logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2022
55m 37s

Solutions to all of Your Moral Dilemmas ...

10% Happier
About this episode

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.

---

Life is filled with all kinds of moral dilemmas— from the mundane to the momentous. Should I lie and tell my friend that I like her ugly shirt? Can I still enjoy great art if it was created by terrible people? How much money should I give to charity? Ultimately, does anything we do even matter?

In today’s conversation, television writer and producer, Michael Schur helps us to navigate our moral dilemmas and answer some of these difficult questions. 

Schur is best known for creating and co-creating such shows as Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place, and Rutherford Falls. Additionally, he has worked on shows like The Office, Master of None, The Comeback, and Hacks. He is also the Author of How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question

In this episode we talk about: 

  • What got him started on the road to reading philosophy and studying ethics
  • The so-called “trolley problem”
  • Trusting your gut
  • Natural states of virtue
  • The evolutionary advantages of virtue
  • And how white lies can be beneficial in a complicated and messy society

This interview was recorded in person at the TED conference in April of 2022, where both Michael Schur and Dan Harris spoke.

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/michael-schur-463

Up next
Yesterday
The Science Of Manifestation: Can This Stanford Neuroscientist Convince A Skeptical Dan To Give It A Shot? | Dr. James R. Doty
Six practical steps to harness the full power of your mind. Our guest today is James R. Doty, a neurosurgeon who has just written a whole book about the science of manifestation – although, as you’ll hear him admit, there’s very little ‘magic’ involved in his process. James R. Do ... Show More
1h 16m
Jul 7
Ezra Klein On: Sane News Consumption; The Power of Meditation; The Future of the Species; And the Message of His Tattoo
On maintaining sanity in insane times. Ezra Klein is an opinion columnist and host of the award-winning Ezra Klein Show podcast at The New York Times. His latest book is Abundance, co-authored with Derek Thompson. He is also the author of Why We’re Polarized, an instant New York ... Show More
1h 15m
Jul 6
How Meditation Can Help You Handle Injured Feelings and Injured Muscles | Dawn Mauricio
Plus: How to build a meditation practice you keep coming back to. We’re in the midst of an exciting evolution of the overall 10% Happier project. In our quest to make this podcast more actionable – to help you operationalize all the game-changing ideas you encounter on this pod – ... Show More
24m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2022
How to be perfect (with Michael Schur)
Humans face ethical dilemmas big and small every day: Which product is the most sustainable? Can you separate the art from the artist? Should you really share your streaming platform passwords? Today’s guest, Michael Schur, has spent a lot of time thinking about morality, most re ... Show More
35m 52s
Dec 2019
The moral philosophy of The Good Place (with Mike Schur and Pamela Hieronymi)
After creating and running Parks and Recreation and writing for The Office, Michael Schur decided he wanted to create a sitcom about one of the most fundamental questions of human existence: What does it mean to be a good person? That’s how The Good Place was born.Soon into the s ... Show More
1h 44m
Dec 2020
Best of: The moral philosophy of The Good Place
After creating and running Parks and Recreation and writing for The Office, Michael Schur decided he wanted to create a sitcom about one of the most fundamental questions of human existence: What does it mean to be a good person? That’s how NBC's The Good Place was born. Soon int ... Show More
1h 44m
Aug 2022
Michael Schur on every moral question ever
Michael Scott, Leslie Knope, Detective Jake Peralta–television producer and writer Michael Schur has created some of TV’s most beloved sitcom characters on shows like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and The Good Place. Still, his shows and his philosophy are not just about laug ... Show More
49m 17s
Aug 2022
Michael Schur on every moral question ever
Michael Scott, Leslie Knope, Detective Jake Peralta–television producer and writer Michael Schur has created some of TV’s most beloved sitcom characters on shows like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and The Good Place. Still, his shows and his philosophy are not just about laug ... Show More
49m 17s
Jan 2022
#565: Michael Schur, Creator of “The Good Place” — How SNL Trains Writers, His TV University at “The Office,” Lessons from Lorne Michaels, Wisdom from David Foster Wallace, and Exploring Moral Philoso
Brought to you by LMNT electrolyte supplement, Helix Sleep premium mattresses, and LinkedIn Jobs recruitment platform with 770M+ users. Michael Schur (@KenTremendous) created the critically acclaimed NBC comedy The Good Place and co-created Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nin ... Show More
2h 21m
Dec 2022
The Surprising Truth About Human Nature with Robert Greene #320
What are the laws or principles that underpin all human behaviour? Today's guest is someone who has spent many years trying to crack the code and answer that very important question. Robert Greene is an American author and speaker best known for his books on power, strategy and s ... Show More
1h 38m
Feb 2024
How To Live A Happy and Contented Life, Why Wealth Is Nothing To Do With Money & Why Hacks Don’t Work with Morgan Housel #430
When John D Rockefeller was asked how much money was enough, he famously replied, “Just a little bit more.” This quote is often used to illustrate our hard-to-shake view that money will solve all life’s problems. But as today’s guest is keen to point out, it probably won’t. Becau ... Show More
1h 10m
Nov 2023
Stop Worrying About What People Think Of You & Unleash Your Authenticity with Dr. Michael Gervais
Want to stop worrying about what other people think of you? Whether it's people you know IRL or randos on the internet, most of us are constantly battling a case of “FOPO,” AKA the fear of people’s opinions. Dr. Michael Gervais returns to Real Pod to help us learn how to build a ... Show More
52m 16s
Mar 2024
Sam Sanders: Life Has Been Lifing
Sam Sanders is a well known and well loved radio and podcast host. He went a little extra-viral for a recent episode of his show, Vibe Check, in which he and his co-hosts openly discussed grief. Maybe you heard that episode: Life Has Been Lifing Lately. This week on It’s OK That ... Show More
59m 42s