Jordan Peterson

After graduating from Fairview High School in 1979, Peterson entered Grande Prairie Regional College to study political science and English literature,[23] studying to be a corporate lawyer.[3] During this time he read The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell, which significantly affected his educational focus and worldview.[23][3] He later transferred to the University of Alberta, where he completed his BA in political science in 1982.[20] Afterwards, he took a year off to visit Europe, where he began studying the psychological origins of the Cold War; 20th-century European totalitarianism;[23][9] and the works of Carl Jung, Friedrich Nietzsche, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn,[15] and Fyodor Dostoevsky.[9]

Peterson then returned to the University of Alberta and received a BA in psychology in 1984.[24] In 1985, he moved to Montreal to attend McGill University where he earned his PhD in clinical psychology under the supervision of Robert O. Pihl in 1991, and remained as a post-doctoral fellow at McGill's Douglas Hospital until June 1993, working with Pihl and Maurice Dongier.[23][5]

While at McGill University and the Douglas Hospital, Peterson conducted research into familial alcoholism and its associated psychopathologies, such as childhood and adolescent aggression and hyperactive behaviour.[25][26][27]

In 1999, Routledge published Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief, in which Peterson describes a comprehensive theory about how people construct meaning, form beliefs, and make narratives. The book, which took Peterson 13 years to complete, draws concepts from various fields including mythology, religion, literature, philosophy, and psychology, in accordance to the modern scientific understanding of how the brain functions.[20][52][53][54][55][56]

According to Peterson, his main goal was to examine why individuals and groups alike participate in social conflict, exploring the reasoning and motivation individuals take to support their belief systems (i.e. ideological identification)[20] that eventually result in killing and pathological atrocities such as the Gulag, the Auschwitz concentration camp, and the Rwandan genocide.[20][55][56] Influenced by Jung's archetypal view of the collective unconscious in the book,[29] Peterson says that an "analysis of the world's religious ideas might allow us to describe our essential morality and eventually develop a universal system of morality."[56]

In 2004, a 13-part TV miniseries based on Peterson's book aired on TVOntario.[15][24][57]

In January 2018, Penguin Random House published Peterson's second book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, in which self-help principles are discussed in a more accessible style than in his previous published work.[29][42][58] The book topped best-selling lists in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the US, and the United Kingdom.[59][60][61][62]

To promote the book, Peterson embarked on a world tour.[63]

Peterson's third book, Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life, was released on 2 March 2021.[64] On 23 November 2020, his publisher Penguin Random House Canada (PRH Canada) held an internal town hall where many employees criticized the decision to publish the book.[65]

Peterson speaking in front of St. Stephen's Basilica, Budapest, Hungary, in May 2019

In May 2017, Peterson began The Psychological Significance of the Biblical Stories,[88] a series of live theatre lectures, also published as podcasts, in which he analyzes archetypal narratives in the Book of Genesis as patterns of behaviour ostensibly vital for personal, social and cultural stability.[58] A second series of lectures on the Book of Exodus released on DailyWire+ in November 2022, and another series on the Book of Proverbs has been announced.[89]

In March 2019, Cambridge University rescinded a visiting fellowship invitation to Peterson. He had previously said the fellowship would give him an "opportunity to talk to religious experts of all types for a couple of months," and that the new lectures would have been on the Book of Exodus.[90] A spokesperson for the university said there was no place for anyone who could not uphold the inclusive environment of the university.[91] Vice-Chancellor Stephen Toope explained that a photograph of Peterson with his arm around a man wearing a shirt reading "I'm a proud Islamophobe" led the faculty to the rescindment due to a conflict between Peterson's "casual endorsement by association" and the school's commitment to interfaith dialogue.[92][93] The Cambridge University Students' Union released a statement of relief, considering the invitation "a political act to ... legitimise figures such as Peterson" and that his work and views are not "representative of the student body."[94] Peterson argued that the photograph was only one of 30,000 taken with his fans in the previous 15 months,[95] called the university's decision a "deeply unfortunate ... error of judgement", and expressed regret that the Divinity Faculty had submitted to an "ill-informed, ignorant and ideologically-addled mob."[96][97] Peterson also said that he would stop posing for photographs with fans wearing "provocative political garb, given that the fallout can be used by those who are not fond of me (a serious understatement) to capitalise on the opportunity the photos provide, particularly in isolation and context-free."[95]

In 2005, Peterson, with colleagues Daniel M. Higgins and Robert O. Pihl, established a website and company to deliver an evolving writing therapy system called The Self-Authoring Suite.[98] It consists of a series of online writing programs: the Past Authoring Program (a guided autobiography); two Present Authoring Programs, which aids analysis of personality faults and virtues; and the Future Authoring Program, which aids in developing a vision and planning desired futures.

To understand the statistical benefits of the suite academic trials have been conducted, and several studies published. Peterson states that more than 10,000 students have used the program, with drop-out rates decreasing by 25 per cent and grade point averages rising by 20 per cent.[15]

The Future Authoring program has been used with McGill University undergraduates on academic probation to improve grades, and since 2011 by the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.[99][100]

A 2015 study published in Palgrave Communications[lower-alpha 3] showed a significant reduction in ethnic and gender-group differences in performance, especially among ethnic minority male students.[100][101] In 2020, the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) published a study[102] within its Access and Retention Consortium.[103] As HEQCO (with ARC) is an agency of Ontario government, this study represents published research for broader public awareness and application. To support this, several institutions were represented in the research: Mohawk College, University of Ottawa, University of Toronto, Queens University.[104] The program was tested at Mohawk College, and found similar results as with other studies.[lower-alpha 4]

Peterson suggests that universities are largely responsible for a wave of political correctness that has appeared in North America and Europe,[41] saying that he had watched the rise of political correctness on campuses since the early 1990s.[107] Peterson believes the humanities have become corrupt and less reliant on science, in particular sociology. He contends that "proper culture" and western civilization are being undermined by "post-modernism and neo-Marxism."[8][9]

Peterson's critiques of political correctness range over issues such as postmodernism, postmodern feminism, white privilege, cultural appropriation, and environmentalism.[78] His social media presence has magnified the impact of these views; Simona Chiose of The Globe and Mail wrote that "few University of Toronto professors in the humanities and social sciences have enjoyed the global name recognition Prof. Peterson has won."[41] Writing in the National Post, Chris Selley said that Peterson's opponents had "underestimated the fury being inspired by modern preoccupations like white privilege and cultural appropriation, and by the marginalization, shouting down or outright cancellation of other viewpoints in polite society's institutions."[108]

Tim Lott stated in The Spectator that Peterson became "an outspoken critic of mainstream academia."[9]

Psychologist Daniel Burston has both agreed with and critiqued Peterson's views on academia. On Marxism, postmodernism and feminism, Burston faults Peterson's thought as oversimplified.[109] On the general state of academia, Burston generally agrees[110] with Peterson's criticisms of identity politics in academia,[lower-alpha 5] as well as with Peterson's charge that academia is "riddled with Left-wing bias and political correctness".[110] On summarizing the decline of the university, Burston disagrees with Peterson's critique against the Left, arguing that Peterson overlooks the degree to which the current decline of the humanities and social sciences is due to university administration focus.[110]

Peterson has argued that "disciplines like women's studies should be defunded," advising freshman students to avoid subjects such as sociology, anthropology, English literature, ethnic studies, and racial studies, as well as other fields of study that he believes are corrupted by "post-modern neo-Marxists."[113][114][115] He believes these fields propagate cult-like behaviour and safe-spaces, under the pretense of academic inquiry.[114][113]

Peterson had proposed a website using artificial intelligence to identify ideologization in specific courses, but postponed the project in November 2017 as "it might add excessively to current polarization".[116][117]

He has repeatedly stated his opposition to identity politics, stating that it is practiced on both sides of the political divide: "[t]he left plays them on behalf of the oppressed, let's say, and the right tends to play them on behalf of nationalism and ethnic pride." He considers both equally dangerous, saying that what should be emphasized, instead, is individual focus and personal responsibility.[118] He has also been prominent in the debate about cultural appropriation, stating that the concept promotes self-censorship in society and journalism.[119]

Peterson has used the terms "cultural Marxism" and "postmodernism" interchangeably to describe the influence of postmodernism on North American humanities departments and he views postmodern philosophy as an offshoot or expression of neo-Marxism.[8][59][120][121][122]

Peterson argues that social justice promotes collectivism and sees individuals as "essentially a member of a group" and "not essentially an individual." He also argues that social justice "view[s] the world" as "a battleground between groups of different power."[123]

Several writers have associated Peterson with the so-called "intellectual dark web," including journalist Bari Weiss, who included Peterson in the 2018 New York Times article that first popularized the term.[124][125][lower-alpha 6][126][127][128]

Peterson has argued that there is an ongoing "crisis of masculinity" and "backlash against masculinity" in which the "masculine spirit is under assault".[14][129][130][131] He has argued that the Left characterizes the existing societal hierarchy as an "oppressive patriarchy" but "doesn't want to admit that the current hierarchy might be predicated on competence."[14] He has said men without partners are likely to become violent, and that male violence is reduced in societies in which monogamy is a social norm.[14][129] He has attributed the rise of Donald Trump and far-right European politicians to what he says is a negative reaction to a push to "feminize" men, saying that "If men are pushed too hard to feminize they will become more and more interested in harsh, fascist political ideology."[132]

In 2018, he attracted attention in the UK after a Channel 4 News interview with Cathy Newman on the gender pay gap,[105][133] in which he disputed the idea that the pay gap is solely due to sexual discrimination.[133][134][135] Newman's performance was criticized by YouTube commenters and journalists.[136][137] She reported receiving harassment after the interview, and Peterson called for his supporters to be more civil,[105][138] although on Twitter, Peterson said there was "no evidence that the criticisms constituted threats", and that the idea the abuse was driven by misogyny was "ridiculous".[139]

Peterson believes that order is masculine and chaos is feminine, and that these qualities are inherent to human existence.[14][140] To Peterson, culture is "symbolically, archetypally, mythically male," while "chaos—the unknown—is symbolically associated with the feminine."[140][141]

Peterson has said that "confused gay kids are being convinced they're transsexual. Well that's not so good for gay people, is it?" and that "there's certainly a lot of confused adolescents who could be enticed into narcissistic abnormality as a consequence of attention-seeking."[22]

On 27 September 2016, Peterson released the first installment of a three-part lecture video series, entitled "Professor against political correctness: Part I: Fear and the Law".[19][142][40] In the video, he stated that he would not use the preferred gender pronouns of students and faculty, saying it fell under compelled speech, and announced his objection to the Canadian government's Bill C-16, which proposed to add "gender identity or expression" as a prohibited ground of discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act, and to similarly expand the definitions of promoting genocide and publicly inciting hatred in the hate speech laws in Canada.[lower-alpha 2][143][142][144]

Peterson speaking at a Free Speech Rally in October 2016

Peterson stated that his objection to the bill was based on potential free-speech implications if the Criminal Code were amended, saying he could then be prosecuted under provincial human-rights laws if he refused to call a transgender student or faculty member by the individual's preferred pronoun.[144][145] According to law professor Brenda Cossman and others, this interpretation of C-16 is mistaken, and the law does not criminalize misuse of pronouns,[145][146][147][8] though commercial litigator Jared Brown has described a scenario (albeit one he thinks unlikely) in which a person could end up in prison for contempt of court for persistently refusing to comply with a court order to refer to another person by their preferred gender pronouns.[148][lower-alpha 7] Since the bill's enactment in July 2017, no Canadian person has been jailed or fined for misgendering another person.[149][150]

The series of videos drew criticism from transgender activists, faculty, and labour unions; critics accused Peterson of "helping to foster a climate for hate to thrive" and of "fundamentally mischaracterising" the law.[151][19] Protests erupted on campus, some including violence, and the controversy attracted international media attention.[146][152][153]

When asked in September 2016 if he would comply with the request of a student to use a preferred pronoun, Peterson said "it would depend on how they asked me. ... If I could detect that there was a chip on their shoulder, or that they were [asking me] with political motives, then I would probably say 'no'. ... If I could have a conversation like the one we're having now, I could probably meet them on an equal level."[153] Two months later, the National Post published an op-ed by Peterson in which he elaborated on his opposition to the bill, saying that gender-neutral singular pronouns were "at the vanguard of a post-modern, radical leftist ideology that I detest, and which is, in my professional opinion, frighteningly similar to the Marxist doctrines that killed at least 100 million people in the 20th century."[154]

In response to the controversy, academic administrators at the University of Toronto sent Peterson two letters of warning, one noting that free speech had to be made in accordance with human rights legislation, and the other adding that his refusal to use the preferred personal pronouns of students and faculty upon request could constitute discrimination. Peterson speculated that these warning letters were leading up to formal disciplinary action against him, but in December the university assured him he would retain his professorship, and in January 2017 he returned to teach his psychology class at the University of Toronto.[19][155]

In February 2017, Maxime Bernier, candidate for leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, stated that he had shifted his position on Bill C-16, from support to opposition, after meeting with Peterson and discussing it.[156] Peterson's analysis of the bill was also frequently cited by senators who were opposed to its passage.[157] In April 2017, Peterson was denied a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant for the first time in his career, which he interpreted as retaliation for his statements regarding Bill C-16.[38] However, a media-relations adviser for SSHRC said, "Committees assess only the information contained in the application."[158] In response, Rebel News launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign on Peterson's behalf,[158] raising C$195,000 by its end on 6 May, equivalent to over two years of research funding.[159] In May 2017, as one of 24 witnesses who were invited to speak about the bill, Peterson spoke against Bill C-16 at a Canadian Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs hearing.[157]

In November 2017, Lindsay Shepherd, the teaching assistant of a Wilfrid Laurier University first-year communications course, was censured by her professors for showing, during a classroom discussion about pronouns, a segment of The Agenda in which Peterson debates Bill C-16 with another professor.[160][161][162] The reasons given for the censure included the clip creating a "toxic climate," being compared to a "speech by Hitler,"[21] and being itself in violation of Bill C-16.[147] The censure was later withdrawn and both the professors and the university formally apologized.[163][164][165] The events were cited by Peterson, as well as several newspaper editorial boards[166][167][168] and national newspaper columnists,[169][170][171][172] as illustrative of the suppression of free speech on university campuses. In June 2018, Peterson filed a $1.5-million lawsuit against Wilfrid Laurier University, arguing that three staff members of the university had maliciously defamed him by making negative comments about him behind closed doors.[173] As of September 2018, Wilfrid Laurier had asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, stating that Peterson filed it in an attempt to limit debate on matters of public interest. Laurier commented that "there is inescapable irony in the fact that Peterson [...] is bringing a claim for the stated purpose of causing academics and administrators to be more circumspect in their words.”[174]

Peterson doubts the scientific consensus on climate change,[12][94] saying he is "very skeptical of the models that are used to predict climate change",[175] and that "you can't trust the data because too much ideology is involved".[72][94] Appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience in 2022, Peterson claimed that "there is no such thing as climate" and questioned the accuracy of climate modeling. Climate scientists accused Peterson of being "stunningly ignorant" and of confusing weather forecasting with climate modeling.[81][176][177][178] In response to various criticisms, Peterson cited Fred Singer, a climate scientist who rejected the scientific consensus on climate change, as a source.[179] Peterson also defended "automotive freedom" and claimed that excess carbon dioxide is beneficial to the world.[180]

In a 2017 interview, Peterson was asked if he was a Christian; he responded, "I suppose the most straight-forward answer to that is yes."[181][lower-alpha 8] When asked if he believes in God, Peterson responded: "I think the proper response to that is no, but I'm afraid He might exist."[42] In a podcast with Douglas Murray and Johnathan Pageau, Peterson stated that God is the "ultimate fictional character" which is "at the top of the hierarchy of attention and action".[182]

Writing for The Spectator, Tim Lott said Peterson draws inspiration from the Jungian interpretation of religion and holds views similar to the Christian existentialism of Søren Kierkegaard and Paul Tillich. Lott also said that Peterson has respect for Taoism, as it views nature as a struggle between order and chaos and posits life would be meaningless without this duality.[9] He has also expressed his admiration for some of the teachings of the Eastern Orthodox Church.[183][184]

Writing in Psychoanalysis, Politics and the Postmodern University, Daniel Burston argues that Peterson's views on religion reflect a preoccupation with what Tillich calls the vertical or transcendent dimension of religious experience but demonstrate little or no familiarity with (or sympathy for) what Tillich termed the horizontal dimension of faith, which demands social justice in the tradition of the biblical prophets.[185]

Peterson has argued that one of the main causes of poverty is a lack of financial planning.[186]

Peterson believes that the Marxist worldview is rooted in a hatred for people who succeed under capitalism and will always result in violence when implemented.[8]

Beginning in 2003,[8] Peterson appeared on television, speaking on a subject from a psychological perspective. On TVOntario, he appeared on Big Ideas in 2003 and 2006,[193][57] and in a 13-part lecture series based on Maps of Meaning, aired in 2004.[24][57] In a 2007 BBC Horizon documentary, Mad but Glad, Peterson commented on the connection between pianist Nick van Bloss' Tourette syndrome diagnosis and his musical talent.[194][195][lower-alpha 9] From 2011, TVOntario's The Agenda featured Peterson as an essayist and panelist on psychologically relevant cultural issues.[196]

Peterson has also been featured on No Safe Spaces,[197] What Is a Woman?[198] and The Rise of Jordan Peterson.[199]

Regarding the topic of religion and God, Bret Weinstein moderated a debate between Peterson and Sam Harris at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver in June 2018. In July, the two debated the subject again, this time moderated by Douglas Murray, at the 3Arena in Dublin and The O2 Arena in London.[200][201] In April 2019, Peterson debated Slavoj Žižek at the Sony Centre in Toronto over happiness under capitalism versus Marxism.[202][203]

Peterson married Tammy Roberts in 1989,[19] with whom he has a daughter (Mikhaila), who is named after Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and a son (Julian).[15][19][59] Mikhaila suffered from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) in her childhood,[205] requiring a hip and ankle replacement when she was 17 years old.[22] Mikhaila, who also has a career as a political commentator and podcaster, has since adopted what she calls "the lion diet", consisting entirely of eating only beef, salt, and water.[205] While analyzing Mikhaila's diet and promotion thereof, a 2020 New Republic article by writer Lindsay Beyerstein described her as a "nutrition 'influencer' with no medical credentials".[206] In 2016, Peterson restricted his diet to only meat and a few vegetables in an attempt to control his depression and the effects of an autoimmune disorder.[16][12] In mid-2018, he stopped eating vegetables altogether and continued eating only beef, salt, and water.[205][206] Nutrition experts point out that such a diet can result in "severe dysregulation".[205]

In late 2019 Peterson sought "emergency" detox from benzodiazepine addiction.[207] Peterson stated this rehab was the result of his prescribed dosage of clonazepam being increased after his wife Tammy was diagnosed with kidney cancer.[206] According to Peterson, he made several attempts to reduce dosage or stop the drug completely,[206] but experienced "horrific" benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome.[208][207]

In January 2020, Peterson was unable to find North American doctors willing to accommodate his treatment desires and so flew to Moscow, Russia along with his daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter to pursue treatment there.[209] Doctors in Russia diagnosed him with pneumonia in both lungs upon arrival and placed him into a medically induced coma for eight days, followed by four weeks in the intensive care unit, during which time he suffered a temporary loss of motor skills.[207][210]

Several months after treatment in Russia, Peterson and his family moved to Belgrade, Serbia.[211] In June 2020, Peterson made his first public appearance in over a year, when he appeared on an episode of his daughter's podcast recorded in Belgrade, at which point he was "back to my regular self" and was cautiously optimistic about his prospects.[211]

In August 2020, Peterson's daughter announced her father had contracted COVID-19 during his hospital stay in Serbia.[212] Two months later, Peterson informed viewers of his YouTube channel he had returned to Canada and aimed to resume work in the near future.[213]

• Peterson, Jordan B. (1999). Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-92222-7.
• Peterson, Jordan B. (2018). 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. Penguin Random House. ISBN 978-0-345-81602-3.
• Peterson, Jordan B. (2021). Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life. Penguin Random House. ISBN 978-0-735-27833-2.
• Peterson, Jordan B. (2022). An ABC of Childhood Tragedy. Libra Press. ISBN 9781955858090.