Introduction to Homeschool Guide to Beginning Philosophy: The Good Place Watch Party
First things first...who am I? What is this blog? And wait, are you seriously teaching philosophy in homeschool using a sitcom? Oh dear reader. The answer to number one will surely help illuminate the next two questions as often happens in philosophy. We ask questions to answer questions.
I am Erin, a veteran homeschooler of two awesome boys, 15 and 12. We've been homeschooling since the Man Child (son #1) was six years old. Not only were his health struggles too much for conventional schooling, but his brief foray into kindergarten left me vaguely dissatisfied and eventually, highly alarmed. Man Cub (son #2) is one lab accident away from a super villain and he naturally fell into loving our more gentle schedules and rigorous academics on his own terms. Me? I have a degree in political science and basic engineering, a long time relentless autodidactic habit and a not so secret admiration for Kristen Bell.
We started watching The Good Place shortly after it came out, and were instantly hooked. Hysterical, edgy and deeply introspective about what makes good humans? SIGN US UP. I joked off and on for its four seasons that I needed to write up all the discussion points it engendered in my own family, and give homeschoolers a way to teach philosophy to high schoolers in a fun and accessible manner. So here it is, my friends. At the beginning, I'll make sure I post warning about content - there are some clear inferences to sexuality, some not so great behaviors, etc. This show is about heaven, hell and all the things that might get you to merit either place, so we are not talking about the Teletubbies, my friends. But for those families comfortable with the occasional deeply uncomfortable question, this is a great place to get your kids thinking about what they think, a critical skill for any human. So. Welcome. Everything is Fine.
SEASON 1 EPISODE 1 - EVERYTHING IS FINE
Parent content warning:
Curse words are changed in creative ways. Kids WILL use them.
Drunkenness
Summary (SPOILERS, OBVIOUSLY):
We meet Eleanor Shellstrop and she is told by Michael, the architect of her afterlife neighborhood, that she has died (in a particularly embarrassing and darkly hilarious way). Michael explains the afterlife, gives her a tour of her new truly forever home, and introduces her to her soulmate, ethics professor Chidi Anagonye. She immediately wrecks his day by confiding that she does not belong in The Good Place - a mistake has been made and enlists his help to conceal the fact that she is supposed to be in The Bad Place, facing down eternal torture. She's crass and selfish, and can't think of even one good deed she performed on earth - she is definitely not a death row lawyer who did multiple humanitarian missions. She meets the other two main characters of the show: Tahani, a lovely but self involved socialite who raised billions for charity and her soul mate Jian-Yu, a buddhist monk who took a vow of silence. After a disastrous drunken welcome party at Tahani's mansion, Eleanor's mistakes and bad behavior manifests as a literal disaster for the neighborhood. She ends up begging Chidi to help her become a better person as Michael arrives to notify them of an emergency meeting.
Discussion Points and Readings:
1. Michael references several major religions as being "a little bit right" about the afterlife. Read a bit about each concept of the afterlife below:
Which concept comes closest to Doug Forcett's vision of the Good Place and the Bad Place?
**Buddhism is likely the closest to the model we see in The Good Place show. Michael explains that every action, good or bad, is assigned a point value. This point value is determined by the actions impact on others, the earth or the general "rightness." Buddhism has an Eightfold Path to Enlightenment that focuses on right action, right thought and right concentration. Where it diverges from The Good Place is in their focus on rebirth - the ability of a person to ascend depends on their ability to be reborn at higher consciousness levels which only comes about through the rightness of their actions in previous lives. For fun, pause during Michael's video with point values and see what would lose or gain you points! My personal favorite? "Composed social media post about David Bowie dying and then decided, 'The world doesn't need to hear my thoughts on David Bowie.'" (225 points. Boom.)
2. Eleanor reveals that she was a salesperson for shady pharmaceuticals that were "technically" chalk instead of medicine and was actually the top salesperson five years running. Chidi immediately points out that her job was to defraud the sick and elderly, and her being the best at it is actually worse. Is it worse? Why or why not?
** Eleanor makes it very clear that she completely understands that her job is not an ethical one - selling fake medicine to poor, sick and elderly people is not a virtuous decision. Being "good" at it means that she not only is not troubled with the questionable ethics, she actively embraces the other unethical behaviors this would take: lying, ignoring dangerous side effects, and contributing to medical ignorance. Check out the list below, and discuss which ones you think are the most unethical. Why do you rank them that way?
3. Chidi is presented with a horrible ethical and personal dilemma. He would be hiding a person who does not "belong" to the Good Place, a person he hoped would be his true soul mate and help explore the mysteries of the universe. He made a promise that he would never betray Eleanor before knowing who she was - which is more important? The truth or his promise? His personal loss of a soulmate or helping someone in extreme distress? What would you choose to do in his place and why?
**This is such a good place for a discussion! And everyone has different answers. Try to react with nonjudgment to anything a kid might bring up as a consideration. There is no right answer here, and that is absolutely the point. It's WHY Chidi has a stomachache.
4. Philosopher Thomas Hobbes said, "No man giveth but with intention of good to himself" and British historian Macaulay, when asked if there was anything universally true about people, said, "We know of only one...that men act from self interest." This concept is called egoism. Egoists theorize that humans act wholly from self interest and self centeredness. Eleanor might be said to be a good example of egoism in action - she is motivated by self preservation throughout the first episode. Some claim that this essential selfishness of people make it impossible for any action to be truly good/selfless because some benefit, even if only emotionally, will accrue to the human involved. What do you think? Does ego make it impossible to make a truly moral decision?
Join me next week for Season 1, episode 2: Flying!
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