We live in peculiar times, one where we have had relative peace for the longest duration in modern history, are more connected more than ever before but also seem to be separated; in this morally ambiguous time we have strangely stratified society where the loudest voices are from the extreme of the left and right wings.
A short while ago, I read How To Be Perfect: The Answer To Every Moral Question by Mike Schur, the creator of The Good Place, Parks and Rec and The Office (American version). I liked how he presented moral quandaries we often faced in everyday lives and his philosophical playthrough of each of these situations using different forms of ethics. It was a highly enjoyable read and it got me thinking deeply about how I could be a positive agent for change in the world.
In a little slice of heaven, Sharm El Sheikh, I read this book and thought about moral philosophy.
I wanted to delve deeper into some of the questions and moral thought experiments raised by The Good Place and the philosophy books I had read after it. The Good Place and Philosophy, which is edited by Kimberly S. Engels, breaks down some of the major themes from the show into 25 essays written by a wide range of authors, philosophers and academics covering 9 themes set against the backdrop of the 3 major ethical theories: Virtue theory, consequentialism and deontology.
Now, the titles of the chapters aren't useful if you haven't watched the show but they are quotes from it and make sense in that regard. However, broadly speaking these cover different aspects of philosophy and the brackets are my additions to explain what each chapter covers:
I just ethic'd you in the face (Ethics and it's application in the modern world)
Virtuous for virtues sake (Can ethics make you a better person?)
All those ethics lessons paid off (Morality is difficult and decision-making is tough)
Help is other people (We are at our best when we build each other up)
Absurdity needs to be confronted (Existentialism and why no God isn't necessary that bad)
Searching for meaning is philosophical suicide (Be better and do better)
The Dalai Lama texted me that (World religions and the idea of 'self')
Sometimes a flaw can make something even more beautiful (Everyone is different and unique)
Oh cool, more Philosophy! That will help us (Free will, the idea of the soul and the future of AI)
Each of the essays investigates and further expands issues raised from the show, all the while citing the many philosophers and texts mentioned. Overall, the essays turn out to be a very good introduction to these concepts and is more engaging than some of the heavier and difficult philosophical texts. I particularly enjoyed James Lawler's Beyond Good and Evil: Eternal Return of the Superhuman, Michael McGowen's Conceptions of the Afterlife: The Good Place and Religious Traditions and Dane Sawyer's Who Are Chidi and Eleanor in a Past-(After) Life? The Buddhist Notion of No-Self.
I walked away with a few thoughts after reading the book and am still processing these ideas so humour me as I go through a stream of consciousness of some of the ideas I've stepped away with.
The idea that all there is the silent indifference of the empty universe is one that worries many people and leads often to existential crises but this is where philosophy (and religion) can be useful. Both offer meaning to a seemingly meaningless life and the idea that there are 'projects' that will live on after you can be a soothing balm; they can offer an ethical transformation. What we do and the choices we make are acts of free will and we can use these to be transformative and have transformational ecstacy rather than descend into nihilism.
There is a truth that relationships are transformative, even relationships that run their course are not necessarily failures; another person can change your life without remaining a permanent part of it. People can leave an imprint on is, acting as a catalyst for (re) discovering something about ourselves. This is the power of our freewill, we can change the world in wonderful incremental ways. Just think back on the people in your life who had a profound and deep effect on you. This 'affective group', people who you feel connected with and bond with over some mutual appreciation of something, have a long - lasting effect on you and change you in profound ways.
T. M. Scanlon's Contractualism (We should act upon rules that others could not reasonably refuse i.e. create and follow reasonable rules that are built on interpersonal relationships) is a good way to think about society. Generally, people need people and especially at a time when religion is on the wane across much of the world, Ernest Becker's conclusion that modern relationships are all we have after the "death of God" struck a chord. However, even with friendship and love, "No human relationship can bear the burden of godhood." It's like Michael said when paraphrasing Eleanor, "Everyone human is a little bit sad all the time, because you know you're going to die but that's what gives life meaning."
The idea of religious luck or salvific luck (being born into the 'right' religion where out of all the choices you have the correct one is an interesting idea. What if you're a good person that does good things and behaved impeccably but we're just born into or selected the 'wrong' religion, what happens to you? In Islam, it doesn't matter as your deeds and intentions are considered, if you're people of the book that is great, but not all religions have that flexibility. What then? It may seem bleak for atheists as everything will end; no more family and friends, experiences, travels, appreciation of art and music. Nada. However, it doesn't have to be so bleak as your pain will also end; errors, regrets, sadness, a sense of ennui will all be gone. It’s the circle of life, just as you consumed from the world, so you will be consumed and add to the new life that will come after your death. You are never truly gone, you will remain in some way. For some, this will offer peace and solace and for others it might fill then with existential dread.
As a Muslim, and an eternal optimist, I've realised that I have never really needed to grapple with ideas of existential nihilism or whether I am living my best life, simply because of my belief in a higher power. It provides me with a foundation where meaning and order are maintained. Yes, with modern freedoms and the breaking down of social constructs, there can sometimes be a feeling of powerlessness, emptiness or ennui. And yes, with the old norms crumbling, we can feel overwhelmed by the choices and possibilities. We can become slaves to the swipe right/ Sliding Doors multi-verse (Wow, that’s the second mention of this Gwennie vehicle in as many month- Ed.). I know these feeling all too well, but the structure of my religion provides me with the strong underpinning and understanding that there’s a higher power who's intimately aware of me and this gives me something firm to hold onto when things get unpredictable.
I'm not saying it's always easy but the act of trusting something above and outside yourself is comforting and profound. It doesn't mean I'm an automoton or a Doug Fawcett-type 'happiness pump' because I choose which actions to take, which decisions to make and these actions and the intentions decide if I move closer or further away from Allah. I know I'm only responsible for what is within my power so I don't need to care about everything, even a multiverse, because it's up to me to decide what I want to be and do- I decide my moral imperative and the 'projects' I feel compelled to undertake and support. This doesn't automatically stave off the effects of the Internet, the overexposure to toxic social media and fractious opinions, I am a Millenial after all, but it does give me the tools to filter out the nonsense and keep a sense of self. I'm going to continue my search for knowledge and, as the Prophet said, I will go 'All the way, even to China' to find the truth and build my knowledge.
LINK- ‘Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire’
LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East
LINK- The Future Starts Here: An Optimistic Guide to What Comes Next- Book Review
LINK- On, And On And Colston (or, 'How We Learned To Talk About The Legacy Of Colonialism In GB')