A Storytelling Coach More details here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravishankar-iyer/
Welcome to the 93rd edition of 'Story Rules on Saturday'.
This week I'm reviewing a book after a long time - but one worth the wait. It's an introduction to philosophy written, appropriately, by a comedy writer.
a. 'How to be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question' by Michael Schur with Todd May
Michael Schur is a highly successful, Emmy-award winning writer/co-creator of several US sitcoms including: The Office, Parks and Recreation, A Good Place, and perhaps my favourite, Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
A sitcom writer authoring a book on philosophy? How does that work, you may wonder?
Well sometimes, to write about a complicated subject, all you need are three things: basic intelligence, great writing skills and a ton of curiosity. And Michael has all three, in spades.
Mike graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard University in 1997, with a B.A. major in English. So he's got the smarts. He's written a mountain of stuff for demanding TV shows, so he's got that writing experience under the belt. And his relentless curiosity and admirable moral compass, which shine through on every page, make him eminently suited for this endeavour.
So I'd been waiting for a book like this for a long time. I'm interested in philosophy, but did not have the patience to dig through dense, difficult documents that are a chore to understand. I did try some books which were supposed to be introductory texts, but didn't get anywhere.
Thankfully, Mike has done the incredibly hard work of reading the source texts of several philosophical tomes for us - and then distilled the essence of the different approaches into one readable book.
He first shares why we should read philosophy - to make better, more deliberate decisions that come from a place of awareness.
Once he establishes the need for learning philosophy, the rest of the book dives into different philosophical approaches (mostly by taking a historical approach to the subject) along with colourful descriptions of the people who came up with them.
There are several reasons why Mike's book is a great read. Apart from the subject matter itself, what I enjoyed is the funny, relatable and concrete approach he takes to the subject. Here are some specific elements I loved about the book.
1. Relatable examples throughout
Mike introduces some of the most esoteric philosophical approaches and then applies them, not to solve major existential questions such as religion or democracy or capitalism..., but instead to answer simple (almost trivial) questions, such as:
The idea is that philosophy can be used on simple everyday issues too.
(Incidentally many of these questions figure as Chapter names! Essentially Mike is clear that his focus is on application not theory for theory's sake)
2. Everyday language
I loved this instance of how Mike transitions from utilitarianism/consequentialism to the means-focused ideas of Immanuel Kant. (Utilitarianism? Kant? I know, I know. I'm name-dropping here. But that's how "smart" I feel after reading the book).
3. Humour that shines through!
I was chuckling reading this:
4. Insightful lines that make you think and ponder the implications
The tussle between individualistic and collective societies:
5. Humanising lofty philosophers, poking fun at their eccentricities and making them relatable in present-day terms with analogies
Interestingly, utilitarianism is popular currently, given that Sam-Bankman Fried or SBF (the crypto billionaire who had a very public fall from grace) was touted to be a star adherent of this philosophy.
Moving on, here's Mike describing the dour philosopher, Immanuel Kant:
Here's a couple of analogies Mike uses to describe why Kant was such a big deal:
'How to be Perfect' is a highly recommended and essential 'quick start guide' to the fascinating world of philosophy.
a. What Moneyball-for-Everything Has Done to American Culture by Derek Thompson
In this article, Derek provides a counterpoint to the dominance of data-driven decision making approaches to sports, movies and music. His point: while too much reliance on this tool might have optimised team composition and on-field tactical decisions... this optimisation has come at the cost of the game's beauty itself.
Essentially it's a case of optimising for the wrong objective. Derek puts it in the frame of finite vs. infinite games:
I really loved that frame applied to this phenomenon. So before we go ahead and apply massive computational resources to solve a problem, we should always step back and ask ourselves - are we optimising for the right objective?
Also, I worry - will cricket follow a similar trajectory?
b. FTX’s Balance Sheet Was Bad
The peerless, hilarious Matt Levine is hitting everything out of the park this week. With the FTX saga ruling airwaves in the world of finance, we are lucky to be having a chronicler like him.
Take this section (emphasis mine):
🤣🤣
Or this one:
Genius.
a. Tim Ferriss interview with Michael Schur
If you don't get the time to read Mike's book (reviewed above), then this podcast episode is a great alternative. Tim Ferriss asks probing questions, and Mike is a delightful raconteur.
If there is one section that I absolutely loved - and I highly recommend that everyone read - it is a story that Mike shares about his 'failure" experience from having worked at Saturday Nite Live (SNL). It's a long extract, but features superb storytelling and holds a powerful life lesson:
Narratives are powerful tools - and like all tools they can be used to either illuminate or mislead. An insightful tweet thread.
Summarising ideas well is a critical skill - one that I teach in my course.
Fascinating bit of history!
"You want a real Quick-Start Guide for how to live a good life? A guide so pithy you can have it tattooed on your arm with plenty of room to spare? Know thyself. Nothing in excess."
- Michael Schur in 'How to be Perfect'
a. 'Monica, O my Darling' on Netflix
Once in a while you get a film that grabs your collar from the very first scene and doesn't let you go till the end. 'Monica, Oh My Darling' is one such movie.
Directed by Vasan Bala, it unravels the story of a few (less than scrupulous) folks who get into trouble with a blackmailing damsel and decide to take a drastic step to solve the issue. But, as always, things don't exactly go as per plan and much craziness ensues.
Watch it for the tight script (based on a Japanese novel 'Burutasu No Shinzou' by Keigo Higashino), quirky music and some fabulous acting, especially by the scintillating Radhika Apte.
That's it folks: my recommended reads, listens and views for the week.
Take care and stay safe.
Ravi
PS: Got this email as a forward? Get your own copy here.
Access this email on a browser or share this email on Whatsapp, LinkedIn or Twitter. You can access the archive of previous posts here.
You are getting this email as a part of the 'Story Rules on Saturday' Newsletter. To get your own copy, sign up here.
A Storytelling Coach More details here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravishankar-iyer/
Welcome to the sixty-first edition of '3-2-1 by Story Rules'. A newsletter recommending good examples of storytelling across: 3 tweets 2 articles, and 1 long-form content piece Let's dive in. 𝕏 3 Tweets of the week Source: X My son keeps trying to convince me to read more fiction. Maybe he should use this argument. Source: X Such a brilliant pic! Source: X Ok, this is wildly inappropriate stereotyping, but you gotta admit it's funny! 📄 2 Articles of the week a. 'It's not so terribly strange...
Welcome to the sixtieth edition of '3-2-1 by Story Rules'. A newsletter recommending good examples of storytelling across: 3 tweets 2 articles, and 1 long-form content piece Let's dive in. 𝕏 3 Tweets of the week Source: X I think everyone - not just entrepreneurs - should study philosophy. (Reid Hoffman is the founder of LinkedIn) Source: X Heartwarming example! Also great to see medical facilities in India realise the importance of better communication with patients. Source: X This is super...
Welcome to the fifty-ninth edition of '3-2-1 by Story Rules'. A newsletter recommending good examples of storytelling across: 3 tweets 2 articles, and 1 long-form content piece Let's dive in. 𝕏 3 Tweets of the week Source: X This would be a great resource for authentic data on India. Source: X I saw this statistic in the Indus Valley 2024 Report too - Indian corporates need to up their R&D spend! Source: X Don't wait for inspiration to begin writing. 📄 2 Articles of the week a. 'Selling...