Jordan Peterson: A Public Intellectual

Having a strong standpoint on cultural and political views in this day in age can create widespread attention from all over the world. Being a public intellectual in 2022 can be difficult as people tear others down based on their own personal beliefs. Controversy and the conception of what is right and what is wrong, takes over the world. Our beliefs usually divide us as an entire society. Life is advancing and traditions are being altered but oftentimes when people challenge these alterations, there is almost always some type of controversy. Jordan Peterson, a public intellectual, Canadian clinical psychologist, and current professor, is a perfect example of a public intellectual who takes on a different point of view than most of the public. Peterson also operates as a self-help author amidst the culture wars. He attracted international media attention after censoring political correctness and the Canadian government's Bill C-16, a bill banning discrimination against people that of different gender indentity, through a series of videos posted on his YouTube channel. He takes on more of a conservative standpoint and often identifies himself as a “traditionalist”. With Petersons, rounded life and classifications, he challenges society and creates a place for less popular public viewpoints.

To begin, Peterson was introduced to the works of psychologists at an early age while he was growing up in Canada. The ability and scope of mankind for doing evil and destruction gradually started bothering him, leading him to go through works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Friedrich Nietzsche and Carl Jung. He went back to the University of Alberta and studied psychology eventually earning a B.A. degree in the subject in 1984. Peterson furthered his studies on this topic receiving his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from McGill University. He was an assistant working under the guidance of Robert O. Phil, a clinical psychologist. His thesis while working with Phil was ‘Potential psychological markers for the predisposition to alcoholism’ leading him to do postdoctoral research at McGill's Douglas Hospital (TheFamousPeople). While he conducted research he also was another assistant at Harvard University teaching in the psychology department. He made many connections between aggression and substance abuse eventually leading him to receive a nomination for the Levenson Teaching Prize. Peterson’s research specialty is personality traits; one of his most prominent papers is a study of what makes people more or less creative, where he argues that people who pay more attention to seemingly “irrelevant” details actually tend to be more creative. According to Google Scholar, he has been cited more than 10,000 times in academic publications and is one of the 70 most cited researchers in his subfield (Beauchamp, 2018).

His scholarly success was widely recognized as many people began to take notice of his work. However, Peterson switched from scholarly researcher/teacher to an internet sensation/celebrity. One of the first times Peterson began to become a limelight was in 2016 when he was involved in a national Canadian debate discussing transgender rights. He refused to refer to a student by their chosen gender pronouns and he took off from there. He then began creating YouTube videos to express his traditional and conservative points of views. During this time in 2016, Canada was having lots of discussions about gender identity and expression. His YouTube series was focused on the topic of the Bill C-16. He had really strong feelings towards this bill and was not pleased with the changes in the laws. Lawmakers stated that Peterson was not understanding the bill correctly and that's where Peterson rooted his title as a public intellectual by having a strong set in stone even though misinformed standpoint on controversies (Beauchamp, 2018).

His controversy wasn’t taken lightly. Anyone that comes forward with an opposing viewpoint will gain rapid attention. The platform, Twitter, really furthered Petersons standing as a public intellectual. His years of study and academic accomplishments served him well as he was able to build a foundation for his comments. His knowledge became a sort of legitimizing device to audiences when making these statements about leftist and rightist ideologies. His ability to speak so fluently and confidently boosted him as an amazing debater. His beliefs are highlighted around postmodernism and marxism. Vox states that “Peterson’s argument starts with a vivid denunciation of Marxism. Human society, like all animal kingdoms, is in Peterson’s mind defined by certain biological truths — including the reality that some people are naturally more gifted than others, and that life will always involve suffering. Marxism, he believes, is rooted fundamentally in the hatred of people who succeed in a capitalist economy — and thus will always result in violence when one attempts to implement it (Beauchamp, 2018). Postmodernism is a term that Peterson often brings up in his debate often stating that this ideology is a threat to Western culture.

Another statement made about Peterson is his relation between humans and lobsters. His discussions about character and self help also take a presence in many people's lives. His discussion about lobsters gained a lot of attention as well. “If your posture is poor, for example — if you slump, shoulders forward and rounded, chest tucked in, head down, looking small, defeated and ineffectual (protected, in theory, against attack from behind) — then you will feel small, defeated, and ineffectual. The reactions of others will amplify that. People, like lobsters, size each other up, partly in consequence of stance. If you present yourself as defeated, then people will react to you as if you are losing. If you start to straighten up, then people will look at and treat you differently”, says Peterson. He often likes to make connections between animals and humans which is really interesting to be able to shift and see his perspective. He argues that because we evolved from lower creatures like lobsters, we inherited dominance structures from them. Inequalities of various kinds aren’t wrong; they’re natural. Peterson states that “We were struggling for position before we had skin, or hands, or lungs, or bones,” he writes. “There is little more natural than cultural. Dominance hierarchies are older than trees.” The lobster is symbolic in Petersons career.

From scholarly individual, postmodernism theories and ideologies of hierarchies, he also is known for his self help book. The book that sold over one million copies and has changed people's life is titled “12 Rules For Life”. It’s quite interesting to see how Peterson has this idea of success and how to attain it. He is really confident in his steps of success. Peterson has claimed that “12 Rules for Life” and his videos are aimed at young people who often lack discipline and are not interested in the usual paths presented to them. Since a lot of Peterson fans are “young contrarians”, this book would fit them well. In it, Cristopher Hitchens, a dissident himself, inspires other rebels and radicals. It’s a good introduction to a well spoken intellectual and social critic. These rules are divided into 12 paragraphs that are simple yet profound. Oftentimes we are so busy as we take on challenging everyday tasks that we can often forget the simplest of rules to be successful. These small acts that Peterson talks about in this book can lead to a major difference. Peterson is holding on to tradition and a simpler world. He is not a fan of all the chaos and the direction that our society is headed so this book is really grounding for those who are overwhelmed with society.

In conclusion, anyone that has an affirmative viewpoint on something and does not flow with the crowd is going to have hate or be misunderstood. Jordan Peterson is a really fascinating man with many characteristics. He has inserted himself in many areas of life and is always ready to combat a situation even when society's standards oppose it. Bad publicity still functioned as good publicity for Peterson as his many viewpoints traveled the world. Although some people may not agree with Peterson, his perspectives are nonetheless interesting and sometimes refreshing to hear from.

Sources

Aylesworth, Gary. “Postmodernism.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 5 Feb. 2015, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/postmodernism/.

Beauchamp, Zack. “Jordan Peterson, the Obscure Canadian Psychologist Turned Right-Wing Celebrity, Explained.” Vox, Vox, 26 Mar. 2018, https://www.vox.com/world/2018/3/26/17144166/jordan-peterson-12-rules-for-life.

Hill, Sebastian. “12 Books You Should Read Instead of Reading Jordan Peterson's ‘12 Rules for Life’ (or Watching His...” Medium, Medium, 30 Jan. 2018, https://medium.com/@magicsebi/12-books-you-should-read-instead-of-reading-jordan-petersons-12-rules-for-life-or-watching-his-9bfb3760e181.

“The Mass Psychosis and the Demons of Dostoevsky.” Academy of Ideas | Free Minds for a Free Society, 19 Apr. 2022, https://academyofideas.com/2021/03/mass-psychosis-demons-dostoevsky/.

Team, The Investopedia. “Marxism: What It Is and Comparison to Communism, Socialism, and Capitalism.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 23 Aug. 2022, https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/marxism.asp.

“Who Is Jordan Peterson? Everything You Need to Know.” Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements, https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/jordan-peterson-40654.php.