The Rise of Jordan Peterson
Jordan Peterson, professor of psychology from the University of Toronto, has been sweeping the contemporary conversation with his fascinating ideas and undeniable brilliance. His latest bestselling book 12 Rules For Life has sold more than 3,000,000 copies worldwide to date, and he is considered by many to be the most important public intellectual alive today. Peterson first rose to prominence from a stand he took against Bill C-16 in Canada, which carried legal consequences for refusing to use preferred pronouns when addressing transgenders. His line in the sand drew a lot of attention from both sides of the political spectrum, and the controversy rocketed Peterson into worldwide renown. Headlines aside, however, Peterson is known for his lectures on personality and psychology, as well as his Biblical series which are on the psychological significance of the stories found in the Bible.
Peterson’s audience is not primarily interested in politics or controversy, nor is he popular because of his association with Sam Harris, Ben Shapiro, Dennis Prager, or Joe Rogan. It is the ideas he brings to the table, which are carried from his background in psychology as well as his firm grip on literature and philosophy, that keep people coming back. Peterson is clearly well read, with references to Solzhenitsyn, Nietzsche, Orwell, Carl Jung and more. The synthesis of history, literature, philosophy, religion, mythology, psychology and behavioral science into one articulate advocate with a compelling vision for life makes for an influential figure. But what are Peterson’s views? What nerve did he touch which inspired millions of people to watch his videos and buy his books? What does the Jordan Peterson phenomena mean for the world of ideas, and what will his influence be when we look back twenty years from now?
The Influence of Jordan Peterson
It seems to me that Jordan Peterson has become a figure in “The Great Conversation.” He addressed the growing hunger for a renaissance in the questions of meaning, purpose and the future of Western culture. Peterson acknowledges the premonitions of Dostoyevsky and Nietzsche regarding the death of God and the rise of nihilism, while offering relief for the existential vacuum which has developed in the Western world.
Dostoyevsky said that without God, nihilism will reign, and so we must return to classical Christianity. Nietzsche said without God, nihilism will reign, and so we must create our own values. Carl Jung said that values seem to be built into our consciences, and we must reach into our mythological roots to discover meaning. Jordan Peterson, like his intellectual predecessors, offers the next stepping stone for the future of Western philosophy, which is an answer to existentialism and postmodernism.
Peterson’s answer to the question of nihilism and existentialism is basically this: take responsibility for your life and strive for virtue and strength amidst a cruel and painful existence. Tame your malevolent and self destructive tendencies and try to create a life worth living. This is self-evidently painful and requires sacrifice, but there are no feasible alternatives. Peterson’s message is especially popular with disillusioned young men, who feel empty, worthless and lost in a world which wants to blame and ridicule rather than encourage or uplift. The call to responsibility and a meaningful life filled with virtue and dignified strength is appealing, especially coming from an advocate who seamlessly integrates the wisdom of religion with the accomplishments of science.
Jordan Peterson & Well Read Christian
It is difficult to tell whether the popularity of Peterson can be contributed to luck and circumstance, or whether he represents the next voice for progress which will inspire a generation of thinkers. He could be a fad, or the next Bertrand Russell or Antony Flew. In any case, I have made a conscience effort to read and examine many writings which Peterson has found influential in his life and work. Aleksander Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment, Christopher Browning’s Ordinary Men, Friedrich Nietzsche’s, The Genealogy of Morals and Orwell’s 1984 have all made it onto the list of future scheduled series. Although not in any particular order, I intend on reading and examining these works for those interested in exploring the source texts of many ideas which are now being regularly discussed in homes and lecture halls today.
These writers, revived in the contemporary mind because of Peterson, are the most recent, relevant and longstanding contributions to the passion of the Western mind. It would be criminal to host a podcast about worldview through literature and philosophy without examining these works. The Church must examine the Peterson phenomena and make sense of what his popularity means for the state of the culture. Furthermore, the classical Protestant position needs to articulate the areas of agreement and the points of departure from Peterson’s worldview.
In case you are not-so-interested in Peterson, I will tell you that the future episodes are conscience of Peterson, but they do not revolve around him. I may not even mention him, which is why I wanted to be forthcoming here. Nevertheless, stay tuned for a dissection and discussion of recent trends in the history of thought as well as the questions which must be answered for a free and prosperous future.