Review: How To Be Perfect by Michael Schur
This book, I think, does exactly what it set out to do and does it well and in a very entertaining way! Michael Schur is the creator of the show The Good Place (and also the co-creator of Parks and Recreation and Brooklynn 99), and this book has grown out of the moral and ethical philosophy research he did for that show. This book is Schur taking the reader on a tour of some of the major schools of thought in the world of moral and ethical philosophy in (mostly) western thought.
As Schur is a comedy writer, this book is easy to digest and funny throughout. The book leans into sincerity at moments and is thoughtful and analytical in other moments. This book made me think and laugh and just generally was a good time. I also cried towards the end when Schur was addressing his children; I am a huge sucked for that sort of sincerity and really for any loving parent content.
I particularly liked the way Schur wrote about consuming problematic media and apologizing. The book starts very big picture and part three of the book, but specifically for me, those two chapters were very granular and grounded in the real world. It is interesting to see these moral and ethical arguments that I am used to having almost constantly on the internet being examined in this way. I thought Schur was compassionate and analytical and seemed to be speaking very honestly throughout the book. I think if you also liked these two parts of this book, you should read Well, That Escalated Quickly by Franchesca Ramsey, it is about how to be a good citizen of the internet.
Schur engages with the philosophy he discusses in a very digestible way. I have read a few of the texts he discusses and was vaguely familiar with many from school and from references in The Good Place. He made me interested in reading the texts I was less familiar with, and I liked hearing his thoughts on the texts I knew more about. I really like that he presents this work very much in context and as one big ever-ongoing conversation humanity has been having for centuries and will continue on with for centuries.
I particularly liked when he would talk about his own struggles as a 'normal person' to always fully understand what he read and the fact that he outright tells about the people who helped him to understand this information. The emphasis on the importance of teachers when we are learning new material was wonderful. It also makes the reader feel a little like they have both a guide through this information and a chatty funny classmate.
I had so much fun reading this book; I would absolutely recommend this! Specifically to fans of The Good Place, of course, but also to anyone interested in having a thoughtful and engaging conversation about what we owe to each other.
