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The Forking Trolley: An Ethical Journey to The Good Place
Inspired by the hugely popular sitcom The Good Place , which uses a comic format to examine moral dilemmas and schools of ethical thought, this is a brief tour of the main issues that face humans when we try to "do the right thing." Using traditional and modern thought experiments, as well as 21st century dilemmas from the etiquette of texting to the narcissism of "selfie" culture, here is everything you need to know about reaching a good place in life.
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 4, 2019
107 people are currently reading
576 people want to read
About the author
James M. Russell
19 books23 followersJames M. Russell has a philosophy degree from the University of Cambridge, a post-graduate qualification in critical theory, and has taught at the Open University in the UK. He currently works as a freelance writer, designer and editor. He is the author of A Brief Guide to Philosophical Classics, A Brief Guide to Spiritual Classics and A Traveller's Guide to Infinity. He lives in north London with his wife, daughter and two cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
September 5, 2019
An intro to moral philosophy using The Good Place.
Unfortunately I didn’t think it did a good enough job weaving in the Good Place references, leaving it...kind of boring.
Which I guess is why everyone hates moral philosophy professors.
Unfortunately I didn’t think it did a good enough job weaving in the Good Place references, leaving it...kind of boring.
Which I guess is why everyone hates moral philosophy professors.
February 27, 2020
The book suffers from being written halfway through the show. Concepts that played a much larger part in the show as a whole do not get the attention they deserved.
Otherwise, as a standalone introduction to ethics, this book is great.
Otherwise, as a standalone introduction to ethics, this book is great.
June 7, 2022
Being rather smitten with the show, I got this book for an easy wind-down during a short summer break, and it turned out to be a great choice.
You can’t sum up the wealth of moral philosophy in one short volume, but as a primer, this book provides some great thinking points, seeded with references to the show and more-than-passing references to the arguments of great philosophers. There’s also a highly useful “further reading” section, referenced by the key learning opportunity from each episode.
The end of the book promises an update for season three, but this hasn’t been done very well - only a couple of passing references, and certainly no mention at all of season four. This is a pity, because some of the most moving and thought-provoking scenes happen in the last few episodes.
You can’t sum up the wealth of moral philosophy in one short volume, but as a primer, this book provides some great thinking points, seeded with references to the show and more-than-passing references to the arguments of great philosophers. There’s also a highly useful “further reading” section, referenced by the key learning opportunity from each episode.
The end of the book promises an update for season three, but this hasn’t been done very well - only a couple of passing references, and certainly no mention at all of season four. This is a pity, because some of the most moving and thought-provoking scenes happen in the last few episodes.
December 18, 2022
Interesting and fun concept but this book doesn't really do anything. Fun intro to ethics but ideas are covered on a surface level an the book doesn't try to make any larger, connected or coherent point.
Especially disappointing because I think the good place has really interesting things to say about ethics, how we should treat each other, and how to be good. This book tries to bring this out but only catches the various references to specific theories, other than building a cohesive argument about what the show is trying to get at.
Especially disappointing because I think the good place has really interesting things to say about ethics, how we should treat each other, and how to be good. This book tries to bring this out but only catches the various references to specific theories, other than building a cohesive argument about what the show is trying to get at.
May 29, 2022
This book is fun and heady all at once. It introduces you to concepts from the show, which are all complex. Some of the concepts are discussed so briefly it’s hard to fully digest it. I also wish (maybe there will be) and update that goes over the later seasons in the show.
I love the Chidi’s challenges section. Those would be fun to discuss with people.
I love the Chidi’s challenges section. Those would be fun to discuss with people.
March 29, 2020
As someone who has never read any moral philosophy books before, I feel like this book is a very good introduction into the many different facets of the study. I would highly recommend watching the show, “The Good Place,” before reading the book (a rarity when it comes to literature), so it is kind of exclusionary in that aspect. However, the author does a spectacular job of not taking a particular side or showing bias towards a specific way of thinking; this allows the reader to draw their own conclusions and relate their own opinions to the topics discussed. Further, for those who have seen the show, the book takes a subject that threatens to be dry, moral philosophy, and turns it into a multitude of interesting though experiments and references to/jokes related to the show. One of my favorite aspects of the book, at least in my edition, was the inclusion of a list of further reading of moral philosophy books that Eleanor reads in the show or books that relate to a specific episode’s events (a list of books that I plan on reading). I think this was a great book for newbies entering the world of moral philosophy and fans of the show; this book genuinely made me question my established beliefs of morals.
August 2, 2019
The Forking Trolley: An Ethical Journey to the Good Place from James M Russell is a fun, light read with a mostly fair introduction to ethics.
Let me say that prior to reading this I had not watched The Good Place, so most of the comments that would have gotten a chuckle from viewers were lost on me. I have since seen several episodes and have enjoyed them. I am going to assume that the areas/thinkers that were glossed over or not summed up very accurately were done so to better fit with the TV show tie-in gimmick.
I did get a little tired of the repeated comments about ethics/moral philosophy professors being disliked. Granted, my experience with them only cover three universities but at all three those professors were well-liked and one was downright popular. The classes were fun and engaging. Maybe his experiences were different. But to repeat such a comment so often just made me question his ability to be perceptive, either of those around him or of his own biases.
Now that the complaints are out of the way, I found the book largely a fun read and, to the extent the topics were investigated, functionally adequate. For those who might watch the show but miss some of the ideas behind the banter I think this is a wonderful book.
Hopefully the big takeaway for readers is that these various schools of thought are meant to serve as guidelines. Even Singer, in his lectures, acknowledges that no one stance can be followed 100% of the time, even his seemingly strict stance. We find ways of utilizing whatever approach works best for a given situation (I am not referring to situational or axiological ethics here, just that the approaches are almost best considered as a cafeteria-style offering). The good part is that we can do good by doing so. The danger is that, if we aren't careful, we can find ways to justify doing some awful things.
One of the actual ethics professors who helps with the show, Todd May, recently wrote a book that highlights various schools of thought and how we can live a decent life. Not surprisingly, the title is A Decent Life. It is a good read and is helpful if anyone is trying to figure out how these seemingly strict theories can be applied to real life.
I would definitely recommend this book to viewers of The Good Place, especially if you're interested in delving a little deeper into the thinking. Not sure this has a lot to offer anyone who has studied ethics/moral philosophy beyond an intro class, unless it has been many years and you just want a light refresher. In other words, this is very good within its narrow gimmick niche of the TV show tie-in but lacking in a well-rounded presentation of the ideas so only, at best, a very basic introduction.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss.
Let me say that prior to reading this I had not watched The Good Place, so most of the comments that would have gotten a chuckle from viewers were lost on me. I have since seen several episodes and have enjoyed them. I am going to assume that the areas/thinkers that were glossed over or not summed up very accurately were done so to better fit with the TV show tie-in gimmick.
I did get a little tired of the repeated comments about ethics/moral philosophy professors being disliked. Granted, my experience with them only cover three universities but at all three those professors were well-liked and one was downright popular. The classes were fun and engaging. Maybe his experiences were different. But to repeat such a comment so often just made me question his ability to be perceptive, either of those around him or of his own biases.
Now that the complaints are out of the way, I found the book largely a fun read and, to the extent the topics were investigated, functionally adequate. For those who might watch the show but miss some of the ideas behind the banter I think this is a wonderful book.
Hopefully the big takeaway for readers is that these various schools of thought are meant to serve as guidelines. Even Singer, in his lectures, acknowledges that no one stance can be followed 100% of the time, even his seemingly strict stance. We find ways of utilizing whatever approach works best for a given situation (I am not referring to situational or axiological ethics here, just that the approaches are almost best considered as a cafeteria-style offering). The good part is that we can do good by doing so. The danger is that, if we aren't careful, we can find ways to justify doing some awful things.
One of the actual ethics professors who helps with the show, Todd May, recently wrote a book that highlights various schools of thought and how we can live a decent life. Not surprisingly, the title is A Decent Life. It is a good read and is helpful if anyone is trying to figure out how these seemingly strict theories can be applied to real life.
I would definitely recommend this book to viewers of The Good Place, especially if you're interested in delving a little deeper into the thinking. Not sure this has a lot to offer anyone who has studied ethics/moral philosophy beyond an intro class, unless it has been many years and you just want a light refresher. In other words, this is very good within its narrow gimmick niche of the TV show tie-in but lacking in a well-rounded presentation of the ideas so only, at best, a very basic introduction.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss.
July 19, 2024
As someone who loves the Good Place, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about ethics from the view point of the show. The writings about ethics were accessible and easy enough to follow. It was fun answering the ‘Chidi’s challenges’ questions at the end of each chapter, which were not only fun, but also made you think about the ethics in the chapter you had just read. There were a couple of inaccuracies when referring to the show (such as Eleanor having a sister) and a few times where the wording/phrasing of sentences could have been edited in a better way. However as I am an avid fan of the show, to me it made little difference as I already knew what the author was referring to. I also like the ‘extra reading’ section at the end of the book relating to each episode of the show. I only wish the author had waited to write the book after the series had finished so I could have had his full views and insights into the series and the ethics the show covered.
March 9, 2021
Wanted to revisit some areas of nineteenth century philosophy, particularly utilitarianism. Delved back into readings from Mill and Bentham and a very useful little book on the school of thought fro the "very useful introduction' series. My wife said "Have a read of this. It goes with the TV series The Good Place". Impressed I watch episode one and read chapter one. I'm not one for regular tv and rarely "binge-watch" but I made an exception. A wonderful series that captures the essence of utilitarianism in a clear and chucklesome way. I became absorbed. I watched all 4 seasons in under a week while holding down a full-time job!
The book and the series won't make you an expert in ethical thinking but they will point you in the right direction. My degree in philosophy is now 35 years old and in need of a re-visit. A very pleasant way of achieving this aim.
The book and the series won't make you an expert in ethical thinking but they will point you in the right direction. My degree in philosophy is now 35 years old and in need of a re-visit. A very pleasant way of achieving this aim.
January 3, 2021
Siento que fue un buen libro, sencillo de entender. Considerar que: no sé nada, NADA, de filosofía y sus derivados, amo con el alma la serie.
Me parece que es un buen punto de entrada si no sabes NADA de ética, moral o filosofía porque, como yo, las nubes afuera de la ventana eran más entretenidas que la clase de filosofía xd, viste la serie (completa porque spoilers aunque sean sutiles) y te quedaste con ganas de saber más de lo que hablaba Chidi. Énfasis en lo de punto de entrada.
El autor plantea un mapeo bien general de los temas que se abordan a lo largo de la serie, presentando ejemplos concretos y vinculándolos con situaciones o personajes de la serie, pero no hace un recorrido histórico ni profundo de estos (son solo 190 páginas, después de todo).
Me parece que es un buen punto de entrada si no sabes NADA de ética, moral o filosofía porque, como yo, las nubes afuera de la ventana eran más entretenidas que la clase de filosofía xd, viste la serie (completa porque spoilers aunque sean sutiles) y te quedaste con ganas de saber más de lo que hablaba Chidi. Énfasis en lo de punto de entrada.
El autor plantea un mapeo bien general de los temas que se abordan a lo largo de la serie, presentando ejemplos concretos y vinculándolos con situaciones o personajes de la serie, pero no hace un recorrido histórico ni profundo de estos (son solo 190 páginas, después de todo).
June 15, 2019
I'm reviewing this book as a possibility for my philosophy class and I think it would work well for community college students. I already show a few clips from the show when we do some class discussion on ethics and thought experiments. It's clear, well-written, and a concise guide to both the history of ethics and some of the modern concerns of social media and late-stage capitalism. I'm ordering it for our college library and for next year's courses as a recommended book. I may build an assignment or two around the book and some of the episodes of the series.
I received an eARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
I received an eARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
January 28, 2020
Short overview of moral philosophy as explored through the television program, The Good Place.
This is niche title for viewers of the program that would like to increase their understanding (or desire review) of moral philosophy. The book focuses on normative ethics (virtue ethics, deontology, consequentialism) inclusive of some variants. These ethical theories are explored through the comedic quandaries experienced by the characters of the television show. The book not only sparked further an interest in moral philosophy but provided a renewed take on this show (one which bears rewatching).
This is niche title for viewers of the program that would like to increase their understanding (or desire review) of moral philosophy. The book focuses on normative ethics (virtue ethics, deontology, consequentialism) inclusive of some variants. These ethical theories are explored through the comedic quandaries experienced by the characters of the television show. The book not only sparked further an interest in moral philosophy but provided a renewed take on this show (one which bears rewatching).
January 25, 2021
A great introduction to ethics and philosophy through incorporating The Good Place and its characters and situations.
I have no background in either other than a layperson's knowledge but found it reasonably easy to follow and understand. Very interesting as well.
Definitely a good springboard if you want to dive deeper into the subject matter, as the book suggests other texts at the end that are appropriate to and/or referenced in each episode.
Spoilers for the show if you haven't seen it; the edition I read covered the first two seasons of four total and I'm curious what the author would say about the last two seasons.
I have no background in either other than a layperson's knowledge but found it reasonably easy to follow and understand. Very interesting as well.
Definitely a good springboard if you want to dive deeper into the subject matter, as the book suggests other texts at the end that are appropriate to and/or referenced in each episode.
Spoilers for the show if you haven't seen it; the edition I read covered the first two seasons of four total and I'm curious what the author would say about the last two seasons.
January 23, 2020
This was both, an entertaining and educational book. It is a homage to the show "The good place" and a lot of background explanations of the obvious (and hinted) philosophy of the series and, at the same time, a decent and funny introduction to Philosophy. Sure, it could habe been gone deeper, but it was a nice, quick and entertaining read with plenty of questions like this one:
If four professors of moral philosophy were in a balloon and it was going to crash into the ocean, would you bother saving them? ;)
If four professors of moral philosophy were in a balloon and it was going to crash into the ocean, would you bother saving them? ;)
December 30, 2024
Baby’s first book about Ethics(in a good way). It touches on a very broad set of ethical frameworks, winding in examples from the TV Show in a really easy to follow way.
The book provides a good foundation/jumping off point for reading more books on Ethics.
If you’re a fan of the show and are interested in these concepts, I would highly recommend reading this book. The only downside is that it was written before the show finished. I think the writer would have a lot to say about the revelations about the scoring system in season 4.
The book provides a good foundation/jumping off point for reading more books on Ethics.
If you’re a fan of the show and are interested in these concepts, I would highly recommend reading this book. The only downside is that it was written before the show finished. I think the writer would have a lot to say about the revelations about the scoring system in season 4.
February 22, 2020
This book is awesome.
The alignment to the aspects covered in The Good Place, TV show, make it a great read. But more importantly it is the intellectual challenge it provides through a well thought through summary of key philosophy and ethics matters.
I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the show or who wants to grow as a human in their thinking.
The alignment to the aspects covered in The Good Place, TV show, make it a great read. But more importantly it is the intellectual challenge it provides through a well thought through summary of key philosophy and ethics matters.
I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the show or who wants to grow as a human in their thinking.
July 24, 2020
The Forking Trolley is an extension of the TV show The Good Place so watch the series before reading. This is an overview of moral philosophies with examples from the TV show. It is a great way to remind yourself of some of the episodes from the show and to flesh out some of the ideas that were presented.
September 19, 2022
An interesting overview of moral philosophy interlinking with the show, The Good Place. I enjoyed this and it was an easy read for a complete beginner in moral philosophy.
In my opinion, this book would have been better if it had been written once the series had finished, as some of the themes the book touches on become more significant in later seasons.
In my opinion, this book would have been better if it had been written once the series had finished, as some of the themes the book touches on become more significant in later seasons.
July 1, 2023
I really enjoyed this, a good and light introduction to ethics without being too dull or heavy. It relies quite a lot on the Good Place for context and examples but I’d say you could still enjoy this book without having seen the series (though it is full of spoilers so I’d recommend reading after you’ve seen the the series).
October 10, 2025
Fun, easy read, probably a very good introduction to ethics, defintely a good reminder for anyone who studied philosophy a number of years ago. I can’t imagine anyone who has not seen the TV series The Good Place getting much from it, given that is the main reference, but that was such a good show that I’d recommend doing that anyway.
January 19, 2026
Fun and thought-provoking. After my fifth rewatch of The Good Place, I decided to lean into my ethics era. I don’t usually have the attention span for this kind of book, but connecting it to a show I love made it way more enjoyable. Learning about the many, many ethical contradictions we deal with every day was a great little brain scratch to kick off the year.
January 3, 2021
read, but had no idea what I was reading. Concept after concept was so tantalisingly above my head. It absolutely peaked my interested in philosophy and ethics. I want to re-watch the show, and re-read this after I have done some more foundational stuff.
February 5, 2022
I really enjoyed reading this . I have studied philosophy and while this might not be a meaty read its humorous and light . I particularly liked chidi's challenge . Might not be for you if you are looking for an academic piece if work, but it is certainly was fun .
March 4, 2024
This book was generally very enjoyable and led me to a number of interesting conversations and stories (such as The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas). Some of the ethical discussions could have gone into more depth but it is a great introductory text.
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June 30, 2019I love The Good Place but don’t like reading about philosophy, so eh. Just not really my thing.
December 16, 2019
Probably the only book on moral philosophy I'd recommend. Textbook information in a fun format
May 20, 2020
Easy intro to moral philosophy for fans of the Good Place
June 2, 2020
Very good and entertaining way into the philosophical subjects raised by the show.
August 18, 2020
This is a lovely book and a heck of a lot more fun than my Philosophy 101 class.
April 3, 2021
A very fun and easy overview of the various moral philosophies that inform this show and make it so special.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews