📚 “How to Be Perfect” by Michael Schur - Deepstash
📚 “How to Be Perfect” by Michael Schur

📚 “How to Be Perfect” by Michael Schur

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🌟 Introduction

“Why this book?”

Michael Schur basically says:

“Ethics is confusing, but I tried to figure it out… so you don’t have to (but maybe you should).”

🧠 Core Idea: He stumbled into moral philosophy while writing The Good Place, and now he wants to share his crash course in a way that’s actually digestible and hilarious.

🎉 Vibe: Like having a beer with Aristotle and Eleanor Shellstrop at the same time.

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14 reads

✅ Chapter 1: “Should I Lie to My Friend About Her Ugly Baby?”

🤔 Dilemma: Social white lies — do they count as wrong?

📜 Ethical lens: Kant (NEVER lie) vs. Consequentialism (depends on the result).

🎯 Takeaway: Ethics isn’t about always being right — it’s about thinking through why we do what we do.

🛡️ Joyful Verdict: Say the baby is “so expressive!” and move on.

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14 reads

🍕 Chapter 2: “Can I Enjoy Great Art If It Was Created by Terrib

🎨 Dilemma: What do we do with morally questionable creators (e.g., Woody Allen, Picasso)?

📜 Ethical angles: Separating art from artist.

🎯 Takeaway: It’s okay to feel uncomfortable. Your feelings matter. Try not to fund the bad behavior.

🎭 Bulletproof Hack: Support living, non-criminal artists you can feel good about.

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12 reads

🚗 Chapter 3: “Should I Punch My Friend in the Face for No Reaso

🥊 Spoiler alert: No.

📜 Philosophy cameo: Thomas Hobbes — society needs rules.

🎯 Takeaway: The social contract exists to keep everyone’s nose intact.

🎈 Fun Thought: If you’re even asking this question, you’re already ethical enough not to.

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11 reads

💰 Chapter 4: “Do I Have to Return My Shopping Cart to the Parki

🛒 Moral tension: Nobody’s watching… will you do it?

📜 Philosophy tie-in: Virtue ethics (Aristotle) — develop good habits.

🎯 Takeaway: Be the person who returns the cart. It’s a micro-good-deed that builds macro character.

🎖️ Foolproof Rule: Pretend your future self is judging you (because they are).

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9 reads

👖 Chapter 5: “Why Shouldn’t I Punch Everyone I See on the Stree

💣 More face punching?? We’re spiraling.

📜 Point: Empathy and shared humanity are the glue of society.

🎯 Takeaway: Your power isn’t in what you can do. It’s in what you choose not to.

🦸 Superhero Rule: The ethical person is basically Spider-Man in sweatpants.

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9 reads

🏦 Chapter 6: “How Can I Be a Better Person?”

📈 Shift: Less jokes, more growth.

📜 Answer: Progress over perfection. Moral growth is a journey, not a checklist.

🎯 Takeaway: Self-awareness, good questions, and trying again are the path to goodness.

🎉 Joy Hack: You’re not supposed to be perfect — just better than yesterday.

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9 reads

☠️ Chapter 7: “What Do We Owe Each Other?”

🤝 Core idea: Morality is about how we treat each other.

📜 T.M. Scanlon’s philosophy: Ethics is relational, not individualistic.

🎯 Takeaway: Being good isn’t just about you — it’s about creating a better “us.”

🌍 Joyful Reframe: It’s not just about being a good person — it’s about being good company in the world.

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8 reads

🧠 Chapter 8: “The Trolley Problem”

🚃 Iconic question: Do you pull the lever to save 5 people by killing 1?

📜 Moral thought exercise: No perfect answer.

🎯 Takeaway: Life is full of impossible choices. Ethics teaches us to live with complexity.

🎢 Fun Fact: Even ethicists don’t agree — and that’s the point.

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7 reads

🪞 Chapter 9: “Okay, So What Should I Actually Do?”

🔑 Real-life ethics: Action over abstraction.

📜 Key principle: Use ethics as a compass, not a cage.

🎯 Takeaway: Think, try, learn, grow, mess up, apologize, try again.

💡 Foolproof Equation: Curiosity + humility + empathy = how to be “perfectly trying.”

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8 reads

🧹 Epilogue: “What’s the Point?”

💭 Michael’s mic drop: Trying to be good is itself good.

✨ Message: We’re not here to be perfect. We’re here to try. And that’s beautiful.

🎁 Joyful Moral: The pursuit of goodness is messy, funny, meaningful, and so very human.

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6 reads

🎉 Final Joy Bomb

“This book won’t make you perfect. But it might make you less annoying at parties and more patient at red lights.”

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7 reads

IDEAS CURATED BY

gozdeyesiltas

4 th of January 1990

CURATOR'S NOTE

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