Is Chidi a fraud?

I think they're all frauds, including Michael. And possibly Janet.

The Historical Meow http://thesnowleopard.net

I agree with thesnowleopard. I'm not sure all of them know that they don't belong in The Good Place, but I don't think any of the characters does. They are good people but they do have grave flaws as well, and from what we've seen of Chidi's personal difficulties, he has indubitably caused harm, however unintentionally.

Going a step further, I also don't think this is The Good Place. I think it's the medium place Eleanor proposed should exist.

"If you want to take over the world, we don't teach that, but give it a go."

Michael found his book undecipherable,
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Michael is not too bright.

They are probably not in Heaven. They are all messed up and the so-called good place they are in is not as it seems and Michael is probably more than he seems.

IMDB Terrorist Watch List Since 2004

I don't think he's a fraud (I mean they can't all be, if the system is really that broken surely someone would have noticed by now), he's certainly very knowledgeable and well read, and the flashbacks suggest he did work at a university, I think its more likely he was an ethic's professor its just he's all theory no practice.

His job was just to describe and lecture about the many different moral theories and ideas that other thinkers have come up with over the centuries, not for him to have any of his own opinions or have to make decisions for himself.

His book was undecipherable cause he kept changing his stance, because he can't decide anything.

And I think its only gotten so extreme recently cause of all the stress he's under.

Basically I think Chidi is the equivalent of someone who could spend hours describing the principals of how cars work and the history of the automobile, but if you were to ask them to take a look at your engine, they would sheepishly admit they don't even know how to get the bonnet up.