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Originally Posted by Boreal
You are correct. I listened to the audiobook of 12 rules then returned it.
I’m sure it’s been mentioned he was a campaigning member of the Alberta NDP and grew up with Rachel Notley.
In his book he talks about a really great friend he had throughout adolescence and adulthood from Fairview. Based on what he writes about his person, in his view he would progressively get into anti-establishment ideas or what Peterson would call “the radical left.” It came to a point where this person committed suicide.
From my perspective on him, he’s suffering the ill effects of this trauma along with all other traumatic experiences his witnesses in clinical practice. He also details his daughters autoimmune disorder which again is traumatic.
He basically takes his knowledge, understanding, and experiences in academic and clinical psychology and bastardizes them to give himself intellectual license and authority on a whole range of topics which he has an astounding level of ignorance.
I recently came across Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers PBS series/discussion on the power of Myth.
Joseph Campbell did deep work on myths in all cultures. I found it really interesting because he really explore the universality of sport in all culture and how it is profoundly useful to enable the relatively safe release of adolescent aggression as people mature into adults.
Jordan Peterson takes similar understanding and uses them in random, sporadic, disorganized, and strange ways to write books that exercise his own demons.
12 rules? Why?
His work has some value because he has legitimate practical experience in helping people through this work. But he is downright weird at times when he goes off on rants about Elmo or any number of Disney Movies. |
Jordan Peterson’s deep dives on Disney movies are fantastic.
For that matter, his university lectures are great too. I’ve listened to a number of his courses during the pandemic - he has a series of lectures on the Bible that are fantastic, and this is coming from someone who hasn’t been to church in a decade.
When he’s talking to a room of his students or lecturing to an audience, and not engaged in some mindless back and forth with either a fanboy or someone
Trying to jam him up, or some simpering clod like Ben Shapiro or Dave Rubin, he’s quite captivating. And as a soon to be new dad, his stuff on child development is also fantastic.
I certainly don’t get quite why he’s such a polarizing figure - he’s almost an over the top cartoon of a professor.
We can disagree with him, but it doesn’t mean he’s the Red Skull.