Book Review: A Decent Life by Todd May

This book review contains spoilers for The Good Place. Yesterday, I finished reading A Decent Life by Todd May. This is technically the second time I read it, since I listened to the audiobook in 2024. When I finished it back then, I remember thinking that it was so useful that I should get myself a physical copy, which I ended up doing early into 2026. I found this book through searching for philosophy audiobooks, and upon researching A Decent Life, I found out that May had worked on the NBC show The Good Place. I love this show, and that fact was a big reason I decided to buy the audiobook. If you're someone who also loves The Good Place, I should make it clear that neither the book nor the show spoiler the other. Sure, they come to similar conclusions, but they way they get there are two different paths. The Good Place takes you through moral challenges posed to the main cast. Meanwhile, A Decent Life explains and offers critiques to popular moral theories that have already been…