What can we learn from Jordan Peterson? Part 1

Jordan Peterson’s new book,  12 Rules For Life: An Antidote to Chaos, presents a whole range of interesting topics, from politics to psychology and biology. Similarly, his examinations of human cultures reference the teachings of many religions, from Christianity to Taoism. 

Here are some early takeaways from his best-selling book. Read on and let us know your thoughts. 

First of all, if you’ve heard anything about Jordan Peterson, there’s a potential you’ve already formed some opinions about him. 

“Why?” you may ask. 

While I’d hope it’s because you’ve done your homework – that you’ve listened closely to his thoughts and formed your own opinions about his ideas – it’d be easy to fall prey to the abundance of polarizing misinformation (on both sides of the political spectrum) you’ll find about him online. 

Who is Jordan Peterson?

Dr. Peterson, a social psychologist and professor at the University of Toronto, is becoming a household name. He rose to fame (or infamy) in the fall of 2016 by publicly opposing some University of Toronto policies which, as he described them, were unconstitutional given that they “compelled speech” by requiring faculty and staff to use a greatly expanded list of gender pronouns when addressing persons of non male/female sexuality.

Around the same time, he was putting the final touches on, and beginning the marketing for, his new book – 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. In his book, Dr. Peterson weaves a story of human nature, from our roots as single-celled organisms to the social and religious myths we’ve adopted, and how our biology and our cultural stories continue to influence us, consciously and unconsciously, today.  

In January of 2018, as his notoriety was increasing, Peterson was interviewed by British Channel 4’s Cathy Newman. In the interview (viewable on Youtube, and currently having received over 12 million views), Peterson isn’t quick to accept “sexism” as the key factor in the gender pay gap (the difference in median earnings between men and women). 

“If you’re a social scientist worth your salt,” states Peterson, “you never do a univariate analysis.” He goes on to explain that there are many reasons for the gap. Yes, conscious sexism and discrimination play a role, but to a much smaller extent than many political and activist figures seem ready to admit, he explains. Other, less nefarious, factors are largely responsible for the difference in earnings: e.g. the differences between men and women in their career interests, agreeability, and the time and physical tolls taken on women in child birth and child rearing. 


That interview, and Cathy Newman’s noticeable desire to simplify and misrepresent nearly every one of Peterson’s ideas, has become emblematic of mainstream media’s desire not just for sound bites over subtlety but also, and more insidiously, for controversy at the expense of truth. And it’s not just the mainstream media; as controversial as Peterson’s ideas seem to be, there’s (unsurprisingly) an abundance of mis-characterization of him in the comments sections of nearly every youtube video and online article in which he’s featured. Some label him a trans-phobe. Others see him as the savior of the conservative right. When asked about these labels, he tends to laugh, and then remind his interviewer what he actually believes.

He hasn’t cowered from the spotlight, either. He is opinionated, intelligent, and eloquent enough to hold his own in lengthy conversations with everyone from Dr. Oz to Sam Harris. He’s been featured on NBC, Britain’s Channel 4, and multiple times on hugely popular, long-form podcasts like the Joe Rogan Experience (which serve him especially well, given the depths he likes to travel to in showing the underlying history and reasons why we act the way we do as humans). He doesn’t pull punches, stresses the value of personal responsibility, and isn’t afraid to talk about evil – the evils of totalitarian governments and the evil that exists in every human being. 

“Evil?” you say. That’s almost a taboo word these days, outside of the Christian community. Even I have an immediate hesitance to its use. 

Coming to terms with the dark nature inside all of us

But his view of “evil” is not some demon beneath our feet – it’s the proclivity of human beings to succumb to, and indulge, their base desires at the expense (and suffering) of others. He spends lots of time reminding his listeners that tragedies, small and large, can’t be avoided without a conscious coming-to-terms with the very real “dark” aspects of the human nature inside each and every one of us. We must first accept it to transmute it. Carl Jung taught much of the same.

I can’t help but be drawn toward and respect the man. 

Peterson is a refreshing mix of knowledge and humility. He does a good job of informing the reader, entertainingly, about not-commonly-known evolutionary aspects of our humanity: for instance, how long ago organisms first became “male” and “female” (1 billion years ago) and how that male/female dichotomy affects our culture much more than we want to allow, especially given current emotional movements toward oft-ill-defined concepts like “equality”. 

More importantly, for me at least, he’s never hesitant to state that he “might be wrong,” that nothing in this world is black and white, and that even he is weak and vulnerable to his own emotions. 

Drawing wisdom from many religions and philosophies

Concurrently, while a little research illuminates Dr. Peterson as a Christian, he’s just as quick to show the wisdom of the Taoists as he is to quote Christian doctrine. Even when he does reference biblical stories, he rarely, if ever, thumps them. He loves looking for the deeper, more subtle (and more inclusive) readings of those texts, and relates them to the teachings of other religions. Finally, he obviously values science tremendously and explains, in great detail, the significance of our biological and evolutionary past in the shaping of our cultural mythologies. 

“You mean to say, Peterson believes that our biology and evolution have affected our human storytelling?” 

Yeah, it was an interesting revelation for me too. 

So, he gives credit where credit is due, and “ties together, seemingly disparate parts of who we are as a species,” as Dr. Oz states in their recent, nearly 3-hour-long interview. Peterson is intent upon coalescing different aspects of our humanity and seems to understand that anything less would be to tell an incomplete story. 

It’s a tough act – it’s hard to be knowledgeable enough in multiple fields (science, psychology, religion, history) as to see the ways in which they interweave. And as we, as a culture, become more and more specialized, this broader viewpoint feels unique for our day and age.

Facing life, head on

Each chapter of Peterson’s new book expounds upon a different rule for life. The first rule is “Stand Up Straight With Your Shoulders Back.” Personally, I can’t help but be reminded of my time at the Naval Academy, and I have a feeling this rule resonates strongly with military members.  

But for those who don’t find comfort in what some may think is just “paternal tough love,” Peterson’s explanation for his rule is rooted in more than just masculine bravado. The stories he ties together in defense of his argument are historical, spiritual, and biological.

First, he illustrates how dominance hierarchies occur naturally, how they have existed for millions of years, and how organisms are physiologically affected by them. He uses lobsters as one example – down in the ocean depths, “dominant” lobsters strut about and, subsequently, are treated to all the best territory and mating opportunities. But changes of positions in hierarchies have effects that are more than just psychological. He explains that lobsters who have once been dominant but who are defeated by an upstart, have been observed to experience an actual, physical “brain dissolution” – their brains dissolve and reform so that they can now live the role of “subordinate.” So powerful are the physiological effects of these hierarchies. 

Peterson continues by showing that we, as humans, have the same ancient, base program running in the older parts of our brains as well. We are always aware, consciously or unconsciously, of where we stand in the social circles we inhabit. And life seems to cater itself to our position – being “dominant” has compounding positive effects (for lobsters and for humans) and negative effects for those who aren’t.

“Higher spots in the dominance hierarchy, and the higher serotonin levels typical of those who inhabit them, are characterized by less illness, misery and death, even when factors such as absolute income – or number of decaying food scraps – are held constant,” writes Peterson.


Conversely, when we perceive ourselves to be at the bottom, our “ancient brain” is, unfortunately for us humans, constantly stressed. It expects danger, and is more likely to make reactive decisions – decisions which rarely are based on the wisdom and foresight needed to change our position in the hierarchy. 

How we see ourselves actually affects how others see us too

Those around us subconsciously pick up on our own belief systems about ourselves and unwittingly change the ways in which they act toward us, reinforcing our own self perceptions.

Thus, negative situations and mindsets tend to lead to subsequent negative situations and mindsets. This is the downward spiral we’ve all experienced at one time or another.

Peterson argues, however, that the physical act of changing one’s posture can, for lack of a better word, trick the world, and our own minds, into changing their tack, such that it can be the first of many steps forward. In the first chapter of his book he states the following:

“Standing up physically…implies and invokes and demands standing up metaphysically. Your nervous system responds in an entirely different manner when you face the demands of life voluntarily.”

As a lover of Taoist and Buddhist doctrines I have, for a long time, been a proponent of concepts like “surrendering to life” and “being one with the Tao.” So often, however, the Taoist tenants of “surrender” and “acting without doing” are interpreted to mean elevating the passive above the active, and elevating desirelessness above intention. 

Is diving in, head on, actually the same as surrender?

That these ideas (surrender and desirelessness) are interpreted to be “passive” makes sense  – as conscious humans who conceive of the future, we have a tendency to be seduced by intentions, hopes, dreams, and attachments. We suffer when life doesn’t work out the way that we hope. Both Taoism and Buddhism serve as a release valve, an exhalation (nirvana meaning to exhale, to let go), to that natural tendency to desire.

But if desire is a natural tendency, then wouldn’t “surrendering” also mean accepting our nature for what it is? Accepting our tendency to desire? 

The truth is, I see Jordan Peterson’s first rule, “Stand Up Straight With Your Shoulder’s Back,” as the male side of surrender – “male” simply being my word for the proactive force, the desire to do, versus the “female” non-doing. The yin and the yang of the Taoist symbol illustrating order and chaos. No, I’m not saying that men do things and women don’t. It’s a metaphor.

Classic interpretations of Taoism and Buddhism remind us that our egos (and the desires therein) are what create friction with the world as it is. Many then conclude: get rid of your ego and you’ll find peace. 

Others argue, however, that the desire to get rid of one’s own ego is, in itself, the very same desire that is inexorably attached to suffering.

Thus there’s no way out. 

There’s no way to avoid suffering. Stop trying to.

Peterson also says this – there’s no way out of suffering. Suffering is. So, rather than battling against suffering, make a choice to “surrender” to the suffering of life by facing it head on. Be honest with yourself and others about who you are.

“Standing up straight with your shoulders back” is an act that’s both aggressive and, at the same time, exposes oneself and one’s vulnerabilities. It is true strength. Not strength to defeat or overpower life, but strength and fortitude to dive in, and to dive in in the most noble of directions.

And by consciously aligning one’s life with something that is important to you as an individual, Dr. Peterson argues that we find a path that is above all, meaningful. Not a path without suffering, but a path that is meaningful despite (and perhaps because of) suffering. 


Meaning, Dr. Peterson says, is what gets us through, and helps us transmute, the pain and suffering of the inevitable hard times. And it’s a much more sustainable goal than “happiness.” Happiness comes and goes, simply because suffering is inevitable, life is changing, and we are all mortal. Meaning, however, is something we can continue to achieve, even in the darkest of times.

As the Tao states, “When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.”

Peterson seems to be living what he preaches, standing up for what he believes, in the face of adversity and some popular criticism, and by telling complex, multi-sided “truths” in an age where the pressure is on to condense one’s message to 30 seconds or 140 characters. Even more importantly, the story he tells is one built upon the belief in, and reverence of, the untapped potential for good that each one of us has in our individual lives, regardless of how we may be enticed to act, given our biological and societal pressures.

In one of my favorite interview conclusions from an interview with Rebel Wisdom, Peterson states this.

“You know you can make [the world] worse and better, you just don’t know how much. Find out. It might be way more than you think. I’m sure that’s the case. There isn’t any more interesting adventure than that. Find out how much good you can do in the world. And not in this moralistic, ‘thou shalt not’ way, but in a forthright, noble, courageous, eyes wide open, articulate, embodied manner. And then God only knows where we could get.”

Yes, let’s.

Would love your thoughts: on Peterson, Buddhism, Taoism, or life in general. Please comment below and consider sharing on your social media – even if you disagree – because what more important topics are there? Thanks again!

~Cecil

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