be in a circle， and I'm ok with this。 Michael Schur makes moral philosophy fun！！ If you watched and loved The Good Place， you absolutely need this audiobook。 As someone who hadn't binged the show when I pressed play on this one， I had a dilemma。 Watch the show first or read the book？ I opted book first and now I'm halfway through the show and am thinking about re-listening to the book。 I'll forever be in a circle， and I'm ok with this。 Michael Schur makes moral philosophy fun！！ 。。。more
Kelly
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Micheal Schur’s How To Be Perfect is a very interesting read。 Here you have one our generations best tv comedy writers giving his take on the significance and impact of moral philosophy。This book came about as Schur’s interest in moral philosophy grew when he began work on creating The Good Place。 Now， I will admit to having not watched The Good Place， though I am very much a fan of Schur’s other shows， especially Parks and Rec。 But having now read How To Be Perfect， I don’t doubt that when I do Micheal Schur’s How To Be Perfect is a very interesting read。 Here you have one our generations best tv comedy writers giving his take on the significance and impact of moral philosophy。This book came about as Schur’s interest in moral philosophy grew when he began work on creating The Good Place。 Now， I will admit to having not watched The Good Place， though I am very much a fan of Schur’s other shows， especially Parks and Rec。 But having now read How To Be Perfect， I don’t doubt that when I do come to watch The Good Place， which I will， that I will have an even greater appreciation for it。 It is clear throughout that Schur has but a lot of work， time and effort into really getting to grips with the different schools of thought of moral philosophy。 In writing this book he has created an accessible （as accessible as philosophy ever can be） guide that also happens to be very funny。 This is a book that requires the reader to think and reflect， it’s not necessarily an easy read but then I don’t think it’s supposed to be。 I came at this book having studied moral philosophy whilst at uni over a decade ago and so a lot （but not all） of the theories were familiar to me。 That said I still gained a lot from reading and engaging with the dilemmas Schur proposed to explore the different approaches。 I particularly enjoyed Schur’s coda and how he presented it as a letter to his children， boiling down everything he had written across his book for this different audience。 This was a lovely way to end the book and make it even more personal and indeed real。 This isn’t just theoretical philosophy， these are ways that we can try to be better and do better。Though called How To Be Perfect， Schur explains that we are not， nor can we ever be in pursuit of perfection。 Instead we must continue to try， to fail， to reflect and just keep trying。 Overall this was a fascinating read。With thanks to Netgally and Quercus for the advanced copy in return for my honest review。 。。。more
Jade
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This really felt like an episode of The Good Place， especially with the cast being brought in for the audiobook。
Soul Touch Reads
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This might be one of the funniest book I would read this year。 It's so good that I didn't even skip acknowledgements。 Plus I like to think I might actually be a better person or well just feel little more intellectual。 Lol。 This might be one of the funniest book I would read this year。 It's so good that I didn't even skip acknowledgements。 Plus I like to think I might actually be a better person or well just feel little more intellectual。 Lol。 。。。more
Sian McQuillan
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I want to start this review by saying just one thing: moral exhaustion。 Personally feel like this could actually catch on – and might be something a lot of people have experienced， myself included。How to Be Perfect is a fun and lighthearted look at the philosophy of ethics through the lens of some of the most historically renowned philosophers， such as Kant， Aristotle， Camus， and many more。 I’ve never read any of these philosophers but I can assume that Schur’s book presents them in a much more I want to start this review by saying just one thing: moral exhaustion。 Personally feel like this could actually catch on – and might be something a lot of people have experienced， myself included。How to Be Perfect is a fun and lighthearted look at the philosophy of ethics through the lens of some of the most historically renowned philosophers， such as Kant， Aristotle， Camus， and many more。 I’ve never read any of these philosophers but I can assume that Schur’s book presents them in a much more palatable and enjoyable way。 However， this did spark my interest to read more about many of the theories discussed。By taking a look at their theories and applying them to modern， everyday， （and sometimes） trivial situations， Schur creates a really enjoyable and informative read。 A lot of the themes and theories discussed are similar to those in his TV series The Good Place， so any fans of the show will enjoy the references。I really love Schur’s perspective and tone of voice。 He puts forth these moral teachings in a fun and informative way without coming across judgemental or self-righteous。 At times he feels like a friendly mentor， who is happy to admit his own failings and won’t judge you for getting things wrong sometimes。 He presents the information in a fun and balanced way that didn’t leave me feeling like a completely immoral person， while still making me take a look at some of my own attitudes and encouraging me to continually strive for better。He references various contemporary events and current affairs to present his points and apply his theories， which adds to the enjoyment and ease of understanding， especially if you are familiar with each of the events mentioned。Overall， I really enjoyed this book and would love to read/watch more from Schur in the future！Disclaimer: I was sent an ARC of this book by Quercus Books in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
David Wineberg
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The television show The Good Place led its cast and crew to new places intellectually。 A situation comedy about eternal damnation based on moral philosophy and ethics requires new and different smarts。 Thinking is required， not just gags。 Chief among the team was Michael Schur， its creator and comedy writer par excellence （Saturday Night Live， The Office （US）， Parks & Recreation， 。。。）。 He has assembled what he has researched and learned in How to be Perfect。 Which is not。 Thus making it perfect。 The television show The Good Place led its cast and crew to new places intellectually。 A situation comedy about eternal damnation based on moral philosophy and ethics requires new and different smarts。 Thinking is required， not just gags。 Chief among the team was Michael Schur， its creator and comedy writer par excellence （Saturday Night Live， The Office （US）， Parks & Recreation， 。。。）。 He has assembled what he has researched and learned in How to be Perfect。 Which is not。 Thus making it perfect。Schur has set himself a difficult task， recapping the top lines of various philosophers and philosophies from Aristotle， who everyone knows from 2500 years ago， to today's philosophers， who nobody knows at all。 To make the trip bearable， he acts as his own worst enemy， adding comments normally reserved for a sidekick who just doesn't get it。 Or he'll make up a totally absurd quote， and just to be sure you don't believe it， adds an endnote admitting the fraud （Thus assuming people read endnotes， to which all I can say is Ha！ But these are often funny and worthwhile。 Even the Acknowledgements attempt to be humorous）。He likes his fictional examples to be absolutely clear: “Damon never used deodorant， and clipped his toenails on the dining room table， and cleaned the Cheeto dust off his fingers by wiping them on my cat。” He really tries to ease the pain of having readers wade through what amounts to a Philosophy 101 textbook if not for the humor and the casual style he employs so well here。It does get tiresome though， as every philosophy can be destroyed by simply taking it to its logical conclusion。 Making everyone and everything equal is not possible， nor even desirable。 Things change too quickly， as do external circumstances and societal standards。 Laws that once worked are useless now。 （Or as George Carlin pointed out when Catholics were finally allowed meat on Fridays: "But I bet there's a bunch of guys doing eternity on a meat rap。"） Following every rule there is must eventually lead to mass murder and/or suicide。 Everyone cannot be happy all the time。 Looking out only for yourself leads to dystopia。 Thinking of others first and foremost leads to bankruptcy and poverty if you think there's still another dollar you could donate to a good cause。 Every single philosophy ends up being impossible to implement。 Which makes most of the chapters rather predictable。But the ideas are interesting。Take luck for example。 Schur is clear he has it in spades。 He lists nearly two dozen times his life and career jumped the queue， vaulting him into the top echelons of Hollywood。 He knows he is lucky， and that his luck has the staying power of a Jenga tower， ready to collapse at any time。 This has the perverse effect of making him worry when he wins money in casinos。 He'd rather lose some just to show he's ready to， as long as it's not everything。But he doesn't cite Daniel Dennett， the reigning world champion philosopher of our time， who had the temerity to claim that luck simply evens out over a lifetime， so it's not worth bothering over。 （Tell that to a child with terminal cancer， DD。 Or to Warren Buffett， who never fails to credit luck as his primary source of success。 Just sayin' since Schur doesn't。）It's also made easier by Schur's allusions， just when thing are getting too academic: "Humans are better than other creatures because we can think and reason and philosophize。 Those arguments make sense until you see a bunch of kids on a speedboat during spring break chugging vodka from an ice luge shaped like a shotgun， and then you start to think maybe like otters and butterflies have it more figured out than we do。"Then it turns out he was inspired as a child by Woody Allen's Sleeper， followed immediately by Allen's first three books。 The rest might be history for Schur， but his hero turned out to be， shall we say， a dirty old man。 What does Schur do about following such a reprehensible character， all the way to total success？ He's embarrassed。 This is how philosophies crater。 What was sacred turned out to be profane。 Fooled ya。He invents the concept of moral exhaustion， the impossible situation of weighing doing the best good。 Is this charity bona fide？ Do they deploy more of their donations than this other one？ Do they publish a success ratio？ Should we not buy frivolous things that make us happy for a moment， when we could be donating cash to save actual lives？ How much joy are we allowed when people are suffering elsewhere？ Again， bankruptcy and poverty are there to guide your decisions on doing the most possible good。There are references that will be familiar to fans of The Good Place。 And if if they aren't familiar， they will still cause a smile to crack: "Several times over the course of The Good Place we had someone say， to Chidi， 'This is why everyone hates moral philosophers。' I never truly understood why that's funny until I began writing this book。" Schur says the whole concept for the show began from his guilt-ridden obsession of tipping at his local Starbucks， by dumping the change from his $1。73 coffee into the tip jar， first making sure the barista noticed。 Did he want credit for tipping？ Is 27 cents from a rich Hollywood writer/producer the road to salvation for his soul？ And on and on， just like early Woody Allen， in fact。One terrific waste of time are philosophic thought experiments。 There are a zillion of them， dreamed up by academics to torture students。 A trolley's brakes fail， and it will kill five men working on the track ahead， unless you throw a switch which will divert it to another track where it will kill one person innocently standing there。 Which do you choose？ The what-ifs are endless， making the whole exercise pointless， proving once again no one's philosophy works in every situation （Interestingly， though unmentioned in the book， this has become a real life problem as self-driving vehicles need to be programmed with a decision， one way or the other）。Whole chapters are devoted to burning issues like Should I punch my best friend in the face？ and Should I praise my co-worker's ugly shirt？ Should I always return the shopping cart to the collection area？ The what-ifs take over， expanding to encompass the universe。 I remember from school a what-if that went: What if the child you sponsored and saved from starvation and imminent death grew up to join the army， became a general， overthrew the government， had hundreds of thousands killed， tens of thousands more tortured and jailed for life， raided the country's reserves so he could be a billionaire， and thereby forced the whole nation into abject poverty （and all for just pennies per day！ Give now！）。 This is how philosophy self destructs before your eyes。But， Schur can also clarify things well: "Consider for a second his （Descarte's） famous Enlightenment formulation Cogito， ergo sum—the aforementioned 'I think， therefore I am'—which， again， is one of the very foundations of Western thought。 When we place it next to this ubuntu formulation—'I am， because we are'—well， man oh man， that’s a pretty big difference。 Descartes saw his own singular consciousness as proof of existence。 Practitioners of ubuntu see our existence as conditional on others’ existence。 Someone could write a very interesting book on the sorts of civilizations and laws and citizens that emerge from each of these two utterances。 Not me， though—it sounds really hard。 But someone。"One of the highlights for me came in an unpromising chapter on apologizing。 It seemed mainly aimed at his children's difficulty overcoming their pride and making apologies to each other。 But there is a lovely segment dedicated to America's First Child， Senator Ted Cruz， who called Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a "f***ing bitch" right on the Capitol steps。 In his very public non-apology， he cited the media's misreporting of the incident， the fact he has a wife and two daughters， and that he not only never said those words but if he did he was sorry if anyone took offense。 In a line by line deconstruction， Schur points out all the ways this was not an apology， and how to look out for any such tactics from anyone claiming to apologize。 Delightful。In the end， it turns out he wrote the book for his two children， now preteens， to assure himself they would be on the right track。 But the only way that would work is if they don't follow his train of thought into the moral morass of every philosophy and religion in the world。 It all boils down to Everything In Moderation， because that's all we know that works。 Mostly。David Wineberg 。。。more
Stephanie （That's What She Read）
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Review to come
Louise
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It took a bit of time for me to warm to this book。 I found the author's constant joking to be a bit wearing to beging with。 But as I progressed through the book either I got used to the humour or it became less of a feature。 I'm glad I persevered because it was a really interesting book。 I preferred the later parts of the books， and the philosophy that part discussed， more and would have liked to sit down with Schur over a coffee to talk about some of the issues raised。The book is probably much It took a bit of time for me to warm to this book。 I found the author's constant joking to be a bit wearing to beging with。 But as I progressed through the book either I got used to the humour or it became less of a feature。 I'm glad I persevered because it was a really interesting book。 I preferred the later parts of the books， and the philosophy that part discussed， more and would have liked to sit down with Schur over a coffee to talk about some of the issues raised。The book is probably much more accessible than the average philosophy book， but that still doesn't make it a simple read。 It is certainly readable but the reader still needs to apply their brain to understand the different philosophical concepts and ideas and to understand what they might mean for life in a more applied way。Ultimately， if you want to explore some philosophical ideas， whether purely to extent your knowledge or to think about how "best" to live， this book is a good place to start and will provide the reader with much food for thought。 。。。more
Cari
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I’m … not quite sure who the audience is for this one。 I was excited to read it because I’m a Mike Schur super fan， but it was wildly different from what I expected。 The deep dive into deep philosophy made for some sloooow reading， but overall， it was very well done。 Lots of real world examples and anecdotes。 Should I return the shopping cart when I’m done with it？ If a billionaire donates millions of dollars， but is still a billionaire， are they doing enough？ Should I quit listening to my favor I’m … not quite sure who the audience is for this one。 I was excited to read it because I’m a Mike Schur super fan， but it was wildly different from what I expected。 The deep dive into deep philosophy made for some sloooow reading， but overall， it was very well done。 Lots of real world examples and anecdotes。 Should I return the shopping cart when I’m done with it？ If a billionaire donates millions of dollars， but is still a billionaire， are they doing enough？ Should I quit listening to my favorite album because I found out the lead singer is a terrible person？ Four stars because I think Mike accomplished his end goal — making philosophy accessible to everyone。 I just would’ve personally preferred a memoir。 🤷🏻♀️ if that’s what you’re also looking for， don’t read this。 But if you want to channel your inner Chidi， this is a fun（？） read。 Thank you， NetGalley， for selecting me to read an advance copy！ 。。。more
Michele Rice Carpenter
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This book reminds me of the Ethics class I took as an introduction to philosophy。 How to be Perfect is laugh out loud funny and educational。 The humor helps with the retention of information。 I like this book， a lot。 I can see it being used as a philosophy textbook or recommended reading。 I won this book in a goodreads giveaway。
Cam Kovach
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What do we owe one another？ That’s a question that was discussed in “The Good Place，” created by Michael Shur。 That’s also a question he discusses in this book， an exploration of various philosophical approaches to morality。 Sound too heavy for fun reading？ It’s not。 Shur injects humor and relatable examples for the reader to better understand Kant， Camus， Sartre， and to learn how we can apply their philosophies to live moral and ethical lives。 It really is a book for today’s difficult times - a What do we owe one another？ That’s a question that was discussed in “The Good Place，” created by Michael Shur。 That’s also a question he discusses in this book， an exploration of various philosophical approaches to morality。 Sound too heavy for fun reading？ It’s not。 Shur injects humor and relatable examples for the reader to better understand Kant， Camus， Sartre， and to learn how we can apply their philosophies to live moral and ethical lives。 It really is a book for today’s difficult times - a very uplifting read。 。。。more
Cassandra Manning
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You need this book in your life！ A fresh and funny take on moral ethics， this book reads like your comedic friend giving you the cliff notes version of Ethics 101 and moral philosophy。 There are many laugh-out-loud moments but also many moments in which you’re tasked to contemplate。 Such a great read！ Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title before publication。
Lewis Bailey
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I was sent this book by the UK publisher Quercus Books。Not knowing what to expect when the book arrived by post， I decided to get to grips with it sooner rather than later。 I managed to complete this book in two sittings over 2 days。 Schur provides a great overview of various moral philosophies and does so in a very accessible manner， I am by no means a lover of self-help books or anything similar and I really enjoyed this book。Schur writes in a manner similar to that of Dubner and Levitt in Fre I was sent this book by the UK publisher Quercus Books。Not knowing what to expect when the book arrived by post， I decided to get to grips with it sooner rather than later。 I managed to complete this book in two sittings over 2 days。 Schur provides a great overview of various moral philosophies and does so in a very accessible manner， I am by no means a lover of self-help books or anything similar and I really enjoyed this book。Schur writes in a manner similar to that of Dubner and Levitt in Freakonomics， this causes the book to be broken up into clear sections。 I could see this book being a great bedside read， for those who don't have as much time to read as I do！ 。。。more
Pamela
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How to be Perfec tis as nearly perfect as it’s title。 An overview of some of the major fields of philosophy from Aristotle to Kant to objectivism and consequentialism， all told with a light hand and humor and concrete examples of how the “rules” of ethics can be applied to every day situations （and the unlikely scenario of the “trolley problem。”）Highly recommend with 4。5 stars rounded up。
Alex Nagler
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Relax， you're in the Good Place。 Or at least you're in an overview off the philosophers whose work inspired the piece of shirt show。 Taking a cue from the fender bender that led to author Michael Schur's philosophical journey， "How To Be Perfect" reads as a humorous Philosophy 101 text that actually dives deeper into the works in a way that's applicable for most readers。 And it spends a healthy amount of time bashing Ayn Rand and why that school of thought flies in the face of everything that ca Relax， you're in the Good Place。 Or at least you're in an overview off the philosophers whose work inspired the piece of shirt show。 Taking a cue from the fender bender that led to author Michael Schur's philosophical journey， "How To Be Perfect" reads as a humorous Philosophy 101 text that actually dives deeper into the works in a way that's applicable for most readers。 And it spends a healthy amount of time bashing Ayn Rand and why that school of thought flies in the face of everything that came before it， so that's always a plus too。 Additionally， as someone who also has issues dealing with the fact that a good chunk of his humor is Woody Allen based， the art/artist chapter was helpful。 。。。more
Margaret
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Pros: When I saw this book on NetGalley， I immediately wanted to read it for two reasons: I loved the tv series The Good Place （and recognized the author’s name from his work on the show） and I want to be perfect。 As an Enneagram One， I very much related to and was interested in the discussions of wanting to be good 。 。 。 and wanting gold stars for being good。 Although there is no simple way to be perfect， I appreciated the author’s emphasis on trying and caring。This book does a wonderful job gi Pros: When I saw this book on NetGalley， I immediately wanted to read it for two reasons: I loved the tv series The Good Place （and recognized the author’s name from his work on the show） and I want to be perfect。 As an Enneagram One， I very much related to and was interested in the discussions of wanting to be good 。 。 。 and wanting gold stars for being good。 Although there is no simple way to be perfect， I appreciated the author’s emphasis on trying and caring。This book does a wonderful job giving a survey of theories of moral philosophy and ethics。 I think this book paired with The Good Place could make for a fantastic college-level course。 Although this book examines big ideas， I appreciated the author’s humor throughout 。 。 。 and his fantastic use of footnotes。 I also appreciate the timeliness of this book and how the author incorporated ethical and moral questions that have come up during the Covid-19 pandemic， including his comparison of mask wearing being as easy as returning a shopping cart。 One of the most challenging chapters to me was the examination of how to separate art from the artist or how to separate something we like from its creator/owner when the creator/owner is problematic。 I think questions like this would make this book a great book club book。Cons: None that I can think of。Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this book4。5 stars 。。。more
Tanya
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