It is an intriguing thing to watch philosophizing occur in real-time. Most of my favorite thinkers are long-departed from the world today, but I recently had the great chance to watch Dr. Jordan Peterson, a man who has had a strong intellectual and personal influence on me, deliver a lecture at Proctor’s Theatre in Schenectady.
Prior to becoming a public intellectual and cultural commentator, Peterson was an eminent scholar and professor of clinical psychology, conducting influential teaching, research and writing on subjects such as alcoholism and the nature of beliefs at prominent institutions such as Harvard University and the University of Toronto, as well as maintaining a clinical practice. His first book, a scholarly work titled “Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief”, was an analysis of how human beings construct meaning in life.
Peterson became an international figure after creating a series of YouTube videos on freedom of speech and political correctness in response to a highly-debated piece of Canadian legislation concerning gender identity, known as Bill C-16. At the same time, he was also producing YouTube videos of his lectures on the psychological meaning of many of the biblical narratives that garnered millions of views.
His recent books are not theoretical manuscripts outlining a particular political ideology; rather they are cultivated self-help manuals that draw on a vast wealth of insight into the human condition revealed through psychology, philosophy, religion, literature and social science. “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos” is an exposition of simple, yet profound, practical principles for navigating everyday life, containing basic maxims like, “treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping; make friends with people who want the best for you; tell the truth, or, at least, don’t lie; pursue what is meaningful, not what is expedient; set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.”
Peterson is often described by the press as a controversial conservative thinker. But his intellectual work is not primarily centered on politics. What makes him “conservative” is that he has a largely appreciative view of Western civilization, an emphasis on personal responsibility, a critique of the criticism of Western civilization and values found in academic humanities disciplines, his criticism of identity politics, and defense of free speech. He has called himself a “classical liberal” and a “traditionalist.”
The first thing which may appear surprising to people who are not close followers of his work, but which I was well aware of, is that there was hardly anything even remotely political discussed by Peterson during the duration of his hour-and-a-half lecture. He was instead focused on his usual theme of deriving insights into human nature.
Peterson’s psychological approach is deeply influenced by the 20th century psychologist Carl Jung, whose psychoanalysis was grounded in identifying “archetypes,” which are common ideas, themes, symbols and patterns found throughout literature, art, religions and cultures which represent fundamental human experiences throughout all cultures and time periods.
His current lecture tour, titled “We Who Wrestle With God,” focused on the biblical narrative in Genesis about Jacob wrestling with God. According to Peterson, the story represents the common human experience of the struggle that takes place within each individual to choose to make moral decisions that will make them the best person that they can be. In his interpretation, the creation story in the first chapters of Genesis about God creating an ordered universe out of a formless void represents the human need for order and meaning in life and the struggle it takes to create and secure it. For Peterson, the key to creating order in life is to embrace taking on responsibilities and pursuing meaningful objectives.
Whether the accounts in the Bible are also theologically or historically true is an issue that Peterson leaves his listeners to decide on their own. But he is certain that they are absolutely psychologically true in that they teach lessons about human nature and what we need to flourish.
Peterson is certainly an impressive orator. While he does have a theme, he does not use notes, and based on the fact that there was only time for one question at the question-and-answer session at the end of the lecture, it seems that he just steps out onto the stage and lets his thoughts take him wherever they lead.
There is a deep hunger for meaning in today’s world, and the bitter decline of political life in the West is only a symptom of the greater struggle for purpose and enduring values that runs throughout modern culture. Peterson is fundamentally not a political figure. His enterprise is instead philosophical and psychological, and that is why he appeals to so many people today.