Published: 1 April 2022
Last updated: 5 March 2024
AVIVA LOWY discovers wit, wisdom and ripping yarns in this bunch of books by Jewish authors
How to Be Perfect: the correct answer to every moral question - Michael Schur (Quercus)
There’s a giveaway in the cover art of this book, which has the ‘t’ from ‘perfect’ unmoored and floating off, that this is very much a humorous take on the moral high ground.
That will come as no surprise to those familiar with Michael Schur as the creator of the successful Netflix sitcom, The Good Place. Set in a fantasy version of the afterlife, a technical error has landed newly deceased and not-so-nice Eleanor Shellstrop with the truly deserving folk.
To make sure she’s not booted out once the mistake comes to light, she sets out to become a better person, but first she has to learn the basics of ethical behaviour. So what makes a person good or bad?
That philosophical question makes for comedy gold, and in the process of writing the show and consulting with academics, Schur has become something of an expert himself.
Now he is sharing his wisdom with a whirlwind introduction to moral thinking that has informed Western civilisation. While he may be dealing with the intellectual heavyweights of the philosophy world, this is an easy and funny read.
You’ll learn about Utilitarianism - A Results-Oriented Business, and the “two deeply weird dudes” Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill; that Kant thought happiness was irrelevant; and whether you have to return your shopping cart to the cart rack.
This is an excellent primer for anyone who wants to become conversant with big ideas (without the difficult dull bits), impress at dinner parties or live a good life.
