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!

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."

Funny and Deep Thoughts

I really feel it gives a strong foundational and substantive perspective on how to live life as the best moral person possible

Looking forward to listening again

I have owned the hard cover of this book since it debuted but have struggled to find time to read it. Fed up with the delay, I purchased the audiobook and I am beyond happy I did. What a wonderful way to learn, smart-funny-thoughtful. This book was a delight.

Finally! I get ethical philosophers.

Welp. I've been looking for a good reason to watch "The Good Place" again. I just found it. I literally can't wait to hear Chidi talk philosophy (something I never thought I or anyone else would EVER say).

a real gem!

I thoroughly loved everything about this audio book. Bravo. I'm cured of moral exhaustion.

try again, fail again, try harder

This book does a really good job at discussing philosophy in layman's terms. Made all the complicated rules and theories of philosophy I studied in college more humorous, and easier to understand.

There's a review in here that states they were frustrated because of how contradictory the book gets... and to that I say... welcome to philosophy 😂

Audio was very well constructed and easy to listen to. The book itself was written well too. Good beginning to hook you in and a nice bittersweet finish-Try again:)

Overall I would recommend this book to anyone that just wants to be a better person!