The Jordan Peterson Phenomenon

I saw a quote from Isaac Asimov where he said 'any book worth banning is a book worth reading'! In a strange way that leads me to Jordan Peterson because quite a few people wouldn’t mind banning him, it seems. And it could just be my personality, but that just makes me think that there could be something worth looking into in the Jordan Peterson Phenomenon.

The first thing I have to say about Jordan Peterson is that he is not exactly my style. If you listen to him he often talks about the need to bring 'Lógos' back into the world(Logos – The principle of logic and structure, traditionally associated with spirit, the father world and the God-image). Sometimes, he reminds me of the Óld Man', or should I say the Father, and he seems to be coming out of that kind of archetypal structure (and there is a masculine principle to what he does and it has that kind of style and taste).

And I have a theory about why he triggers so many people. After all what could be more out of vogue at the present time than the ‘óld style’' of the Father. And he often talks about órder and rules. In the 'The 12 Rules of Life' some of the rules include standing up straight and holding your shoulders back and cleaning your room. And if you listen to him for long enough, you might start thinking that in the beginning there was the 'word', and it was the Father's 'word' and then this was handed down as ‘'The 12 Rules of Life’.

Being a kind of a right brain intuitive all this talk about Logos and order can make me feel faint. All that Logos gives me flashbacks to something more Christian and the Sermon on the Mount and the commandments. And I must admit, I have sometimes wondered whether he is Christian (someone said ‘'he is a Christian in Jungian garb’'). I have heard him talk about Cain and Abel, but I haven’t heard him mention Aphrodite or Venus and I wish he would, because they are more voluptuous than 'The 12 Rules of Life'.

And although he often speaks of Jung, I wouldn’t say that he always puts modern man or woman in search of the soul at the centre of things. And he can also be more like an Evolutionary Biologist. And Psychology was named after ‘Psyche’’ from myth after all, and she was said to be even more beautiful than Aphrodite. And I can’t remember him speaking about the ánima’. And I would like to know about what he thinks about the ‘psyche’ or the soul and its relationship with the feminine, as a way of individuation or as a way of renewal.

I would contrast Jordan Peterson with someone like James Hillman who is always speaking about the ‘psyche’ and our soul making. And Hillman is always speaking about ‘Éros' and Psyche' even more than ‘Logos’. And with ‘Logos’ in the beginning there was the ‘word’, but with Éros’, in the beginning, there is a mysterious creative force. There wasn’t just order or rules. Putting Eros at the beginning seems to have a different style and taste. And I might say even more than Logos we need to bring more Eros into the world.

And I can’t ever see us ever going back to an old style of 'Logos', not like it was some time in the past. It is more likely, maybe, that that the mysterious force of a creative Eros might awaken or engender the sleeping soul. Anyway, who knows what really happens with Eros you only know when it moves you. I think I believe in the mystery more than the Logos. And being a little right brained I have been really hoping it isn’t Logos that runs the world. In any case, even at my age, I sometimes forget to stand up straight and sometimes lounge around imagining that Aphrodite/Venus makes the world a curved place.

But having said all that, there is something I really like about Jordan Peterson. Sometimes I think, he might not have been the toughest kid at school, but he doesn’t mind an intellectual scrap, and could have bamboozled any would-be bullies with the speed and the strength of his deductive logic. Which in his case it is like having a very big sword. And then, for a while he was almost single handedly standing up to the rampaging Woke Army who were ganging up and bullying people through their strength of numbers.

That s either crazy or brave. And sometimes it is at his own expense. And sometimes I have thought his main sin, if I could put it like that, is that he can’t always hide his more old- fashioned ‘conservative side’. At a time when it is more fashionable to admonish the Father, and the old style of masculinity for being responsible for all of the world’s problems. And where it can seem like the masculine principle has become persona non grata.

Anyway, I first started questioning woke ideology when he became ill, and Woke people started jumping up and down with excitement in the hope he might die. And I was thinking ‘hang on’ they are always saying we should have more empathy. This compassion seems quite selective. And I was thinking I am glad it wasn’t me that has infuriated the outraged Woke mob. Thank God for Jordan Peterson who seems to have taken most of the heat.

He stands for everything woke ideology would like to tear down. One thing I would say about him is that he has entered into some of the direct conflict of the culture wars which is a dangerous thing. So, I would say he is brave, and I can admire him for that. Recently I have listened to some if his teaching videos and that is where he is at his best, and where he isn’t just speaking about the culture wars, but is Jordan Peterson the teacher.