Elemental Podcast | Finanzas Personales, Productividad y Estilo de Vida

De Aristóteles a The Good Place: una guía para no cagarla tanto | How to be perfect de Michael Schur

·1 hr 5 min·5 clips

How did a sitcom writer create an entertaining guide to Aristotle, Kant, and utilitarianism?

The episode begins by introducing Michael Schur's book 'How to Be Perfect,' written by the creator of the sitcom 'The Good Place,' which ran from 2016 to 2020. Pedro and Santiago explain that the book aims to make ethics approachable by distilling Western philosophical traditions. They outline the three core currents covered: Aristotle's virtue ethics, focusing on the golden mean; Kant's categorical imperative, based on universalizable rules; and utilitarianism, which prioritizes the greatest happiness for the greatest number. The hosts share personal anecdotes, like Santiago's university experience where a professor dismissed post-medieval philosophy, highlighting how ethics can be taught dogmatically. They delve into a detailed case study of illegal land occupations in Chile, where 10,000 people have settled on private land, using it to apply the different ethical frameworks. This leads to discussions on legal certainty, historical debt, and the concept of prescription in property law. Later, they explore the African philosophy of Ubuntu, which emphasizes interdependence and community over individualism. The conversation shifts to ethical consumption, debating whether one can enjoy works by morally problematic creators, citing examples like the 'Samurai X' manga author arrested for child pornography and Nazi-derived medical research. They touch on the 'Monster' manga's ethical dilemma about saving a child who becomes a serial killer. The hosts conclude that ethical perfection is unattainable, and the book encourages accepting mistakes while striving to be a good person.

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