How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question
Jan 2022 · Sold by Simon and Schuster
4.3star
29 reviews
Ebook
304
Pages
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About this ebook
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 2,400 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.
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.
Ratings and reviews
4.3
29 reviews
Robyn Hejhal
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February 3, 2022
Ever ACCIDENTALLY come across a book that you'd NEVER see yourself reading-but you skim the sample anyway... THEN you find yourself binge reading the whole thing & find yourself laughing, frowning, learning, and ultimately figuring out (much to your own surprise & chagrin) you're a better person afterwards for unintentionally reading a book that entertained, educated, & challenged you at the same time?? ME EITHER!-UNTIL NOW!! I'm only a third of the way through this book at the moment, but wanted to quickly tell other readers-who would NOT usually even read the DESCRIPTION let alone a WHOLE BOOK about the moral quagmire of morality, philosophy, and our impact on those around us. AT LEAST READ THE SAMPLE- You'll find you're MORE THAN PLEASANTLY & HILARIOUSLY SURPRISED!
Setiya Wati
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September 1, 2022
it's an amazing book. But I just read the sample book
Holly Kay Ferguson
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September 14, 2022
Good
About the author
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.
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