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Popular Culture and Philosophy #130
The Good Place and Philosophy
The Good Place is a fantasy-comedy TV show about the afterlife. Eleanor dies and finds herself in the Good Place, which she understands must be mistake, since she has been anything but good. In the surprise twist ending to Season One, it is revealed that this is really the Bad Place, but the demon who planned it was frustrated, because the characters didn't torture each other mentally as planned, but managed to learn how to live together.
In The Good Place and Philosophy, twenty-one philosophers analyze different aspects of the ethical and metaphysical issues raised in the show, including:
● Indefinitely long punishment can only be justified as a method of ultimately improving vicious characters, not as retribution.
● Can individuals retain their identity after hundreds of reboots?
● Comparing Hinduism with The Good Place, we can conclude that Hinduism gets things five percent correct.
● Looking at all the events in the show, it follows that humans don't have free will, and so people are being punished and rewarded unjustly.
● Is it a problem that the show depicts torture as hilarious? This problem can be resolved by considering the limited perspective of humans, compared with the eternal perspective of the demons.
● The Good Place implies that even demons can develop morally.
● The only way to explain how the characters remain the same people after death is to suppose that their actual bodies are transported to the afterlife.
● Since Chidi knows all the moral theories but can never decide what to do, it must follow that there is something missing in all these theories.
● The show depicts an afterlife which is bureaucratic, therefore unchangeable, therefore deeply unjust.
● Eleanor acts on instinct, without thinking, whereas Chidi tries to think everything through and never gets around to acting; together these two characters can truly act morally.
● The Good Place shows us that authenticity means living for others.
● The Good Place is based on Sartre's play No Exit, with its famous line "Hell is other people," but in fact both No Exit and The Good Place inform us that human relationships can redeem us.
● In The Good Place, everything the humans do is impermanent since it can be rebooted, so humans cannot accomplish anything good.
● Kant's moral precepts are supposed to be universal, but The Good Place shows us it can be right to lie to demons.
● The show raises the question whether we can ever be good except by being part of a virtuous community.
In The Good Place and Philosophy, twenty-one philosophers analyze different aspects of the ethical and metaphysical issues raised in the show, including:
● Indefinitely long punishment can only be justified as a method of ultimately improving vicious characters, not as retribution.
● Can individuals retain their identity after hundreds of reboots?
● Comparing Hinduism with The Good Place, we can conclude that Hinduism gets things five percent correct.
● Looking at all the events in the show, it follows that humans don't have free will, and so people are being punished and rewarded unjustly.
● Is it a problem that the show depicts torture as hilarious? This problem can be resolved by considering the limited perspective of humans, compared with the eternal perspective of the demons.
● The Good Place implies that even demons can develop morally.
● The only way to explain how the characters remain the same people after death is to suppose that their actual bodies are transported to the afterlife.
● Since Chidi knows all the moral theories but can never decide what to do, it must follow that there is something missing in all these theories.
● The show depicts an afterlife which is bureaucratic, therefore unchangeable, therefore deeply unjust.
● Eleanor acts on instinct, without thinking, whereas Chidi tries to think everything through and never gets around to acting; together these two characters can truly act morally.
● The Good Place shows us that authenticity means living for others.
● The Good Place is based on Sartre's play No Exit, with its famous line "Hell is other people," but in fact both No Exit and The Good Place inform us that human relationships can redeem us.
● In The Good Place, everything the humans do is impermanent since it can be rebooted, so humans cannot accomplish anything good.
● Kant's moral precepts are supposed to be universal, but The Good Place shows us it can be right to lie to demons.
● The show raises the question whether we can ever be good except by being part of a virtuous community.
218 pages, Paperback
First published September 17, 2019
33 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 16, 2020
As a collection of essays on philosophy for a general audience, this one actually has some really good content, with interesting discussions of pressing philosophical issues from academic perspectives that contribute something meaningful to our understandings of The Good Place and how its ideas might, in turn, translate to real action by viewers and fans. As the book goes on it definitely gets a tad bogged down in examining and re-examining the same episodes and concepts ad nauseam, but largely there's enough variety to keep the book interesting from start to finish. Not all of these essays are golden, but the book starts off strong and has enough momentum throughout to really keep going. If you're a fan of the show, and want to think some more about what it means to be a good person and how to live an ethical life, you could do a lot worse than to pick this one up.
June 24, 2020
I do enjoy the Popular Culture series of "...and Philosophy"; starting all the way back with the Seinfeld and Philosophy book. I loved the show too (one of my new favorites). For those who haven't watched it - its very entertaining, funny, interesting, and is deeply philosophical, so right up my alley, and I'm sure many others.
This is a good book. Nothing amazing or spectacular, but good / very good. I do think it made an interesting choice though of being written and published as the third season was underway/finishing up, before Season 4, which was the final season of the show. (And it was even stated in this book that it was known at least at time of publishing that Season 4 would also be the final season.) So I thought it was interesting that they knowingly published it at/during/after Season 3 knowing there would be only one more season, that might have given them more material to write about, and provided things in a better context for some of the articles and arguments. Like having 3/4ths of a book to review rather than the full book.
An odd choice. It will be interesting to see if they release a revised edition with stuff about Season 4 - and if so.... I will definitely be avoiding that, as then its apparent the purpose of this book's release.
The articles were good, but with the release of season 4, made some of the comments, arguments, and articles somewhat moot or pointless or defeated. There was also a few typos that were annoying, but nothing egregious.
All in all a fine piece, but nothing wowing or spectacular.
This is a good book. Nothing amazing or spectacular, but good / very good. I do think it made an interesting choice though of being written and published as the third season was underway/finishing up, before Season 4, which was the final season of the show. (And it was even stated in this book that it was known at least at time of publishing that Season 4 would also be the final season.) So I thought it was interesting that they knowingly published it at/during/after Season 3 knowing there would be only one more season, that might have given them more material to write about, and provided things in a better context for some of the articles and arguments. Like having 3/4ths of a book to review rather than the full book.
An odd choice. It will be interesting to see if they release a revised edition with stuff about Season 4 - and if so.... I will definitely be avoiding that, as then its apparent the purpose of this book's release.
The articles were good, but with the release of season 4, made some of the comments, arguments, and articles somewhat moot or pointless or defeated. There was also a few typos that were annoying, but nothing egregious.
All in all a fine piece, but nothing wowing or spectacular.
June 29, 2024
(9 April, 2020)
For a show that spent little time on religion this book sure did discuss it a whole lot. I am not against religion (well... not anymore) it's just that it is an insignificant topic for me. It would be like reading a chapter on the philosophy of needles, or of fashion - it holds no interest for me.
The other chapters were fine, if a bit repetitive. It assumes very little prior knowledge of different philosophical theories which made it slightly tedious to plod through at times.
For a show that spent little time on religion this book sure did discuss it a whole lot. I am not against religion (well... not anymore) it's just that it is an insignificant topic for me. It would be like reading a chapter on the philosophy of needles, or of fashion - it holds no interest for me.
The other chapters were fine, if a bit repetitive. It assumes very little prior knowledge of different philosophical theories which made it slightly tedious to plod through at times.
February 21, 2021
*3
A collection of essays on the implicit and explicit philosophy of the show “The Good Place,” The Good Place and Philosophy discusses different philosophical perspectives on the tv series.
"The Good Place" serves as an obvious topic for an addition to the Popular Culture and Philosophy series, given the heavy focus on ethics and moral philosophy embedded within the show. This collection of twenty-three essays goes further, contextualizing "The Good Place" within different philosophical arguments and ideas that bring additional meaning to the show and, in turn, might be translated to our own lives.
While some of the essays are quite entertaining and enlightening, others felt redundant, repetitive, and unnecessary, making the collection as a whole feel rather disjointed. The same episodes/scenes and philosophical theories were repeatedly mentioned ad nauseam. In addition, while "The Good Place" only ran for four seasons, The Good Place and Philosophy was published after season three, rather than waiting for the final season to air. Many of the essays would have benefited from waiting for the series’ conclusion, although it was interesting to see which predictions came closest.
Overall, for fans of the show, The Good Place and Philosophy is an interesting introduction to some of the philosophy on the show, albeit quite repetitive.
A collection of essays on the implicit and explicit philosophy of the show “The Good Place,” The Good Place and Philosophy discusses different philosophical perspectives on the tv series.
"The Good Place" serves as an obvious topic for an addition to the Popular Culture and Philosophy series, given the heavy focus on ethics and moral philosophy embedded within the show. This collection of twenty-three essays goes further, contextualizing "The Good Place" within different philosophical arguments and ideas that bring additional meaning to the show and, in turn, might be translated to our own lives.
While some of the essays are quite entertaining and enlightening, others felt redundant, repetitive, and unnecessary, making the collection as a whole feel rather disjointed. The same episodes/scenes and philosophical theories were repeatedly mentioned ad nauseam. In addition, while "The Good Place" only ran for four seasons, The Good Place and Philosophy was published after season three, rather than waiting for the final season to air. Many of the essays would have benefited from waiting for the series’ conclusion, although it was interesting to see which predictions came closest.
Overall, for fans of the show, The Good Place and Philosophy is an interesting introduction to some of the philosophy on the show, albeit quite repetitive.
June 16, 2020
Having thoroughly enjoyed the show, I thought diving deeper into the philosophy that the show revolves around would be interesting. I was not disappointed with this book! I originally got it once I heard that a colleague had written a chapter. This did help make the entire book interesting since each chapter was written by someone different, making the way of writing different and varied. There were definitely some chapter and topics that stood out to me because they introduced new ways of thinking about life in general. There were days when I would just read one chapter and think about the material all day, such as with comedy, religion, what we owe each other, and whether hell is other people that was first introduced in a 1944 play. However, it also does not seem that the different authors collaborated much because some material was quite repetitive, especially when relating to Kant and analyzing Chidi. Overall, it was a fun read to be taken slowly to allow contemplation.
January 9, 2021
As I try to look into trends, I heard a lot about the show the Good Place. People said it was hilarious and a great show. So, I watched it but honestly I was so confused. Besides Jason who I love, it didn’t seem very funny to me. I then heard that you have to understand philosophy to understand the show. I moved on with my life when the Good Place got canceled, but a few months ago I saw this book at my library and checked it out. After reading this book, The Good Place finally makes sense! I still don’t get why it’s so funny to other people but okay. While this book was very good, it kept circling back to things it already talked about. This became very repetitive and led to me skimming some of the book. This book also has tons of spoilers so definitely watch the show first. This was a good companion book and introduction to philosophy; if only it wasn’t so repetitive.
March 4, 2022
Good collection of essays on philosophical matters in the tv show The Good Place. I enjoyed the show and often thought there was much more going on in the stories than mere entertainment. I was looking for discussion on the various aspects to the show. I guess philosophy really isn't my cup of tea. The two essays I liked best were more about theology than philosophy.
I didn't read the entire book closely just a few essays here and there.
I didn't read the entire book closely just a few essays here and there.
Read
April 20, 2021“Arizona trash bag”🥰😍💖💕❤️
June 15, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this one and it's about one of my favorite TV shows.
August 3, 2022
Great insights
A deep dive on the series mostly focused on first 2 seasons. Helps with understanding the show at a much deeper level
A deep dive on the series mostly focused on first 2 seasons. Helps with understanding the show at a much deeper level
August 25, 2019
“The Good Place” is a modern fantasy series. It is unusual for being set for the first two seasons entirely in the afterlife. Furthermore, this afterlife is very different from that imagined by any philosophy. No one got it right except for stoner Doug. Poor Doug.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
“The Good Place and Philosophy” explores a number of philosophical issues raised by the show. Is a karmic point system fair? What would be considered fair punishment for misdeeds in life? If your actions are mostly pre-determined, are you really responsible for your actions? Why is Chidi, the philosopher, unable to see through the ruse that is the Good Place? Does Jason’s lack of moral company and self-awareness make him more or less moral than others? How moral or immoral is Chidi, the expert in morality, when he’s unable to act?
There are multiple, apt comparisons to Satre’s work “No Exit”. They discuss the parallels and how the Good Place ends up being the antithesis of “No Exit”. There are plenty of criticisms of Kant, too, the philosopher Chidi seems to idolize.
The afterlife in this fantasy world is somewhat close to Buddhism, though there is only one Hindu perspective on that. Only one contributor discussed the ethics and role of purgatory in a post-life system. The ethics of a bureaucratic score are discussed, but no one relates to the real world (and oppressive) example of China’s Sesame Credit. Or credit scores. There’s repeated focus on Chidi, the philosophy professor, with only a few essays looking at Jason, Tahani or (once) Janet.
It is a decent work for fans of the TV show and philosophy majors. Four stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
“The Good Place and Philosophy” explores a number of philosophical issues raised by the show. Is a karmic point system fair? What would be considered fair punishment for misdeeds in life? If your actions are mostly pre-determined, are you really responsible for your actions? Why is Chidi, the philosopher, unable to see through the ruse that is the Good Place? Does Jason’s lack of moral company and self-awareness make him more or less moral than others? How moral or immoral is Chidi, the expert in morality, when he’s unable to act?
There are multiple, apt comparisons to Satre’s work “No Exit”. They discuss the parallels and how the Good Place ends up being the antithesis of “No Exit”. There are plenty of criticisms of Kant, too, the philosopher Chidi seems to idolize.
The afterlife in this fantasy world is somewhat close to Buddhism, though there is only one Hindu perspective on that. Only one contributor discussed the ethics and role of purgatory in a post-life system. The ethics of a bureaucratic score are discussed, but no one relates to the real world (and oppressive) example of China’s Sesame Credit. Or credit scores. There’s repeated focus on Chidi, the philosophy professor, with only a few essays looking at Jason, Tahani or (once) Janet.
It is a decent work for fans of the TV show and philosophy majors. Four stars.
December 27, 2019
Review a-comin'
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews