The Good Place & Christianity

Jason: I am here to learn about ethnics. Chidi: Wow, that’s great, man. I mean, it's “ethics,” but that’s great. Jason: Pretty sure it’s “ethnics.” - - - Chidi: Let’s move on to this week’s main event, David Hume’s “A Treatise of Human Nature.” You read this, right? Eleanor: I did. Well, I tried to. Well, I tried to want to. (Season 1, episode 4) Continuing from part one , here are some factors Christians might take into account when deciding on an action to take. Loving God. The reason God created humans was to love and be loved by him. His people are called the bride of Christ, and he is deeply in love with us. Jesus said the most important command was to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.” That isn’t something we strive to produce; it is a response to knowing we are loved: “we love because he first loved us.” The motive isn...

Michael: Why don’t you just tell me the right answer? Chidi: Well that’s what’s so great about The Trolley Problem – is that there is no right answer. Eleanor: Aargh! Michael: This is why everyone hates moral philosophy professors. (Season 2, episode 5) Ethics is a foundational theme of The Good Place , and many moral philosophers are mentioned in the show: Aristotle, Plato, Kant, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Descartes, Thomas Aquinas, Scanlon, Sartre, Hume and others (see this reddit thread for more). There are also references to The Trolley Problem, Utilitarianism, Contractualism, Deontology, the ethics of lying and murder (of Janet (not a robot)) and various moral dilemmas. As a professor of moral philosophy, Chidi constantly questions himself about the right thing to do in each situation, and usually just ends up with a stomach ache. His 3600 page treatise with title beginning, “Who We Are and Who We Are Not: Practical Ethics and Their Appl...

Michael: This is a quick litmus test – handful of questions designed to tell if you were fundamentally good or bad. Question number one: Did you ever commit a serious crime, such as murder, sexual harassment, arson, or otherwise? Eleanor: No. Michael: Did you ever have a vanity license plate, like MAMASBMW, LEXUS4LIZ or BOOBGUY? Eleanor: No. Michael: Did you ever reheat fish in an office microwave? Eleanor: Ew, no. Michael: Have you ever paid money to hear music performed by California funk rock band The Red Hot Chili Peppers? Eleanor: No. Michael: Did you ever take off your shoes and socks on a commercial airline? Eleanor: And socks? Ew, who would do that? Michael: People who go to the Bad Place, Eleanor, that’s the point. And unless I can figure out a compelling reason to keep you here, you will spend eternity with murderers and arsonists and people who take off their shoes and socks on commercial airlines. (Season 1, episode 8) The last post ...