How to Be Perfect

The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question

By: Michael Schur

Narrated by: Michael Schur, Kristen Bell, D'Arcy Carden, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper, Manny Jacinto, Marc Evan Jackson, Jameela Jamil, Todd May

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. Read by the author, this one-of-a-kind audio production features guest appearances by members of the cast of The Good Place.

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. Okay, not quite. Instead, we’ll gain fresh, funny, inspiring wisdom on the toughest issues we face every day.

How to Be Perfect is narrated by Michael Schur, Kristen Bell, D’Arcy Carden, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper, Manny Jacinto, Marc Evan Jackson, Jameela Jamil, and Todd May!

©2022 Michael Schur. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Michael Schur and the cast of "The Good Place" once again collaborate, this time to ponder today’s toughest moral questions using philosophical views from the East and West. Schur delivers hilarious sarcasm as he tackles ethics and explains how to balance morality and achieve virtue. Friendly and inviting sounding, he is able to take the difficult, oftentimes dry topic of philosophy and make it engaging and entertaining. Using a simple and steady pace, Schur's narration is coupled with signature voices from the show, including Ted Danson and Kristen Bell. The entire cast makes this production an intriguing and funny way to introduce or reintroduce oneself to philosophy and achieve goodness." (AudioFile Magazine)

Great book for philosophy and humor.

Listened to an engrossing and entertaining education on ethics. Great time. A new favorite.

Took me a while to get used to the "footnotes"

It took me a while to get accustomed to the super annoying tone for the footnotes. The footnotes early on aren't particularly funny or educational - more grating and disjarring than anything else. But, the footnotes do get funnier throughout the book, so I'm glad I stuck with it. You should too.

The book itself is GENIUS, and pretty much anyone with even a passing interest in philosophy would be well-served by listening to it. The narration is outstanding. Overall, this is one of the top 5 nonfiction comedic books I've ever read or listened to.

Ethics as a Schur thing

Schur’s amiable but deeply caring overview of Western moral philosophy is as perfect as possible. It’s funny and heartfelt, and its occasional forays into too much navel gazing are forgivable, as Schur is conscious of his own limitations. Overall, its greatest accomplishment is making ethical philosophy both understandable and engaging.

Thank you Michael Schur

I genuinely never believed that learning Philosophy could be so interesting and so much fun. But Michael Schur makes it happen. Do give it a read or a listen.

Fun, playful and intelligent

This is a fun read for those who like non fiction books. If you liked the show the good place, you’ll love this book. It’s not going to be life changing but it will be thought provoking and encouraging. Very well done, and audibly satisfying.

Delightful!

Admiring and irreverent, funny and practical. It was a joy to listen to this audiobook. It made important and thought-provoking subjects effortlessly fun to think about, even while we know how effortful being a good human is.

Informative, Contemplative & Entertaining

This is a fabulous text and sincerely delightful audiobook. The subject is extremely important in postmodern times as the measures of morality diversify. It's important that we as humans consider our motives and actions and this book is a great palatable distillation of thoughts on the matter. Plus, it's hilarious, while remaining poignant(how does he do that?!) As a fan of Michael Schur's work, it didn't surprise me that the voice of his book was engaging, but I think I am impacted more than I thought I would be as I continue to digest the material. Also - I adore the fact that he read it himself and the incorporation of the cast of the Good Place made this audio an absolute delight....the reader of a text makes or breaks it for me. Thank you for all these things, and for giving my grueling So Cal commute to and from people -helping work , purpose, distraction, and joy.

The Best Place

Outstanding listen... challenging yet simple concepts for a better world... in the words of Chidi Anagonye, "Simply put, we are all in this together."

Interesting af

Well, I'm here after I finished the book. It is a ride. If you like Schur's work, or ethics, or the good place, or books read by their authors, this is a must have. I miss the book already.

Thanks, Michael.

Funny and informative!

This is a fantastic book. If only the whole world would listen and ponder such things. Full of moral quandaries, guidance and plenty of laughs.