The Good Place and Philosophy: Everything is Forking Fine!

by Kimberly S. Engels (Editor)(Contributor), William Irwin (Editor)(Contributor), Michael Schur (Contributor)(Foreword)

*Running Time => 10hrs. and 35mins.*

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 show-runner Michael Schur.
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Explicitly dedicated to the philosophy concepts, questions, and fundamental ethical dilemmas at the heart of the thoughtful and ambitious NBC sitcom 'The Good Place'.
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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.
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Engages classic philosophical questions, including the clash between utilitarianism and deontological ethics in "Trolley Problem", Kant's categorical imperative.
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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.
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Led by Kimberly S. Engels, co-editor of 'Westworld and Philosophy'


©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (P)2021 Tantor

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Education, Humor

11 pages, Audible Audio

First published September 3, 2020

Reviews

[Burrito von Ska · Rating 5 out of 5]

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, Kant, and Aristotle are, and have at least a slight understanding of their projects, this might not be the book for you (much like The Simpsons and Philosophy was not the book for me when I was a kid, despite how much I wanted it to be at the time). Honestly, if you paid attention to Chidi’s lectures, you’ll probably be fine.

This is one of of those times I’m pretty bummed out that the ride is over. Totally recommend to other members of my demographic, though members of my demographic’s inversion - Casual Good Place fans, philosophy maniacs - might find this a bit simple, if I was able to wrap my head around the concepts touched on in here.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed learning about the different philosophers whose work was referenced in The Good Place, I wish this book was more concise, or at least structured differently. Since many episodes were repeatedly cited, it probably would have made more sense to structure each chapter around each core episode and then apply different theories to them, instead of repeated referencing the same scene later in different chapters.

For example, I don't remember Chidi trying to go grocery shopping shirtless, so references to this scene were lost on me as I listened. If these mentions weren neatly packaged together in one chapter I would happily revisit them after rewatching the episode, but because they weren't and this book was 10 hours long, I'm going to give it a rest for now and considering listening again if I rewatch the series.

[Kato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filosofie toegepast op random dingen is echt m’n fave ding! Hell yea een karakter van mn favo serie is eigenlijk de perfecte representatie van de serieuze man van Simone de beauvoir omdat die Nietzsche quotte met een jaartal!! Dat is precies wat ik wil lezen!!!!

[DJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is why everyone hates moral philosophy professors.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

makes me want to rewatch the good place

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

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: Holding Space for Each Other When Memory Fails” by Alison Reiheld, “Not Knowing Your Place: A Tale of Two Women” by Leslie A. Aarons, “Hell is Other People’s Tastes by Darren Hudson Hick and Sarah E. Worth, and “From Clickwheel Through Busty Alexa: The Embodied Case for Janet as Artificial Intelligence” by Robin L. Zebrowski.

[Kallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim, I have watched bits and pieces of the Good Place, but not the whole thing. I have picked up bits and pieces of philosophy over the years but never read an entire book about it. Pop culture and philosophy seemed like a good entry point, and it was. Easily digestible and entertaining, just knowing the faces that went with the names of the characters was enough to follow the plot lines and quandaries presented here. But like a life of boring eternity, this book could have been shorter.

[Jilena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun book about a great show.

[Arathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

i always love books about pop culture and philosophy and this one didn't disappoint!

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really interesting book of essays but I don‘t recommend listening to it straight through because there‘s a lot of repetition. It was good company while I canned a bushel of tomatoes, though.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 perfect for laying the groundwork. This book is just edited like shit and has a terrible structure.

I was expecting an episode-by-episode dissemination of each lesson, scenario, and character, while the essays and chapters within are scattershot and at times add very little to what the show already teaches. Here's an essay on the first season twists, now two on the final season, now a 10 page paper on a character from the third season, now let's discuss Virtue Ethics, now let's talk about one of the protagonists. Yeah, there's connecting themes across the series that get resolved as it goes on, like any series, yet this book doesn't do enough work to keep things cohesive. As a whole, the writers like to make a statement about a topic and toss it up with events in the show without juxtaposing them effectively or engaging with the ideas themselves using the typically impossible to examine, very often unexplored dilemmas of spirituality and afterlife that the show itself engages with and aims to fulfill. A bit sad, too, that this does little to discuss or impart new information using the show as a launchpad as there's very little dialogue online about the series despite it's concise plot, and thoughtful + thought-provoking situations that could constantly be expounded on and learned from.

So yeah, really liked what it had to say about "what it means to be a good person" and our views of the afterlife, and a few of these essays are genuinely very helpful at going deeper than the show at explaining some subjects and plotlines using the works of dozens of famous philosophers, just not enough, and it's just like, all over the place, man.

[Thea’s Reading World 💛 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Powered through this audiobook to just have it finished.
The concepts are so interesting, but the structure is chaotic for me, the scenes repeated themselves so I had deja vu a lot. It awakened the need to read more about philosophy, but this book was too messy for me to understand 😂

[Keith Good · Rating 4 out of 5]

An approachable, easy-to-understand primer on a number of philosophical concepts. Examples drawn from "The Good Place" keep the tone airy and humorous, even when delving into heavy topics.

[Ke'love · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book felt like a clean mirror held up to my daily decisions. I came for The Good Place references and stayed for the way it puts language on things I already feel guilt, growth, intention and that weird tension between doing my best and never feeling done.

As a busy woman who has to run life like a system the essays helped me operationalize ethics without making it feel like a lecture. It breaks down the big frameworks like utilitarianism, duty-based ethics, virtue, moral luck and why being good is hard even when you want it. The best chapters made me pause and run a quick audit What am I doing because it looks right and what am I doing because it is right?

It’s an essay collection so the energy varies. Some pieces hit like a seasonal reset some feel more academic and slower. Overall it delivered entertaining, thoughtful and actually useful for real world decision hygiene.

If you like The Good Place and you’re trying to build a life that feels aligned this book gives you both laugh lines and tools. I finished it feeling more clear, less performative and more committed to being good on purpose.

[Shoji · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! If you appreciated watching The Good Place and had an interest in diving deeper into philosophy as it's explored on the show, this is a great way to do that! I appreciated getting to read the thoughts and perspectives from all of the different contributors. The Good Place as a show resonated deeply with me and was one of the factors that has sparked an interest in trying to learn more about philosophy. The writings in this book offer a great way to learn more about many topics of philosophy and having those concepts mapped to the characters and events in the show helps it to feel accessible. It's been a while since I've followed through on reading a book to completion, but I'm really glad I did with this one.

[Ken Ronkowitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suppose I am a bigger fan of the show than I am a fan of philosophy, though I do like both things. The philosophy became overwhelming about midway through the book and the different authors of the essays do overlap their comments, and examples from the show, so as you get further in the book, there is repetition. Around midway through the book, it started to seem like I was sitting in a lecture hall with a fairly interesting professor, but I was getting drowsy, and the lecture was just flying over my head. This may be a factor of listening to the audiobook rather than reading something on a page, but I don’t think I would’ve made it even to the midpoint if I was reading it on a page.

[Anthony Kane · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was what it explained that it was, it just wasn't what I wanted.

This is an interesting collection of essays on philosophy and The Good Place, from a range of writers. Because of the anthology nature of it there is a lot of overlap in, for example, explaining the plot of the show.

It was not immediately clear to me how the collection was organised, and maybe that is on me and my limited understanding of philosophy, but the essays were grouped in sections titled after lines from the show rather than say, existentialism, utilitarianism etc. Perhaps I would have appreciated greater signposting?

It is a good book for dipping in and out and there are some interesting topics addressed (admittedly for novice philosophers like me, I imagine more serious philosophers would find it too basic?)

[Agnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confirmed that the show was well written and well thought out. I disagree with those who wanted it episode by episode: I did not find it repetitive and enjoyed the different views. It took me a while to get through, I did feel out of my depth at times.
I also confirmed I am most like Chidi- I am usually vexed and have a stomachache!

[Jacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was very repetitive at times, but it was still interesting. I had no idea that there was an entire genre of books about the philosophy of popular televisions series'. This one makes the most sense though as it is relevant to the storyline and character development. I'm not sure how interesting the Philosophy of Seinfeld would be though.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never studied philosophy, so to some extent it was interesting to me to see the range of questions one could ask. But apparently I'm only interested up to a point - I'm generally able to try to be a good person without getting bogged down in wondering what good is, so the book felt like too much for me. Plus it got fairly repetitive, with references to the same episodes over and over.

[createitlibrarian (Amanda) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this on audible. A good listen, though a little repetitive at times... probably just to prove different points. I feel like the book helped me better understand philosophy a bit. Loved the show!

[Kavinay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great idea and the individual pieces are good, but there's a lot of overlap throughout. Some of it is testament to how brilliant "Jeremy Bearimy" is for teaching moral philosophy, but it feels like this could have been an even better collection if each contributor had a more constrained focus.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun look at The Good Place from an academic lens. When you read them all at once they can seem a bit repetitive with the points they make, but it's all a pretty interesting look at a TV show that frequently references philosophy.

[Charlotte CanCountAndRead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this as a podcast whilst commuting or at the gym. It's a perfect introduction to traditional philosophy with pop culture references to an excellent show. You can learn a lot and quickly.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book if you don't own it buy it!

[Omair Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book on Good Place's philosophy. Wish it was more cogent / narrative vs a collection of essays.

Still good nonetheless.

[Aryana Moradi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I DONT THINK I CAN LOVE ANYTHING MORE. FED INTO MY GOOD PLACE ADDICTION!!

[Jessica Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is actually essays on philosophical thought based on Good Place episodes/storylines/characters/etc. Still sublime.

[Amy Jauman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! Each article contributed was unique and thoughtful...and fun to read.