Schur begins by describing a hypothetical situation: One day, you decide to try to be a better person. You spend the day making humane, environmentally conscious choices to the best of your ability while taking time to learn and exercise. At the end of the day, an imaginary “Universe Goodness Accountant” evaluates your day (2), only to reveal that almost all of your efforts backfired; your purchases hurt the environment, and a media company you paid also sells arms to North Korea, among other things.

Schur suggests that it is more difficult than ever to live an ethically and morally responsible life. As a professional TV comedy writer, Schur researched moral philosophy while creating The Good Place, a sitcom set in the afterlife. How to Be Perfect reflects what he learned about trying to be better, including the necessity of learning through failure.

Schur also responds to several potential questions from readers. He specifies that the book is written for a general audience and synthesizes contributions from many of history’s most celebrated philosophers. It is not meant to be an exhaustive or scholarly text, though Schur did consult Todd May, a philosophy professor.