Artistic Significance: How do we answer life’s most difficult questions

Are people inherently good or bad?
One of the longest standing questions of humanity has always been what happens after we die.
Many stories have played with different ideas, but one of the most vibrant is “The Good Place.”
The story follows four humans after they die and end up in “the good place” as opposed to “the bad place.”
The clutch of the story is that Eleanor Shellstrop and Jason Mendoza most decidedly don’t belong there.
You wouldn’t think that a 30-minute sitcom about a group of people learning about and debating ethics and philosophy would be good, but this one works.
In a collection of standout and interesting characters, Chidi Anagonye plays a pivotal role as the catalyst.
The core question: can humans actually be better?
Throughout the series, Chidi argues yes.
He grew up in Australia and became a philosophy professor after using it to convince his parents not to get a divorce.
Chidi can never make a decision, even about something so simple as what to eat.
He is paralyzed by decisions and continually debates the reasoning behind each decision as he tries to figure out what’s right.
His goal in the afterlife, to teach the others about philosophy and how to be a better person.
Chidi is the group’s moral compass, even when he can’t make a decision.
He’s teaching Jason, Eleanor and eventually the other standout character of Tahani Al-Jamil.
Tahani comes from a rich family where she’s the second daughter and never seems to be good enough.
She’s fundraised millions for charities and at times her biggest asset is throwing parties.
Tahani’s not there to learn about how to be a better person, although that happens some along the way. She’s there to learn how to love and appreciate herself.
“The Good Place” makes us ask the question about if something is inherently unfair, how far do you go to change it? What makes a person good or bad? Is that predetermined or can we change it?
Michael Shine is a contributing writer for the Daily American Republic.