Which real-life philosopher is a major influence on Chidi's teachings?

Immanuel Kant is a major real-life philosophical influence on Chidi’s teachings in The Good Place. Chidi repeatedly discusses Kantian ethics, especially the idea that moral actions should follow rational principles and duties rather than personal advantage.

Kant was an eighteenth-century German philosopher whose ethical theory is centered on the categorical imperative. In simplified terms, it asks people to act only according to principles they could consistently will as universal laws, and to treat people as ends rather than merely as means. These ideas fit Chidi’s intense concern with doing the morally correct thing.

The show also references Aristotle, Plato, David Hume, Jeremy Bentham, John Locke, Kierkegaard, and other thinkers. That wider philosophical range is why Kant is best described as a major influence, rather than Chidi’s only influence. The series uses competing theories—including virtue ethics and utilitarianism—to explore why moral decisions are often difficult.

Kant’s strict rule-based approach also helps explain Chidi’s indecision. He wants every choice to be ethically defensible, but the show repeatedly suggests that understanding moral theory is not enough; people must also act and learn from real consequences.