The Good Place and Philosophy: Everything is Forking Fine! (Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture) by Kimberly S. Engels

The Good Place and Philosophy: Everything is Forking Fine! (Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture) Reviews

• 
  Jacob Thornburg

  Really dynamite stuff for my demographic - A Good Place maniac, and budding philosophy enthusiast. I’ve watched the series several times, and though I’m k Chidi, I’d say I’m better versed in philosophical concepts and figures than the av-er-age bear. L
  If you don’t know who Descartes, Locke, Mill, Kant, and Aristotle are, and have at least a slight understanding of their projects, this might not be the book for you (much like The Simpsons and Philosophy was not the book for me when I was a kid, despite how much I wanted it to be at the time). Honestly, if you paid attention to Chidi’s lectures, you’ll probably be fine.
  
  This is one of of those times I’m pretty bummed out that the ride is over. Totally recommend to other members of my demographic, though members of my demographic’s inversion - Casual Good Place fans, philosophy maniacs - might find this a bit simple, if I was able to wrap my head around the concepts touched on in here.
• 
  Stephanie

  If you're a fan of the show The Good Place, and like thinking about philosophy, ethics, morality, free will, etc, I think you'll enjoy this book.
  Each paper is about 10 pages long, so it's very easy to pick up and put down as you please while you're reading other books!
• 
  Colleen

  While I enjoyed learning about the different philosophers whose work was referenced in The Good Place, I wish this book was more concise, or at least structured differently. Since many episodes were repeatedly cited, it probably would have made more sense to structure each chapter around each core episode and then apply different theories to them, instead of repeated referencing the same scene later in different chapters.
  
  For example, I don't remember Chidi trying to go grocery shopping shirtless, so references to this scene were lost on me as I listened. If these mentions weren neatly packaged together in one chapter I would happily revisit them after rewatching the episode, but because they weren't and this book was 10 hours long, I'm going to give it a rest for now and considering listening again if I rewatch the series.
• 
  Liz

  I really enjoyed reading this. It was a nice change of pace from all the fantasy (and escapism) I have been (happily) enjoying. It made me feel smart and it was pretty complex, and it went way beyond just fun references to a great show.
  My favorite essays were “Some Memories You May Have Forgotten: Holding Space for Each Other When Memory Fails” by Alison Reiheld, “Not Knowing Your Place: A Tale of Two Women” by Leslie A. Aarons, “Hell is Other People’s Tastes by Darren Hudson Hick and Sarah E. Worth, and “From Clickwheel Through Busty Alexa: The Embodied Case for Janet as Artificial Intelligence” by Robin L. Zebrowski.
• 
  Jilena

  Such a fun book about a great show.
• 
  Alex

  Neat. This book covers the basics and explains ethical philosophy using examples from a TV sitcom that was made specifically for breaking down ethical topics from Kant, Hume, Sartre, Camus, Aristotle, etc. for a wider demographic. It's all stuff I wanted to dig into for many years, and the show was perfect for laying the groundwork. This book is just edited like shit and has a terrible structure.
  
  I was expecting an episode-by-episode dissemination of each lesson, scenario, and character, while the essays and chapters within are scattershot and at times add very little to what the show already teaches. Here's an essay on the first season twists, now two on the final season, now a 10 page paper on a character from the third season, now let's discuss Virtue Ethics, now let's talk about one of the protagonists. Yeah, there's connecting themes across the series that get resolved as it goes on, like any series, yet this book doesn't do enough work to keep things cohesive. As a whole, the writers like to make a statement about a topic and toss it up with events in the show without juxtaposing them effectively or engaging with the ideas themselves using the typically impossible to examine, very often unexplored dilemmas of spirituality and afterlife that the show itself engages with and aims to fulfill. A bit sad, too, that this does little to discuss or impart new information using the show as a launchpad as there's very little dialogue online about the series despite it's concise plot, and thoughtful + thought-provoking situations that could constantly be expounded on and learned from.
  
  So yeah, really liked what it had to say about "what it means to be a good person" and our views of the afterlife, and a few of these essays are genuinely very helpful at going deeper than the show at explaining some subjects and plotlines using the works of dozens of famous philosophers, just not enough, and it's just like, all over the place, man.
• 
  Thea’s Reading World 💛

  Powered through this audiobook to just have it finished.
  The concepts are so interesting, but the structure is chaotic for me, the scenes repeated themselves so I had deja vu a lot. It awakened the need to read more about philosophy, but this book was too messy for me to understand 😂
• 
  Keith Good

  An approachable, easy-to-understand primer on a number of philosophical concepts. Examples drawn from "The Good Place" keep the tone airy and humorous, even when delving into heavy topics.
• 
  DJ

  This is why everyone hates moral philosophy professors.
• 
  Lisa VD

  This was so much fun! A must read for anyone who loved the show of inspiration for more than its sense of humor and great character work.
  
  Perhaps a bit repetitive at times since several chapters reflect on the same material of a specific episode, but this is done from different angles so it did not bother me too much. I am more acquinted with legal philosophy than moral philosophy, but this book covered all the different theories and their greatest proponents/creators in such an approachable way. And it was just great to have another source through which to sit with the show's main characters for a bit, and to think some more about the implications of their actions, as well as of aspects and underlying choices made by the show.
  
  I love the show and this book brought me so much joy on my daily commute. Highly recommended for the fans, even though everyone hates moral philosophy professors 🤭
• 
  Anthony Kane

  It was what it explained that it was, it just wasn't what I wanted.
  
  This is an interesting collection of essays on philosophy and The Good Place, from a range of writers. Because of the anthology nature of it there is a lot of overlap in, for example, explaining the plot of the show.
  
  It was not immediately clear to me how the collection was organised, and maybe that is on me and my limited understanding of philosophy, but the essays were grouped in sections titled after lines from the show rather than say, existentialism, utilitarianism etc. Perhaps I would have appreciated greater signposting?
  
  It is a good book for dipping in and out and there are some interesting topics addressed (admittedly for novice philosophers like me, I imagine more serious philosophers would find it too basic?)
• 
  Agnes

  Confirmed that the show was well written and well thought out. I disagree with those who wanted it episode by episode: I did not find it repetitive and enjoyed the different views. It took me a while to get through, I did feel out of my depth at times.
  I also confirmed I am most like Chidi- I am usually vexed and have a stomachache!
• 
  Jacy

  It was very repetitive at times, but it was still interesting. I had no idea that there was an entire genre of books about the philosophy of popular televisions series'. This one makes the most sense though as it is relevant to the storyline and character development. I'm not sure how interesting the Philosophy of Seinfeld would be though.
• 
  Amanda (PandaCat)

  Listened to this on audible. A good listen, though a little repetitive at times... probably just to prove different points. I feel like the book helped me better understand philosophy a bit. Loved the show!
• 
  Kavinay

  Great idea and the individual pieces are good, but there's a lot of overlap throughout. Some of it is testament to how brilliant "Jeremy Bearimy" is for teaching moral philosophy, but it feels like this could have been an even better collection if each contributor had a more constrained focus.
• 
  Cal Davie

  Wonderful.
  
  Wide variety of articles looking at issues raised in The Good Place. Most the articles were focused on ethics.
  
  Very creative and informative, a great source for those new and old to the field.
• 
  Carlee Jones

  Well… this is probably my favorite TV series of all time and the “and philosophy” books are also some of my favorites, I have lots of them on my bookshelf at home. So when I saw the two fused together, I was so excited, I never borrowed an audiobook faster than I did this one. It was great, just what I expected. Funny philosophy.
• 
  Bethany

  There is SO much to think about and unpack with this one! I found the audio on Hoopla accidentally and I liked it more than I anticipated. I never took a philosophy class in college. Using this awesome TV show to explain in layman's terms was perfect.
  
  I also miss 'The Good Place' so much. It was fun to revisit my friends!
  
  "Everything is Forking Fine!"
  "Ya Basic!" :)
• 
  Sophie Csatlos

  This book does exactly what it says it will. If you loved The Good Place and want to learn more about the philosophy behind it, it is a great read. I did find myself hoping the next essay I would read would have a female author and only got that a couple times. Not an exciting read, but it executes it's mission well.
• 
  Randi

  This was so messy! It talks on and on about philosophical theory and applies so little to the show somehow. When it does discuss the show, it summarizes it at you (as if you haven't seen it) and then doesn't dive much deeper than that. Reads like getting a root canal, sorry. DNF at 40%.
• 
  Emma -

  I love this book