Current Events > What are your thoughts on Jordan Peterson?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Politically im almost on the opposite side, im an atheist/agnostic. Yeah, yeah, i know... short answer: I find it fascinating and i can see its uses, but personally i have no faith and i dont believe in anything greater/more than life. Still i love the debates that that are almost faith vs atheism

But his views on how these stories have survived for so long really speaks to me and i think he is really interesting to listen to. His appearances on Joe Rogan (where i got introduced to him) are really great IMO

I find it interesting that he doesnt consider himself an intellectual and its not his thoughts that brought him into mainstream media, but... i guess more "luck" and his stance on a reform in Canadian law. Which makes me wonder if he is anything special as far as psychotherapists go?

He also references Jung a lot, which i have only a surface-level understanding of (like just read small texts from google links). How miuch "greater" was Jung for example?

When i agree with him, it often makes my arguments stronger. When im not, he speaks to me in a way that makes me think. So thats my view on him

He also have a voice similar to Bob Odenkirk IMO :P Which threw me off a little the first time i listened to him, haha

Soooo.... what are your thoughts? Like him, hate him, indefferent? Why, why not?
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Anytime he strays outside of his area of expertise he does poorly. Despite claiming not to be an intellectual, he disguises the axioms he takes as being motivated by great thinkers as also uses those names as hammers to give weight to some of his common sense pieces of advice or to hide some of his emotional arguments.
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I think it's hilarious that he's made a career out of misunderstanding a law. Other than that I haven't listened to much of what he says aside from that "I don't know if women and men can work together" video.

Seems like he makes SJWs have meltdowns for some reason so that's P funny.
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he has warped views on women and is far too long winded for his own good. his cult status which comes from his opposition to so called SJW-ism isn't deserved at all. he's just the new talking head that people latched onto because they were desperate for someone that at least sounds smart and espouses ideals counter to those presented by the left.
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I think he is one of the worlds great thinkers and i honestly value his views on any given subject more then anyone else on earth. I read his book and found that i had already figured 90% of that out on my own and have lived that way. Im also very successful and respected in my social and professional circles, not a coincidence.

His basic advice:

Pick a load and lift it. Life's value comes in taking on responsibility.

Clean up your own room first.

Stand tall with your back straight and your head high.

Have the courage to tell the truth or at least dont lie.

Jordan Peterson gets it when it comes to life.
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When he's actually talking about psychology he's pretty interesting. I don't really care about his "anti SJW" stuff that alt-righters slurp him for.
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clean your room TC
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MC_BatCommander posted...

When he's actually talking about psychology he's pretty interesting.

Why?
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Omega Hunter posted...

I think he is one of the worlds great thinkers and i honestly value his views on any given subject more then anyone else on earth. I read his book and found that i had already figured 90% of that out on my own and have lived that way. Im also very successful and respected in my social and professional circles, not a coincidence.

Jordan Peterson gets it when it comes to life.

this is another problem. a lot of what he's right about is common sense that the majority of people already know.
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I think he's a charlatan who is purposefully obscure in his word choices so as to avoid being nailed down to any one statement.

What's correct in his work isn't new, and he what's new in it isn't particularly true.
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COVxy posted...

MC_BatCommander posted...

When he's actually talking about psychology he's pretty interesting.

Why?

Because I think psychology is an interesting subject.
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dreamvoid posted...

this is another problem. a lot of what he's right about is common sense that the majority of people already know.

Yes but the majority of people dont live it.

Do most people know they should workout everyday, yes. Do most people workout everyday? Hell no. Why, cuz theyre lazy in my experience.

When I say I have lived my life according to his teachings i mean i have lived my life with these as core principles...not oh yea i agree with that.

For the record, i workout every single day.
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MC_BatCommander posted...

When he's actually talking about psychology he's pretty interesting. I don't really care about his "anti SJW" stuff that alt-righters slurp him for.

The alt right hate him. And he's against them.

Also I lol'ed at the fact the guy with antifa in his name considers Jordan Peterson a charlatan. You think there might be a reason for that there?
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dreamvoid posted...

this is another problem. a lot of what he's right about is common sense that the majority of people already know.

Right. You don't need to be given a comparison to how chickens establish pecking orders and how the human psyche blah blah blah to justify "Make friends with people who want the best for you".
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Broseph_Stalin posted...

I think it's hilarious that he's made a career out of misunderstanding a law. Other than that I haven't listened to much of what he says aside from that "I don't know if women and men can work together" video.

Can you explain this to me? Wasnt there a female college student that made his argument pretty believeable? Just showing a video of him and his arguments got her banned, because of this new law? He at least acts like that its a victory on his prediciton.
I dont live in America, so i must admit i have not read myself up on the law and the ideas behind it, so i have mostly heard about it from Joe Rogan podcasts.

That quote sounds really bad without context, i believe. Its in the discussion about what is/should be allowed in the workplace and the rules generated after incidents by people who dont conduct themselves professionally. I heard that interview and i didnt get the impression that that was his thoughts at least, it was more about all the problems that are being talked about of women being treated unfairly in the workplace and what solutions he sees and that was just an idea that maybe should be discussed. It wasnt his answer, i think. Thats how i understood it, at least
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MC_BatCommander posted...

COVxy posted...

MC_BatCommander posted...

When he's actually talking about psychology he's pretty interesting.

Why?

Because I think psychology is an interesting subject.

But he just invokes psychodynamics and BSes about 'evo psych' stuff. He doesn't really very often actually talk about actually psychology.

Do you like it because what he says conforms to your views?
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Alkeez posted...

I dont live in America

Neither does he. The law did not make "not using people's preferred pronouns" a crime.
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Alkeez you understood that interview right. People love to purposefully mischaracterize his views.
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I love the way the same radical leftists always come into Jordan Peterson topics so mad at how successful he is at calling out what they are doing. It's like they know exactly who they are. How effective he is at calling their BS out and they are getting riled up about it.
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Antifar posted...

I think he's a charlatan who is purposefully obscure in his word choices so as to avoid being nailed down to any one statement.

Pretty much how he makes his legend grow. Just an endless loop of repeating that you're being misunderstood
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COVxy posted...

But he just invokes psychodynamics and BSes about 'evo psych' stuff. He doesn't really very often actually talk about actually psychology.

Do you like it because what he says conforms to your views?

I don't like anyone just because they "conform to my views". If you know better sources of information on the subject kindly let me know and I'd be happy to check them out.

Jeez man
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I like him and see him as an influential figure. His critics generally severely underrate the positive impact he has had on thousands of lives. I admire Peterson's ability to identify and articulate a variety of social, philosophical, psychological, biological, political and economic problems and then propose solutions or at least explanations as to why such phenomenons are occurring (often drawing on and connecting material from multiple areas of expertise, hence his brilliance). His cynical yet pragmatic approach to human motivation appears to resonate well with many young men and women who seem to be lacking sufficient responsibility in their lives.
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Alkeez posted...

Can you explain this to me?

The law does not criminalize misgendering a transperson, lies like that become fact on the internet because people want to believe them. It fits the narrative.

And he didn't have an explanation as to why women and men might not be able to work together.

Kaname_Madoka posted...

clean your room TC

Haha! Its pretty clean, actually ;) i do think its a good argument, but it also plays right into his conservative views.

If a footballer who is a striker, cant play defence, doesnt mean he shouldnt play football.

If a guy has a great idea, its a great idea...doesnt matter how f-ed up he is
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He's not right on everything, but I can tell given his personality that he doesn't expect people to agree with him on everything. That, I think, makes him deserving of respect.
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Broseph_Stalin posted...

Alkeez posted...

Can you explain this to me?

The law does not criminalize misgendering a transperson, lies like that become fact on the internet because people want to believe them. It fits the narrative.

And he didn't have an explanation as to why women and men might not be able to work together.

Shows me you don't know a thing about him.

He went over it with a lawyer. It does criminalize it in the form of contempt of court if you continue to refuse 'misgendering a person' as the penalties escalate into court. Part of his argument is that these things are very complex, and people writing the laws don't see this until an innocent person gets caught up in it.
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@COVxy I know that it has almost nothing to do with his public persona, but what do you think about him as an academic?
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MC_BatCommander posted...

COVxy posted...

But he just invokes psychodynamics and BSes about 'evo psych' stuff. He doesn't really very often actually talk about actually psychology.

Do you like it because what he says conforms to your views?

I don't like anyone just because they "conform to my views". If you know better sources of information on the subject kindly let me know and I'd be happy to check them out.

Pretty much any other person with a 'PhD' next to their name who has a degree in psychology.
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Shadowplay posted...

He's not right on everything, but I can tell given his personality that he doesn't expect people to agree with him on everything. That, I think, makes him deserving of respect.

I like what you said there. I get that impression as well - as much as he tries to be presuasive, i think he wants to people to educate their own views
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Alkeez posted...

If a guy has a great idea, its a great idea...doesnt matter how f-ed up he is

You think "keep your room clean" is a great idea and not just a trivial thing every parent tells their kid?

It should probably be novel to give him credit for coming up with it.
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Kaname_Madoka posted...

clean your room TC

here's a gem from him.

https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/928981541849522176?lang=en
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Yeah I'm sure a person will be punished for that any day now.

Or maybe right-wing internet nerds built a cult of personality around this guy like they did the last 100 guys.

COVxy posted...

Pretty much any other person with a 'PhD' next to their name who has a degree in psychology.

well, that's a whole lotta useless.

Anyone with any useful references? Preferably stuff more friendly to the layman?
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Anteaterking posted...

Alkeez posted...

If a guy has a great idea, its a great idea...doesnt matter how f-ed up he is

You think "keep your room clean" is a great idea and not just a trivial thing every parent tells their kid?

It should probably be novel to give him credit for coming up with it.

It's not to be taken literally. It's the idea of ordering the world around you from the place you have most control outward so that when you bump into something else you've taken care of the most familiar territory first. He likes to speak in stories and the idea in story form is that your room is the closest area you spend the most time in and ordering that area and then inductively moving up the environment is the safest social bet for everyone rather than attacking the system for how corrupt it is on a global scale as soon as you turn mad and 18 in college.
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Balrog0 posted...

@COVxy I know that it has almost nothing to do with his public persona, but what do you think about him as an academic?

Eh, personality psych is kinda a dying field.

I haven't really read enough of his actual academic work to properly criticize it. From previous glances, seems pretty typical personality psych stuff, meaning perfectly reasonable.
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I almost consider myself a "SJW" but Omega Hunter posted...

I think he is one of the worlds great thinkers and i honestly value his views on any given subject more then anyone else on earth. I read his book and found that i had already figured 90% of that out on my own and have lived that way. Im also very successful and respected in my social and professional circles, not a coincidence.

His basic advice:

Pick a load and lift it. Life's value comes in taking on responsibility.

Clean up your own room first.

Stand tall with your back straight and your head high.

Have the courage to tell the truth or at least dont lie.

Jordan Peterson gets it when it comes to life.

His views about lies is what i really like about him.
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dreamvoid posted...

Kaname_Madoka posted...

clean your room TC

here's a gem from him.

https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/928981541849522176?lang=en

1) lol

2) wow wtf
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MC_BatCommander posted...

Preferably stuff more friendly to the layman?

He's being a little brusque, but I think what CovXY's point was trying to unravel is that you don't actually like psychology, you like pop psychology.

That being said I did enjoy reading this series of pop psychology books: https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Not-So-Smart/dp/1592407366/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=DKWQWXRF08XQ7X3DX0HS
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He's got good points sometimes (though many aren't particularly profound, just common sense) but he's also got some weird-ass outdated views on women.
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HippopotamusRex posted...

It's not to be taken literally. It's the idea of ordering the world around you from the place you have most control outward so that when you bump into something else you've taken care of the most familiar territory first. He likes to speak in stories and the idea in story form is that your room is the closest area you spend the most time in and ordering that area and then inductively moving up the environment is the safest social bet for everyone rather than attacking the system for how corrupt it is on a global scale as soon as you turn mad and 18 in college.

But that's all just empty platitudes. There's nothing wrong with "self care" or things like that, but the only thing that makes his self-help book any more resonant than any other Joe Schmo's self-help book is that people like his unrelated politics.

If Bela Bollabas or Ron Graham wrote a self-help book, I wouldn't read it, even though they are very respected in my field. I don't have this need to find a new father figure in my life who will help me beat the conservatives.
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Anteaterking posted...

MC_BatCommander posted...

Preferably stuff more friendly to the layman?

He's being a little brusque, but I think what CovXY's point was trying to unravel is that you don't actually like psychology, you like pop psychology.

That being said I did enjoy reading this series of pop psychology books: https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Not-So-Smart/dp/1592407366/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=DKWQWXRF08XQ7X3DX0HS

Eh, I'm not interested in the self-help stuff he sells. I was more referring to the videos of his lectures.

If that falls into the same category though then I understand, thank you for explaining properly.
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MC_BatCommander posted...

Anteaterking posted...

MC_BatCommander posted...

Preferably stuff more friendly to the layman?

He's being a little brusque, but I think what CovXY's point was trying to unravel is that you don't actually like psychology, you like pop psychology.

That being said I did enjoy reading this series of pop psychology books: https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Not-So-Smart/dp/1592407366/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=DKWQWXRF08XQ7X3DX0HS

Eh, I'm not interested in the self-help stuff he sells. I was more referring to the videos of his lectures.

If that falls into the same category though then I understand, thank you for explaining properly.

Yeah the book I linked is essentially a book of cognitive dissonances ala Sharpshooter fallacy, Survivor bias, etc. It's more on the informative end, less on the "What this means for your life".
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Cool, I'll check it out! Thanks man.
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Joseph LeDoux's popsci book on fear ("The Emotional Brain") is a decent read, accessible and actually portrays the science well.
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I like how he triggers people
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COVxy posted...

Joseph LeDoux's popsci book on fear ("The Emotional Brain") is a decent read, accessible and actually portrays the science well.

Im not the greatest reader, unfortunately. When i read books, its because of prolounged exposure to a personality i enjoy. And even then, i feel like the writer tries to convince me instead of informing me. Ive bought Jordan Petersons book and i dont think that will be any different.
I read Dawkins' The God Delusion and although it was super fascinating, and has good arguements, i just think that its a book that tries to convince you that faith is illogical to the point of (almost) insanity, not that it just challenges the views from a neutral point of view

Hard to explain for me, in a part because im not a native English speaker, but also because faith makes both sense and not for me >_< haha :P

Is there some kind of video that explains this book? (it does sound interesting) I use way too long to decide to read a book to say that i will give it a fair chance to read it :/
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I mean, it's not really trying to convince you of anything, just trying to describe in an accessible way a modern framework of understanding emotion and the learning of emotional associations, particularly with fear since that's what the author studies.

He seems to have a general audience lecture on youtube, though I haven't watched it, dun know the quality:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yxgPFXWLJA" data-time="
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his maps of meaning lectures are really cool and fun and i'd highly recommend everyone check them out regardless of what you think of his politics

Romes187 posted...

his maps of meaning lectures are really cool and fun and i'd highly recommend everyone check them out regardless of what you think of his politics

I dont think ive seen those, ill give them a look ^_^ thanks!
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