Jordan Peterson

{{Silver}}
[[File:Peterson Lecture (33522701146).png|thumb|right|165px|The formerly licensed<ref>https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/exclusive-jordan-peterson-loses-fight-with-psychology-college-over-mandatory-social-media-training</ref> Peterson rambling about British superiority and how it's your fault how society is structured.]]
{{psychology}}{{pseudoscience}}
{{cquote|'''Joe Rogan''': ''Apple cider.'' What was it doing to you?<BR>
'''Jordan Peterson''': Oh, it produced an [[pwned|overwhelming sense of impending doom]]. … I didn't sleep for twenty-five days.
'''Joe Rogan''': ''What?''|||''[[Joe Rogan|The Joe Rogan Experience]]''<ref>(December 2, 2020). [https://web.archive.org/web/20240208012923/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylyptoT0QaQ "Jordan Peterson Gets Owned By Apple Cider"]. ''YouTube'', via the Wayback Machine.</ref>}}
{{cquote|…and I’m not taking down that tweet or acknowledging that my tweet violated the [[Twitter]] rules. Up yours, [[Alt-right_glossary#Woke|woke moralists]]! We'll see who cancels who.{{sic}} [[Self-fulfilling prophecy|Twitter's a rat hole in the final analysis and I have probably contributed to that while trying to use understand and master that horrible toxic platform]].|||Jordan Peterson, once more close to tears<ref>[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UYfKWQqvFac&feature=youtu.be&t=14m10s Twitter Ban] by Jordan Peterson (Jul 1, 2022) ''YouTube''.</ref>}}
{{cquote|You may say, 'Well, [[dragon]]s don't exist'. It's, like, yes they do — the category predator and the category dragon are the same category. It absolutely exists. It's a superordinate category. It exists absolutely more than anything else. In fact, it really exists. What exists is not obvious. You say, 'Well, there's no such thing as [[witch]]es.' Yeah, I know what you mean, but that isn't what you think when you go see a movie about them. You can't help but fall into these categories. There's no escape from them.|||Jordan Peterson making a [[Bullshit|clear, concise statement]]<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/18/style/jordan-peterson-12-rules-for-life.html Jordan Peterson, Custodian of the Patriarchy: He says there’s a crisis in masculinity. Why won’t women — all these wives and witches — just behave?] by Nellie Bowles (May 18, 2018) ''New York Times''</ref>}}
'''Jordan Bernt Peterson''' {{lived|1962}} is a [[Canada|Canadian]] quack and (perhaps soon-to-be failed) clinical psychologist, a retired<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20211003215818/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/1444783878296719362 "Am now professor emeritus..."] by Jordan Peterson (2:58 PM - 3 Oct 2021) ''Twitter'' (archived from October 3, 2021).</ref> University of Toronto [[psychology]] professor, and [[Ultracrepidarianism|Ultracrepidarian]] ''par excellence''.<ref>[https://www.psych.utoronto.ca/people/directories/all-faculty/jordan-peterson Jordan Peterson] ''University of Toronto''.</ref> He has [[Credentialism|falsely claimed]] to be both an [[evolutionary biologist]]{{efn|As Peterson claimed on [[BBC]]<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufopNY5PO1U&t=731 BBC HARDtalk — Jordan Peterson (6/8/18)], 12:08 (Aug 7, 2018) ''YouTube''.</ref> and again in his podcast<ref>[https://youtu.be/NGIP-3Q-p_s?t=4848 The Psychology of Psychedelics | Roland Griffiths - Jordan B Peterson Podcast - S4 E20], 1:20:48 (May 10, 2021) ''YouTube''.</ref>}} and a [[neuroscientist]]{{efn|As Peterson claimed on TVO<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgEH-WwmdF0 Peterson and de Sousa debate Living Without the Sacred?] (May 25, 2011) ''YouTube''.</ref>}} but he is neither. He has been regarded as a member of the informal [[Intellectual Dark Web]], which has been described as a gateway into the [[alt-right]].<ref>[https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2018/5/10/17338290/intellectual-dark-web-rogan-peterson-harris-times-weiss The “Intellectual Dark Web,” explained: what Jordan Peterson has in common with the alt-right: A controversial New York Times article describes several popular white intellectuals as marginalized “renegades.”] by Henry Farrell (May 10, 2018, 9:10am EDT) ''Vox''.</ref>

In 2022, Peterson sued the College of Psychologists of Ontario, which regulates clinical psychologists. The College had attempted to discipline Peterson for failing to speak in a professional manner befitting that of a clinical psychologist, which included not using [[hate speech]] in public. The College ordered Peterson to complete a "specified continuing education or remedial program" (SCERP) to maintain his membership in the College and his ability to practice clinical psychology. For this, Peterson had claimed that the College was violating his [[Freedom of speech|freedom of expression]] under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Peterson had also tried to have it both ways, claiming that psychological advice was professional speech but that the speech that the College found offensive and unprofessional was his private speech ("off duty"). A three-judge panel ruled unanimously in 2023 that the College had the right to regulate its profession and require him to take the SCERP to maintain his license. The panel ruled that Peterson still had freedom of expression but that if he wanted to maintain his license, the College had the right to require him to moderate his expression to comport with their regulations so as to maintain his license. The panel also ruled that there was no separation between he psychological advice and his offensive speech, that he was doing both under the [[argument from authority]] his time on ''The Joe Rogan Experience'', where he introduced himself as a clinical psychologist. In essence, Peterson lost the case.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230901185459/https://www.ontariocourts.ca/scj/peterson-v-college-of-psychologists-of-ontario/ Peterson v. College of Psychologists of Ontario] (August 23, 2023) ''Superior Court of Justice''.</ref>

Peterson has authored or coauthored more than 90 [[peer-review]]ed articles on clinical psychology, social psychology, and personality theory.{{efn|It is sometimes claimed that Peterson is not "the author of any lasting work of scholarship, the originator of any important idea, or a public intellectual of any scientific credibility or moral seriousness".<ref>[https://thewalrus.ca/the-professor-of-piffle/ The Professor of Piffle: The dangerous underside of Jordan Peterson’s crusade against the humanities] by Ira Wells (Updated 11:16, Dec. 17, 2019 | Published 15:45, Nov. 27, 2017) ''The Walrus''.</ref> However, in July 2021, he had 7067 citations with an {{wpl|h-index}} of 43<ref>[https://archive.ph/wip/NyYcE Peterson, Jordan B.] ''Scopus'' (archived from 6 Jul 2021 04:51:47 UTC).</ref>. An h-index of 20 is considered "successful", and 40 "outstanding".}} However, Peterson is mostly known for his [[conservative]] views on [[religion]], [[trans]] issues, and [[feminism]], and for his [[incel]]- and [[MGTOW]]-heavy audience.<ref name=CurrentAffairs/> Although Peterson frequently makes [[moral]]ly questionable claims and engages in [[pseudoscience]], his statements are notoriously [[Argument by gibberish|incoherent]], [[Fallacy of ambiguity|ambiguous]], and [[jargon]]-laden, sometimes rising above vacuousness<ref name=CurrentAffairs/> to the level of [[deepity]],<ref name=biblical/> which allows him to [[handwave]] criticism as mere misrepresentations of his babbling [[bullshit]].<ref name=CurrentAffairs>[https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/03/the-intellectual-we-deserve The Intellectual We Deserve: Jordan Peterson’s popularity is the sign of a deeply impoverished political and intellectual landscape] by Nathan J. Robinson (14 March 2018) ''Current Affairs''.</ref>{{efn|It should come as concerning to any avid listener when a huge amount of non-native English speakers are '''infinitely''' more capable of making complex statements than Peterson is.}} This is ironic, as he criticises [[Postmodernism|post-modernists]] for basically doing the same thing.

Peterson has gained something of a following for his how to live your life guidance, which mostly consists of obvious [[common sense]], ideas recycled from the Stoics, and some fairly crummy advice. Despite promoting personal responsibility above all and telling others how to live well, he went on to abandon his very sick wife for a while to go to Russia to do a dangerous experimental medical procedure where he would get over his drug addiction by an induced coma,<ref>[https://nationalpost.com/news/jordan-petersons-year-of-absolute-hell-professor-forced-to-retreat-from-public-life-because-of-tranquilizer-addiction "Jordan Peterson's year of 'absolute hell': Professor forced to retreat from public life because of addiction"] by Joseph Brean, National Post, 2020 February 7</ref> thereby avoiding the discomfort of withdrawal and waking up with the problem that was much more easily solved with less personal work to do. Clearly, this must tick all the boxes in his principles of personal responsibility and "How To Live Your Life To The Fullest", because he hasn't seemed to lose that many fans/readers. This perhaps says something about his fans.

He is, selectively, very passionate about [[freedom of speech]] and ignorant of clear violations of freedom of speech, depending on whether it's his friends involved or a "[[regressive left]]ist". He also doesn't like it when people use those precious treasured free speech powers to say mean things about him, and he has threatened frivolous defamation lawsuits against some of those people. His own "free speech" platform, Thinkspot, will hide downvoted comments in the name of free speech, and you will have to pay a subscription to get some of that sweet free speech.<ref>[https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/social-media-helps-trolls-who-help-themselves Social media helps trolls who help themselves] by Madeline Fry Schultz (June 13, 2019 07:02 PM ) ''Washington Examiner''.</ref>

==Popularity==
[[File:Peterson Diagram.jpg|thumb|left|This is why ''{{wpl|Politics and the English Language}}'' is still relevant today. If you can make sense of any of this, shame on you.]]
As of July 2021, Peterson had over 3.8 million subscribers and 245 million views on [[YouTube]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210706052704/https://www.youtube.com/user/JordanPetersonVideos/about Jordan B Peterson: About] ''YouTube'' (archived from July 6, 2021).</ref> and 1.9 million followers on [[Twitter]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210701041900/ttps://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson Dr Jordan B Peterson] ''Twitter'' (archived from July 1, 2021).</ref>

When Peterson's {{wpl|Patreon}} earnings were last public on 21 October 2017, he had 6099 patrons and received $66,636.40 per month ($800k per year). If one assumes that his per-patron donations remained constant, then at his peak (9918 patrons), Peterson would receive an estimated $108k per month ($1.3m per year).<ref>https://archive.ph/R6Ozg, Patreon</ref><ref>[https://graphtreon.com/creator/jordanbpeterson Dr Jordan B Peterson], Graphtreon</ref> On 15 January 2019, Peterson closed his Patreon account to protest of Patreon's ban of [[Sargon of Akkad]],<ref name=PAD>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrZDcEix7uk Patreon Account Deletion] by Jordan B Peterson (Jan 15, 2019) ''YouTube''.</ref> who had violated Patreon's guidelines against [[hate speech]] by insulting his [[alt-right]] critics with "faggot" and "[[nigger]]" in a bizarre attempt to turn the tables on them<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220627081041/https://angrywhitemen.org/2018/02/10/carl-benjamin-drops-the-n-word-while-ranting-about-the-alt-right/ Carl Benjamin Drops The N-Word While Ranting About The Alt-Right] (February 10, 2018) ''Angry White Men''.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20181219101434if_/https://patreonhq.com/hate-speech-on-patreon-a9026e52c2cf Hate Speech on Patreon] by Jacqueline Hart (Dec 17, 2018) ''PatreonHQ''.</ref> and who had been mass-reported for this by right-wingers.<ref>[https://archive.ph/8LOBA Fun fact: Sargon got his Patreon flagged down by right-wing trolls and has admitted that he knows that. He continues to blame "the SJWs" because he has exactly one talking point and without serving the bidding for someone else's narrative he's irrelevant.] by Jared Holt (4:20 PM - 16 Dec 2018) ''Twitter'' (archived from 29 Dec 2018 05:51:52 UTC).</ref><ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20190201205050/https://twitter.com/not_sargon/status/1075722713883443201 I mentioned it in the first video I did. Fun fact: Patreon isn't controlled by right-wing trolls, they're controlled by left-wing ideologues. Seems odd that you'd leave out the fact that the far left pulled the trigger to give the right-wing trolls precisely what they wanted.] by "not sargon" (Sargon of Akkad) (4:00 AM - 20 Dec 2018) ''Twitter'' (archived from February 1, 2019).</ref> Peterson suggested forming a "free speech" Patreon alternative, possibly taking [[Bitcoin]]s.<ref name=PAD /> Given how other previous "free speech" experiments such as [[8chan]], PewTube, and [[Gab]] turned out, what can possibly go wrong?

On 13 January 2019, Peterson asserted that three million copies of his book ''12 Rules for Life''<ref name=rules>''12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos'' by Jordan B. Peterson (2017) Random House. ISBN 0345816021.</ref> had been sold.<ref>[https://youtu.be/mXPmLZRAPSo?t=672 Q & A 2019 01 January] by Jordan B Peterson (Jan 13, 2019) ''YouTube''.</ref> If we assume each book sold for its Amazon price of ~$15, and that Peterson was paid a (low) royalty rate of 8%, this implies that Peterson received $3.6 million for ''12 Rules for Life''.

Peterson was not active in public life for a while in the late 2010s as he was recovering from benzodiazepine addiction.<ref>[https://nationalpost.com/news/jordan-petersons-year-of-absolute-hell-professor-forced-to-retreat-from-public-life-because-of-tranquilizer-addiction  Jordan Peterson's year of 'absolute hell': Professor forced to retreat from public life because of addiction: The controversial author and professor is recovering from addiction to tranquilizers and near-death in Russia, his family says] by Joseph Brean (Feb 07, 2020) ''National Post''.</ref> He returned to the public eye in October of 2020, yet his public profile has declined and today he can mainly be seen hashing out right-wing talking points on Twitter.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_6zwVNn88o Return Home.] by Jordan B Peterson (Oct 19, 2020) ''YouTube''.</ref><ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/jordan-petersons-downfall-is-how-boring-hes-become Jordan Peterson’s Downfall Is How Boring He’s Become], ''The Daily Beast'', April 9, 2023</ref>

He got banned from Twitter on July 1<sup>st</sup> 2022 for [[transphobia|deadnaming]] Elliot Page,<ref name=elliotpagetweet1>[https://www.newsweek.com/elliot-page-tweet-jordan-peterson-banned-twitter-pride-sin-1720899 Elliot Page Pride Tweet Gets Jordan Peterson Suspended From Twitter], ''Newsweek''.</ref> and refused to remove the offending tweet for a while, saying he would "rather die".<ref name=elliotpagetweet2>[https://www.newsweek.com/jordan-peterson-stay-off-twitter-rather-die-delete0elliot-page-tweet-1721474 Jordan Peterson 'Would Rather Die' Than Delete Elliot Page Tweet], ''Newsweek''.</ref> He then released an utterly unhinged and comically melodramatic rant on his YouTube channel addressing the ban, which was met with widespread mockery and led to the genesis of the "Up yours, woke moralists!" meme.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYfKWQqvFac Article: Twitter Ban] by Jordan B. Peterson (Jul 1, 2022)</ref> Later, he removed the tweet to get the suspension lifted but reposted it as a screenshot in a petty act of defiance.<ref>[https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/08/27/jordan-peterson-elliot-page-twitter-deadnaming/ Jordan Peterson returns to Twitter by pathetically deadnaming Elliot Page again] by Josh Milton (Aug 27, 2022) ''Pink News''</ref> Around the same time, he started working with [[Ben Shapiro]]'s outlet, ''The Daily Wire''.<ref>[https://nypost.com/2022/06/30/daily-wire-signs-jordan-peterson-to-podcast-deal/ Daily Wire signs Jordan Peterson to podcast deal] by Ariel Zilber (Jun 30, 2022) ''New York Post''</ref> The Twitter ban didn't last long; he was reinstated by [[Elon Musk]] along with a shitload of other fascists in November 2022 after Musk bought the company.<ref>[https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/18/23466625/elon-musk-twitter-reinstatement-jordan-peterson-kathy-griffin-babylon-bee Elon Musk begins reinstating banned Twitter accounts, starting with Jordan Peterson and the Babylon Bee: The decision comes after widespread resignations among the platform’s critical engineering staff.] by Russell Brandom (Nov 18, 2022, 11:17 AM PST) ''The Verge''.</ref>

==Trans issues and rise to prominence==
===Bill C-16===
{{cquote|jordan peterson would be like [[Targeted Individuals|Target 1A]] for the anti-free speech [[Cultural Marxism|cultural marxist]] [[Thought Police|thought police]] & thus far the full extent of their villainous persecution of him has been a letter telling him to knock it off|||[[Shaun and Jen|Shaun]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190713151003/https://twitter.com/shaun_jen/status/933749709944119296 jordan peterson would be like Target 1A for the anti-free speech cultural marxist thought police & thus far the full extent of their villainous persecution of him has been a letter telling him to knock it off] by Shaun (9:30 AM - 23 Nov 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from July 13, 2019).</ref>}}

Peterson rose to popularity mainly due to his public opposition to the Canadian government's Bill C-16,<ref>[http://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/bill/C-16/royal-assent Bill C-16] (June 19, 2017) ''Parliament of Canada''.</ref> which added gender expression and [[gender identity]] to the list of protected groups in the Canadian Human Rights Act.<ref name=senatehearing>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnIAAkSNtqo 2017/05/17: Senate hearing on Bill C16] by Jordan B Peterson (May 18, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20161220223624/http://torontoist.com/2016/12/are-jordan-petersons-claims-about-bill-c-16-correct/ Are Jordan Peterson’s Claims About Bill C-16 Correct? The U of T professor has made claims about going to prison for his beliefs and criminalizing free speech. Here's what the legislation says.] by Lisa Cumming (December 19, 2016 at 5:30 pm) ''Torontoist''.</ref> Peterson opposed the bill because he claims it mandates compelled speech and thus violates freedom of speech.<ref>[https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/university-of-toronto-professor-defends-right-to-use-gender-specific-pronouns/article32946675/ University of Toronto professor defends right to use gender-specific pronouns] by Simona Chiose (November 19, 2016) ''The Globe and Mail''.</ref> René J. Basque, head of the Canadian Bar Association, disagrees with this interpretation of the bill.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170517115024/http://www.cba.org/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=be34d5a4-8850-40a0-beea-432eeb762d7f RE: Bill C-16, An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code (gender identity or expression)] by René J. Basque (May 10, 2017) ''The Canadian Bar Association''.</ref>

At the Canadian Senate hearing of Bill C-16, Senator Ratna Omidvar asked Peterson how the bill's proponents could reconcile his objection to the bill and opposing gender-based discrimination. Peterson's response was: 

{{quotebox|I oppose discrimination against gender identity and gender expression, that's not the point. The point is the specifics of the legislation that surrounds it and the insistence that people have to use compelled speech. That's what I'm objecting to. I've dealt with all sorts of people in my life. People who don't fit in in all sorts of different ways. I'm not a discriminatory person… but I think this legislation is reprehensible and I do not believe for a moment that it will do what it intends to do.<ref name=senatehearing/>}} 

Brenda Cossman, professor of law at the University of Toronto, has said Peterson is "fundamentally mischaracterizing" Bill C-16. Cossman asserted that C-16 is "not about criminalizing pronoun misuse" but instead an extension of Canada's [[human rights]] laws to trans status.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20161022105906/http://sds.utoronto.ca/blog/bill-c-16-no-its-not-about-criminalizing-pronoun-misuse Bill C-16 – No, its Not about Criminalizing Pronoun Misuse] by Victoria Liao (October 17<sup>th</sup> 2016) ''Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies''.</ref>  However, according to Cossman the bill ''might'' allow for fines if a person does consistently mis-gender someone,<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/cbcdocspov/features/canadas-gender-identity-rights-bill-c-16-explained Canada's Gender Identity Rights Bill Explained], CBC</ref> thus it could effectively be a form of compelled speech.  When a video was shown of him refusing to adhere to the law's requirements, the dean of the University of Toronto personally reprimanded him, saying that his pledge not to use preferred pronouns revealed discriminatory intentions and that he was undermining his ability to conduct essential components of his job as a faculty member.<ref>[https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/03/05/jordan-petersons-gospel-of-masculinity Jordan Peterson's Gospel of Masculinity] by Kelefa Sanneh (March 5, 2018) ''The New Yorker''.</ref>

Peterson (allegedly) used the preferred pronouns of his students; he just does not believe he should be required to. Regardless, he was later banned from Twitter for misgendering and deadnaming Elliot Page (who had recently come out to the public as a trans man that year). <ref name=elliotpagetweet1 /> Curiously, however, he was [[Fun:List of Canadians who were prosecuted for using incorrect gender pronouns|not prosecuted for it]].

===Federal funding denial===
In April 2017, Peterson's grant application for $399,625 over five years for his three graduate students' salary and tuition, payments for research subjects, and travel expenses was rejected by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Peterson alleged that this denial is in retaliation for his statements against Bill C-16, "I think that [the controversy about Bill C-16] provided someone with a convenient opportunity to make their displeasure with what I'm doing known."<ref name=blatchford/> In 2012, when Peterson's grant was approved for the last time by SSHRC, it was for the largest amount ever awarded to a psychologist.<ref name=blatchford>[https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/an-opportunity-to-make-their-displeasure-known-government-pulls-funding-of-pronoun-professor 'An opportunity to make their displeasure known': Pronoun professor denied government grant: The five-year, $399,625 grant was for a study that the Research Council had already approved and was earmarked to pay his student assistants] by Christie Blatchford (April 3, 2017) ''National Post''.</ref> In response, [[Ezra Levant]] spearheaded an Indiegogo campaign to raise $73,325, the first year's worth of funding, within 30 days. The campaign reached its goal in one day.<ref>[https://thevarsity.ca/2017/05/01/jordan-petersons-federal-funding-denied-rebel-media-picks-up-the-tab/ Jordan Peterson’s federal funding denied, Rebel Media picks up the tab: Controversial psychology professor has funding proposal rejected for first time] by Sophia Savva (May 1, 2017) ''The Varsity''.</ref>

===Reactionary fans===
Given that his objections to C-16 resonate with many people, including [[transphobic]] individuals, it is unsurprising that a lot of Peterson's fans are [[reactionaries]]. Such fans like and support Peterson for his opposition stance to the bill, but also due to his views on the [[Cognitive differences between sexes|psychological differences between men and women]]<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmg4fV5mAKs Jordan Peterson Destroys Gender Denying Idealogue] (May 21, 2015) ''YouTube''.</ref> (which the [[sexist]] reactionaries all love), sympathetic views towards conservative values,<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyw4rTywyY0 2017/06/15: 12 principles for a 21<sup>st</sup> century conservatism] by Jordan B Peterson ((Jun 22, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref> being against "[[postmodernism|postmodernist]] neo-[[Marxism]]"<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLoG9zBvvLQ Postmodernism and Cultural Marxism | Jordan B Peterson] (Jul 6, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p2QfjaSIUo How to shut up a marxist (Jordan Peterson speech)] (Jul 10, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref> and for defending [[Christianity]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKG4_psaC9k Jordan Peterson - I Act As If God Exists] (May 10, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170318203328if_/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28i3lWxW5xs Why Jordan Peterson Still Believes In God] (Dec 30, 2016) ''YouTube'' (archived from March 18, 2017).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170808071347if_/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDXHlOnKmdI Is Jordan Peterson A Christian?] (Aug 7, 2017) ''YouTube'' (archived from August 8, 2017).</ref> On more than one occasion, Peterson has retweeted fans of his who were discovered to be alt-right or [[neo-Nazis]].<ref>[https://archive.fo/qBrV2 This is a good twitter stream analyzing what's happening around the channel 4 interview] by Jordan B Peterson (2:26 AM - 21 Jan 2018) ''Twitter'' (archived from 13 Jul 2019 15:20:14 UTC).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20171214072334/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/940955468528340998 There is beauty in Europe enough to stop your heart…] by Jordan B Peterson (06:44 - 13. Dec. 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from December 14, 2017).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190713152554/https://twitter.com/tabathasouthey/status/941136563244634112 How hard is it to not retweet Nazis?] by Tabatha Southey (6:43 PM - 13 Dec 2017) '"Twitter'' (archived from July 13, 2019).</ref> Peterson has lectured extensively, often speaking to conservatives, on the need to reject both far left and far right views and in particular on the need to dismantle political tribalism,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170706002732/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo3gOoOSdhY Jordan Peterson Dismantles Political Tribalism in 5 minutes] (Feb 11, 2017) ''YouTube'' (archived from Juuly 6, 2017).</ref> on the problems with the alt-right,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170318193946/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fInko6WL9No Jordan Peterson: The problem with the Alt-Right] (Mar 17, 2017) ''YouTube'' (archived from March 18, 2017).</ref> and on his claim that liberals and conservatives need each other. Peterson once called MGTOWs "pathetic weasels",<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uTMPwFlf9I&t=115 Jordan Peterson's opinion on MGTOW] (Apr 2, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref> though he later apologized.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLbjmIajj9g Jordan Peterson - I Regret Calling MGTOW Pathetic Weasels] (May 11, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref>

Peterson's comments and the reaction to them (which often labelled Peterson transphobic and sought his [[no platform|deplatforming]]) sparked a controversy that earned him significant media coverage.<ref>[http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/petition-calls-for-potentially-dangerous-peterson-yiannopoulos-to-be-kicked-off-ballot-for-university-rector  Glasgow students call for 'transphobic' Jordan Peterson, Milo Yiannopoulos be removed from rector ballot: Toronto professor known for his stand against gender neutral pronouns objects to be being lumped in with the alt-right provocateur] by Victor Ferreira (March 10, 2017) ''National Post''.</ref> Additionally, Peterson is a self-described anti-[[SJW|Social Justice Warrior]]. In an interview with [[Joe Rogan]], he congratulated himself for "monetizing SJW's", and brags that the more he is attacked by them, the more money he is given through Patreon.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4KESFAITqg Joe Rogan - Jordan Peterson on Monetizing SJW's] (Jan 30, 2018) ''YouTube''.</ref>

His popularity with the right has led him to be interviewed by a whole slew of notable anti-leftists, including [[Tara McCarthy]],<ref>[https://archive.org/details/youtube-uo2Pc-52oCk #ThrowbackThursday: Prof. Jordan Peterson on Western Civilization and the Alt Right] (2017-04-27) ''Internet Archive''.</ref> [[Sargon of Akkad]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170411123823/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJMCQ94t98k Interviewing Dr Jordan Peterson] by Sargon of Akkad Live (Apr 10, 2017) ''YouTube'' (archived from April 11, 2017).</ref> [[Stefan Molyneux]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170525201308if_/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcEJr8h_yGM The Architecture of Belief | Jordan Peterson and Stefan] (Feb 12, 2017) ''YouTube'' (archived from May 25, 2017).</ref> [[Dave Rubin]],<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJSJcPKA1Ug Free Speech, Psychology, Gender Pronouns | Jordan Peterson | POLITICS | Rubin Report] (May 5, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref> and Theryn Meyer.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180320050519if_/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkmzdiJXwaA Dr. Jordan Peterson Chats with Theryn Meyer ] (Nov 9, 2016) ''YouTube'' (archived from March 20, 2018).</ref> Peterson has also appeared on the H3 Podcast.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20171231045457if_/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx4ltQhdlhg H3 Podcast #37 - Jordan Peterson] (Nov 3, 2017) ''YouTube'' (archived from December 31, 2017).</ref> [[Richard Spencer]] has said that he respects Peterson's work, and that they "share a lot of common ground and philosophical starting points."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190713153045/https://twitter.com/richardbspencer/status/935744470473216001?lang=en I respect your work. And we share a lot of common ground and philosophical starting points. I invite you to engage with me in a respectful debate or public conversation, whenever and wherever you'd like.] by Richard Spencer (9:37 PM - 28 Nov 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from July 13, 2019).</ref> Spencer was eventually disappointed by Peterson.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190713153342/https://twitter.com/richardbspencer/status/965686580227858432?lang=en I thought Jordan Peterson was a revelation when he came on the scene and, from a conservative perspective, talked about psychology and myth.] by Richard Spencer (12:36 PM - 19 Feb 2018) ''Twitter'' (archived from July 13, 2019).</ref>

===Lindsay Shepherd censure===
In November 2017, a brief clip featuring Peterson's views on gender-neutral pronouns during a classroom debate was used by Wilfrid Laurier University graduate student and teaching assistant Lindsay Shepherd in a seminar. This led her to be censured by the university for staying neutral and not "denouncing" Peterson's ideas, acting "transphobic" and creating a "toxic climate", while Peterson himself was [[Nazi analogies|compared to Hitler]].<ref name=brown>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200811225056/https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/8x5jdz/jordan-peterson-is-causing-problems-at-another-university-now Jordan Peterson Is Causing Problems at Another University Now: Wilfrid Laurier is the latest Canadian school with a freedom of speech controversy.] by Drew Brown (November 20, 2017, 4:09pm) ''Vice'' (archived from August 11, 2020).</ref><ref>[http://torontosun.com/news/provincial/bonokoski-odious-censuring-of-grad-student-worsened-by-hitler-reference Odious censuring of grad student worsened by Hitler reference] by Mark Bonokoski (November 15, 2017) ''Toronto Sun''.</ref> The university's actions were heavily criticized.<ref name=brown/><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180108064421/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/globe-editorial-why-are-we-killing-critical-thinking-on-campus/article37008714/ Why are we killing critical thinking on campus?] editorial (November 16, 2017) ''The Globe and Mail'' (archived from January 8, 2018).</ref><ref name='nationalpost'>[http://nationalpost.com/opinion/np-view-lauriers-recent-moves-are-satisfying-but-not-a-fix-for-campus-ills Laurier's apology and a petition won't fix the cancer on campus: The crisis of free speech and academic freedom on campuses has been growing for years. The Laurier incident is one small part of it] editorial (November 24, 2017; 4:56 PM EST) ''National Post''.</ref> In light of this, the professor and administration both apologized for their actions.<ref name='nationalpost'/>

==Social conservatism==
[[File:JordanPetersonFedora.png|thumb|165px|Peterson wearing a ''trilby'', ackshually]]
{{rquote|right|91% of those who view my videos are male. Why? Why so few women?|Jordan Peterson, devoid of self-awareness<ref>[https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/837733610157387779 91% of those who view my videos are male. Why? Why so few women?] ''Twitter''</ref>}}
{{cquote|I don't see any regulating force for that, that terrible femininity. And it seems to be invading the culture and undermining the, the masculine power of the culture in a way that's, I think, fatal, I really do believe that.|||Jordan Peterson, femme fatale foe<ref name=Paglia />}}
Peterson holds [[Social conservatism|socially conservative]] views on [[sex]], [[gender]], and [[marriage]]. Peterson usually justifies these views by claiming that he's opposing Cultural Marxists, that they're essential to a shared Western narrative, or that he's just really worried about it, ok?

===Women in the workplace===
{{cquote|[[Just asking questions|Is it possible that young women are so outraged because they are craving infant contact in a society that makes that very difficult?]]|||Jordan Peterson, infant craver by proxy<ref>{{a|https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/913531363915128832|Twitter}}</ref>}}
Peterson thinks the primary desire of professional women is to be mothers by age 30. Peterson has stated that "there is something that isn't quite right in the way they are constituted or looking at the world" regarding women who don't make having children their primary desire by age 30<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV2yvI4Id9Q&t=7m30s Jordan Peterson - Women in High Paying Jobs] (Apr 6, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref> and that women who don't have children are "isolated" and "miserable" in the latter half of their lives.

Given his belief that women should be mothers, it makes sense that Peterson believes that current "gender antipathy" may be due to the [[birth control]] pill and is unable to [[Correlation does not imply causation|distinguish correlation from causation]]:<ref>[https://c2cjournal.ca/2016/12/were-teaching-university-students-lies-an-interview-with-dr-jordan-peterson/ The Perils of A University Education] by Jason Tucker (December 1, 2016) ''C2C Journal''. "We’re teaching university students lies, and pandering to them, and I see that as counterproductive."</ref>

{{quotebox|'''There was no equality for women before the birth control pill.''' It's completely insane to assume that anything like that could've possibly occurred. And the feminists think they produced a revolution in the 1960s that freed women. '''What freed women was the pill, and we'll see how that works out.''' There's some evidence that women on the pill don't like masculine men because of changes in hormonal balance. You can test a woman's preference in men. You can show them pictures of men and change the jaw width, and what you find is that women who aren't on the pill like wide-jawed men when they're ovulating, and they like narrow-jawed men when they're not, and the narrow-jawed men are less aggressive. '''Well all women on the pill are as if they're not ovulating, so it's possible that a lot of the antipathy that exists right now between women and men exists because of the birth control pill.''' The idea that women were discriminated against across the course of history is appalling.}}

It'll be interesting to see what Peterson thinks of women who have PCOS (testosterone and estrogen imbalance) and have to be on the pill.

Of course, Peterson may not see a need for birth control pills because he appears to believe that men and women cannot work together. For example, in an interview with ''Vice News'', Peterson [[Just asking questions|JAQed off]] about whether men and women can work together in the workplace.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blTglME9rvQ&t=5m51s Jordan Peterson Is Canada's Most Infamous Intellectual | VICE News Full Interview (HBO)] (Feb 7, 2018) ''YouTube''. Time=5 minutes, 51 seconds.</ref> and asserted that [[blaming the victim|women who don't want to be sexually harassed but wear makeup are "hypocritical"]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blTglME9rvQ&t=7m13s  Jordan Peterson Is Canada's Most Infamous Intellectual | VICE News Full Interview (HBO)] (Feb 7, 2018) ''YouTube''. Time=7 minutes, 13 seconds.</ref>

===Marriage and divorce===
{{main|1=Marriage|3=Divorce}}
{{cquote|[[Deepity|Marriage is the commitment to a process of mutual spoken and enacted truth that produces a spiritual transformation — that of maturity.]]|||Jordan Peterson, not a marriage counselor<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180519154610if_/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/817819497243574274 Marriage is the commitment to a process of mutual spoken and enacted truth that produces a spiritual transformation — that of maturity.] by Jordan B Peterson (11:45 - 7 jan. 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from May 19, 2018).</ref>}}
Peterson likes strong marriages. In fact, Peterson describes marriage's benefits primarily in terms of mutual co-improvement — working on each other's flaws because neither partner can escape. This leads to worrying implications in terms of divorce:<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEO2Aw1E_KY|2=Jordan Peterson - Why Shackle Yourself in Marriage?] (Oct 24, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref>

{{quotebox|And it's the same thing when you're living together with someone. You know that people who live together before they get married are more likely to get divorced, not less likely. And the reason for that is: What exactly are you saying to one another when you live with each other? Just think about it. "Well, for now, you're better than anything else I can trick — but I'd like to reserve the right to trade you in, conveniently, if someone better happens to stumble into me." Well how could someone not be insulted to their core by an offer like that? Now they're willing to play along with it, because they're gonna do the same thing with you. Well that's exactly it. It's like "Yeah, yeah, I know you're not gonna commit to me, so that means you don't value me or our relationship above everything else, but as long as I get to escape if I need to, then I'm willing to put up with that." It's like — that's a hell of a th[ing] — I mean, '''you might think, "How stupid is it to shackle yourself to someone?" It's stupid, man, there's no doubt about that. But compared to the alternatives, it's pretty damn good. Because without that shackling, there are things you will never, ever learn, because you'll avoid them. You can always leave, and if you can leave you don't have to tell each other the truth. It's as simple as that, cuz you can just leave, and then you don't have anyone you can tell the truth to.'''}}

Of course, modern Western societies miraculously maintain the highest recorded divorce rates and lowest recorded marriage rates<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/23/144-years-of-marriage-and-divorce-in-the-united-states-in-one-chart/ 144 years of marriage and divorce in the United States, in one chart] by Ana Swanson (June 23, 2015) ''Washington Post''.</ref> at the same time as the lowest recorded crime rates<ref>[https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/03/5-facts-about-crime-in-the-u-s/ ''5 facts about crime in the U.S.''] (November 20, 2020) ''Pew Research Center''.</ref> and highest recorded education rates.<ref>[https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2018/07/educational-attainment.html For the First Time, 90 Percent Completed High School or More] by Erik Schmidt (July 31, 2018) ''United States Census Bureau''.</ref> Truly, we can only learn to be our best selves when "shackled" to someone for life.

===Consent===
{{cquote|That's part of the complexity of unregulated individual sexual behavior. It's like, well, when you say 'yes' do you fully say yes? Well, what do you mean 'fully say yes'? And what does it even ''mean'' to fully say yes?|||Jordan Peterson, consent understander<ref>[https://youtu.be/DYHsWY4moQI?t=920 Jordan Peterson's complete talk with Bettina Arndt] (Mar 10, 2018) ''YouTube''.</ref>}}
Unsurprisingly, given his views on marriage, Peterson has an antiquated view on consent within (and without) marriages. Discussing the 2017 #[[MeToo]] wave of [[sexual assault]] allegations, Peterson offered the following insights:

{{quotebox|'''Peterson:''' With all the accusations of sex assault emerging (eg Louis CK) we are going to soon remember why sex was traditionally enshrined in marriage…<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210424084754/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/928981541849522176 With all the accusations of sex assault emerging (eg Louis CK) we are going to soon remember why sex was traditionally enshrined in marriage…] by Jordan B Peterson (5:43 AM - 10 Nov 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived April 24, 2021).</ref>

'''Mae:''' Wait… what does consensual sex outside marriage have to do with sexual harassment? They are not even linked.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20171127232305/https://twitter.com/MaeDfrog/status/928981885316890624 Wait… what does consensual sex outside marriage have to do with sexual harassment? They are not even linked.] by @MaeDfrog (5:45 AM - 10 Nov 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from November 27, 2017).</ref>

'''Peterson:''' [[Loaded question|How, precisely, exactly, do you know when there is consent? Does it need to occur at each step (as it now does in Canada)? What, precisely, is a step?]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180328040838/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/929155800450285569 How, precisely, exactly, do you know when there is consent? Does it need to occur at each step (as it now does in Canada)? What, precisely, is a step?] by Jordan D Peterson (5:16 PM - 10 Nov 2017) ''Twitter'' (arhived from March 28, 2018).</ref>}}

{{quotebox|'''Peterson:''' With all the accusations of sex assault emerging (eg Louis CK) we are going to soon remember why sex was traditionally enshrined in marriage…<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180328040923/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/928981541849522176 With all the accusations of sex assault emerging (eg Louis CK) we are going to soon remember why sex was traditionally enshrined in marriage…] by Jordan D Peterson (5:43 AM - 10 Nov 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from March 28, 2018).</ref>

'''balls2thewall:''' He is alluding to the fact of when you continue to stretch the boundaries of what the original intent of sex was in terms of the foundation of western culture. In this case Christianity; where sex was meant for the confines of marriage as a gift from [[God]].<ref>[https://archive.ph/0LsyA#selection-4371.0-4371.255 He is eluding to the fact of when you continue to stretch the boundaries of what the original intent of sex was in terms of the foundation of western culture. In this case Christianity; where sex was meant for the confines of marriage as a gift from God.] by @bals2thewall (5:48 AM - 10 Nov 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from 10 Nov 2017 16:11:27 UTC).</ref>

'''Mae:''' 'The original intent of sex'? Based on primitive standards that don't apply to modern society? There is literally no difference between consensual sex in a marriage and outside one.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20171127232040if_/https://twitter.com/MaeDfrog/status/928983424815288321 'The original intent of sex'? Based on primitive standards that don't apply to modern society? There is literally no difference between consensual sex in a marriage and outside one.] by @MaeDfrog (5:51 AM - November 10, 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from November 27, 2017).</ref>

'''Peterson:''' Except for the marriage part.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180519151626if_/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/929213180848381952 Except for the marriage part.] by Jordan B Peterson (21:04 - 10 nov. 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived ffrom May 19, 2018).</ref>}}

Peterson doesn't quite justify [[marital rape]]. ''Quite''. And for those outside of marriage, Peterson maintains "we have no idea" how to reduce rapes:<ref name=vicetransscript/>

{{quotebox|Vice Interviewer: women get raped quite a bit in colleges. Do you feel like that's a problem?

Peterson: I don't think that that's a very good way of stating the problem.

Vice Interviewer: I don't know how to more clearly state the problem, which is that women get raped in college.

Peterson: The problem is that sexual behavior in young people is complex and dysregulated and often fueled by [[alcohol]]. And so all sorts of things happen that people regret and don't like. And we have no idea what to do about it.<ref name=vice/><ref name=vicetransscript/>}}

It's worth noting that Peterson has been accused of sexual assault three (!) times, by his own admission:<ref name=vicetransscript>[https://medium.com/@killmeohana/transcript-of-last-segment-of-peterson-interview-8561880c28cd Transcript of last segment of Peterson interview] by Ohana (Feb 16, 2018) ''Medium''.</ref>

{{quotebox|I've been warned innumerable times not to have a discussion with a student, male or female, but it's the females that are of concern to this particular rule, with the door closed and that's that's not like six months ago, that's not like 3 months ago, that's like advice from the last 50 years. '''I don't listen to that because I think, 'Sorry, I'm not living that way.'''' But these things are tense, they're tense, and we won't talk about them intelligently and maturely. '''You know, I've also been accused three times in my career of sexual impropriety, baseless accusations, and the last one really tangled me up for a whole year, it's ''not'' entertaining.''' So there's plenty to be sorted out, but like I said already, we live in the delusion of a 13 year old adolescent girl, so as long as we maintain that level of sophistication, we're not gonna have a real conversation about what rules should govern men and women in the workplace, so you can't even open the damn discussion without being jumped on by, uh, you know, an array of, like, rabid harpies.}}

We're certainly glad that Peterson wasn't entertained by his sexual assault allegations.

===Violence and women===
{{cquote|# 2 of questions [[Galileo gambit|to get crucified for asking]]: Do feminists avoid criticizing Islam because they unconsciously long for masculine dominance?|||Jordan Peterson, open-minded feminism understander<ref>[https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/913533213301182465 # 2 of questions to get crucified for asking: Do feminists avoid criticizing Islam because they unconsciously long for masculine dominance?] ''Twitter''</ref>}}
{{cquote|Throughout history, some men have justified their domination of women by simultaneously relishing and deploring an image of the dangerous and transgressive female, whose largely imaginary crimes, sexual promiscuity (with the uncomfortable question marks this poses over any child's paternity) and irresponsible drunkenness demonstrate the need for tight male control.|||{{wpl|Mary Beard (classicist)|Mary Beard}}, ''SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome''}}
Peterson has claimed that men can't control "crazy women" because using physical violence against women is socially unacceptable:<ref>[https://thevarsity.ca/2017/10/08/jordan-peterson-i-dont-think-that-men-can-control-crazy-women/ Jordan Peterson: "I don't think that men can control crazy women": U of T psychology prof says he's "defenceless" against "female insanity"] by Tom Yun (October 8, 2017) ''The Varsity''.</ref><ref name=Paglia>[https://youtu.be/v-hIVnmUdXM?t=2254 Modern Times: Camille Paglia & Jordan B Peterson] (Oct 2, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref>
{{quotebox|[H]ere's the problem, I know how to stand up to a man who's, who's, uh, unfairly trespassing against me, and the reason I know that is because the parameters for my resistance are quite well-defined, which is: we talk, we argue, we push, and then it becomes physical. Right? Like, '''if we move beyond the boundaries of civil discourse, we know what the next step is. Okay, that's forbidden in, in discourse with women, and so I don't think that men can control crazy women.''' I &mdash; I really don't believe it. I think that they have to throw their hands up in, in, in, in what?, in, in, it's not even disbelief, it's the cultural — there's no step forward that you can take under those circumstances because if the man is offensive enough and crazy enough, the, the reaction becomes physical right away, or at least the threat is there.}}

Indeed, the subject of violence is disturbingly central to his [[worldview]]. He goes so far as to view those who ''wouldn't'' resort to violence with utter contempt:<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/enoughpetersonspam/comments/n0m14l/why_is_there_so_much_emphasis_on_being_evil_to_be/ Why is there so much emphasis on being evil to be a good person? This sounds like something Neo-Nazis would say to each other.] r/JordanPeterson (April 27, 2021) ''Reddit''.</ref>
{{quotebox|[I]f you're just naive, if you're just nice, if you wouldn't hurt a fly, [if] you don't have the capability for any of that... why would anyone ever take you seriously? You're just a domestic animal at best, and a rather contemptible one at that.}}

He also believes that feminists don't speak out against human rights abuses in [[Saudi Arabia]] due to an "unconscious wish for brutal male domination".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV4iXfjonqI&t=6m20s Jordan Peterson: The Deep Rooted Problems of the "Religion of Peace"] (Aug 30, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref> Apparently, feminists in the West so urgently desire male domination that they have made violence against women socially unacceptable. Right. Also, he doesn't seem to realize that [[Third wave feminism|third-wave feminism]] is a thing, and feminists have spoken very much against human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia by creating awareness of such things in the first place. He can easily do a Google search of feminists that work in Saudi Arabia and discover that ''some were arrested for their jobs.''<ref>Beaumont, P. (May 21, 2018). [https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/may/21/further-arrests-saudi-arabia-womens-rights-activists-driving-ban Further arrests of Saudi women's rights activists in escalating crackdown]. ''The Guardian''. Retrieved April 20, 2019.</ref>

===Systemic barrier denier===
{{cquote|The idea that women were oppressed throughout history is an appalling theory.|||Jordan Peterson, history understander<ref name=mcbride>[https://torontolife.com/city/u-t-professor-sparked-vicious-battle-gender-neutral-pronouns/ The Pronoun Warrior] by Jason McBride (January 25, 2017) ''Toronto Life''.</ref>}}
Peterson also believes that women aren't systemically held back. He states that it's wrong to ask why women are underrepresented in the C-suite (top corporate titles: CEO, CFO, etc.) compared to asking why men dominate that field. According to him, men dominate the field, despite more women graduating from university, because he thinks men, in general, are more obsessed with their career and are willing to work harder, all according to [[stereotype]].<ref>"7 Questions" by Belinda Luscombe (March 19, 2018) ''Time'' 191(11):76.</ref> From his interview with Cathy Newman, however, his claim is based upon the thought that men seem to have more capacity and willingness to enter an extremely competitive field, at men's partial expense. At the same time, women are more involved in seeking a higher quality of life than devoting their life to such a draining career. This argument is rather simplistic, does not contradict the factor of entrenched gender roles, and propagates stereotypes of men and women:<ref>[https://time.com/5175974/jordan-peterson-12-rules-book-interview/ Jordan Peterson Talks Gun Control, Angry Men and Why So Few Women Lead Companies] by Belinda Luscombe (March 7, 2018 12:14 PM EST) ''Time''.</ref>

{{quotebox|'''Would you suggest that trying to give more voice to minorities and to women who feel they have been systemically held back…'''<br>First, I don't think there is any evidence that women are systemically held back. Not in the West. I think we're past that by a decade.}}

{{quotebox|'''Except that we have many more women than men graduating from every level of university and yet they rarely get to the C-suite or the boards. What is going on there?'''<br>I know exactly what’s going on there. If you want to occupy the C-suite, or the top one-tenth of 1% in any organization, you have to be obsessively devoted to your career at the expense of everything else. And women look at that and they think, No. So you actually have to reverse the question. The question isn’t, Why aren’t more women in the C-suite? The question is, Why are there any men? Because it’s the men who are willing to be obsessive about their careers and work 80 hours a week like nonstop and hyper-efficiently. The hyper-productivity of a minority characterizes every domain where there’s creative production. And almost all of the hyper-productive people are men.}}

===Heroine hater===
Peterson notoriously criticized the [[Disney]] animated film ''[[Frozen]]'' as being "reprehensible [[propaganda]]" for challenging traditional gender roles, being absolutely disgusted at the idea that a woman does not require men to succeed.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-Lk7gcLP8Q Frozen movie: Reprehensible propaganda] (Aug 19, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref> In 2017, he wrote:<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/615e3z/i_am_dr_jordan_b_peterson_u_of_t_professor/dfbz5p4/ I am Dr Jordan B Peterson, U of T Professor, clinical psychologist, author of Maps of Meaning and creator of The SelfAuthoring Suite. Ask me anything!] (2017) ''Reddit''.</ref>

{{quotebox|Frozen served a political purpose: to demonstrate that a woman did not need a man to be successful. Anything written to serve a political purpose (rather than to explore and create) is propaganda, not art.{{efn|As noted in the thread, this definition would make Pablo Picasso's {{wpl|Guernica_(Picasso)|Guernica}} "not art".}}

Frozen was propaganda, pure and simple. Beauty and the Beast (the animated version) was not.}}

An academic review of his first book, ''Maps of Meaning'', noted Peterson's misinterpretation of [[Jungian]] theories and uncritical reverence for a [[Pseudopsychology|pseudopsychological]] (and explicitly [[patriarchal]]) mythological framework, which portrays men through the archetypes like "the Hero" or the "Great Father" but portrays women as passive damsels in distress or through the archetype of the "Great and Terrible Mother". As the book doesn't speak of heroines or the archetype of the "Terrible Father", this was seen as a [[double standard]]. Professor Maxine Sheets-Johnstone writes:<ref>[http://www.cogsci.ecs.soton.ac.uk/cgi/psyc/newpsy?meaning-belief.2 The Psychology Of What Is And What Should Be: An Experiential and Moral Psychology of the Known and the Unknown: Review of Peterson on Meaning-Belief] by Maxine Sheets-Johnstone (2000) ''Psycoloquy'': 11(124):2.</ref>

{{quotebox|It is notable, furthermore, that while there is a Great and Terrible Mother, there is only a Great Father, even though this Great Father is tyrannical in the extreme as well as orderly, i.e., even though he, like Great Mother, has a powerful negative as well as powerful positive side. Why his negative side is not so designated in his label is peculiar&mdash;Terrible Father appears only once (p. 379). The lack of balance is particularly striking — and troubling — in light of the fact that men make war, men make [[concentration camps]], men make [[prison]] camps, men dismember men, men [[rape]] women, and so on, and so on. Although Peterson chronicles the horrors of concentration and prison camps at length, recounting experiences described by Frankl at Auschwitz and by Solzhenitsyn at the Gulag Archipelago; although he specifically states that "Man can [[torture]] his brother and dance on his grave," that "Man exults in agony, delights in pain, worships destruction and pathology,… and constantly works to lay waste, to undermine, to destroy, to torment, to abuse and devour," that "Man chooses evil, for the sake of the evil," and that Man tortures and exults and chooses as he does out of "slavish adherence to the forces of socialization" (p. 347); although Peterson chronicles all these horrors and designates "Man" as their author, he does not seem to realize that it is specifically, universally, and virtually only males in "the society of men" who make war, who "torture," "massacre," butcher," "rape," "devour," and so on (p. 347). In short, that Peterson draws our attention to the horrors of "Man," all the while not questioning the patriarchal system itself in which Man's brutalities take place is an astonishing and puzzling omission, all the more so in light of his desire to discover the "human motivation for evil" (p. 460) and the way in which we humans might recognize "our infinite capacity for good" (p. 456); all the more so too in light of the absolute and central binary opposition he draws between male and female throughout.}}

===Porn and sex ed opponent===
{{main|1=Pornography|3=Sex education}}
{{cquote|Intelligence and semen quality: listen up, girls…|||Jordan Peterson on Twitter<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200209014442/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/224723751504326658 Intelligence and semen quality: listen up, girls…] by Jordan B Peterson (9:34 PM - 15 Jul 2012) ''Twitter'' (archived from February 9, 2020).</ref>}}
Peterson has spoken out against pornography, labelling it an "untrammeled social evil" even though by his own admission its introduction has been linked with a decrease in violent rape,<ref name=untrammeled>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H59BtWzO6So Jordan Peterson on Pornography: "An untrammeled social evil"] (Sep 12, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref> and suggested that people should not [[masturbate]] to pornography because it is not a "noble pursuit".<ref name=untrammeled/>

Peterson opposed a proposed [[sex education]] program in [[Ontario]], claiming that a [[social constructionist]] view of gender identity was being "foisted on children"<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2S29lSLdbc&t=1m45s Dr. Jordan Peterson on Wynne's Sex-Ed with Tanya Granic Allen and Queenie Yu] (Feb 16, 2018) ''YouTube''. Time=1 minute, 45 seconds.</ref> and that it is "a form of indoctrination"<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2S29lSLdbc&t=4m02s Dr. Jordan Peterson on Wynne's Sex-Ed with Tanya Granic Allen and Queenie Yu] (Feb 16, 2018) ''YouTube''. Time=4 minutes, 2 seconds.</ref> being pushed by radical leftists.

Additionally, Peterson has criticized casual sex, claiming that it "is simply not commensurate with the demands of an advanced civilization".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnEFt20qe0o 2016/12/31: A New Years Letter to the World] by Jordan B Peterson (2016/12/31) ''YouTube''.</ref> He has even JAQed off about whether casual sex could "necessitate state [[tyranny]]", claiming that "The missing responsibility has to be enforced somehow".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180221113820/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/810165492522455040?lang=en Could "casual" sex necessitate state tyranny? The missing responsibility has to be enforced somehow...] by Jordan B Peterson (8:51 AM - 17 Dec 2016) ''Twitter'' (archived from February 21, 2018).</ref> There's also this lovely broadside against a writer for The Atlantic, where Peterson made several invasive "observations" on Kate Bolick's personal life and marital status instead of discussing the merits of her own arguments:

{{quotebox|Bolick, [[Shaming|with too many ex-boyfriends to count, is still unmarried at 39]]. Eleven years ago, however, she ended a long-term relationship with Allan, who is exceptional, intelligent, good-looking, loyal, and kind. Something was missing, Bolick says. Had she asked me, I would have said 'not enough testosterone'. Perhaps it's time for her to find a tame, lower status boy and make an honest man out of him.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjjAdCbZKbU Agenda Insight: Goodbye to Good Men] (Oct 27, 2011) ''YouTube''.</ref>}}

===Gay marriage opponent===
{{main|Same-sex marriage}}
Peterson has made statements on gay marriage that offer conditional support instead of fully welcoming it. He responded to a question stating that he would be against legalizing gay marriage if it was backed by "cultural Marxists" and that he's concerned about their "assault on traditional modes of being." He also states, "If the marital vows are taken seriously… it's a means whereby gay people could be integrated more thoroughly into standard society and that's probably a good thing." Finally, he states, "Those are my views. I know they're confused… because I'm in favor of extending the bounds of traditional relationships to people who wouldn't be involved in a traditional longer-term relationship but I'm concerned about the undermining of traditional modes of being…"<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jef2C4T1_A&t=57s Jordan Peterson - Gay Marriage] (Oct 4, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref>

However, either he, or his wife have supported effort to slow the progress of marriage equality in Canada:
{{quotebox|Not long [after the C-16 controversy] the following message was sent from his wife’s email address exhorting recipients to sign a petition opposing Ontario’s Bill 28. That bill proposed changing the language in legislation about families from “mother” and “father” to the gender-neutral “parents.”

“A new bill, introduced in Ontario on September 29<sup>th</sup>, subjugates the natural family to the transgender agenda. The bill — misleadingly called the ‘All Families Are Equal Act’ — is moving extremely fast. We must ACT NOW to stop this bill from passing into law.”<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190225041929/https://www.thestar.com/opinion/2018/05/25/i-was-jordan-petersons-strongest-supporter-now-i-think-hes-dangerous.html I was Jordan Peterson’s strongest supporter. Now I think he’s dangerous] by Bernard Schiff (May 25, 2018; updated Feb. 21, 2019) ''Toronto Star'' (archived from February 25, 2019).</ref>}}

The ''actual'' intent of the bill seems to have been to make adoption easier for same-sex couples.

In a Q & A in 2017, Peterson struggled to give a coherent answer as to whether or not he supported gay marriage, claiming that "the cultural Marxists support it", so therefore it isn't a good thing. <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jef2C4T1_A</ref> In 2023, Peterson later said that the gay community was "a hell of a lot better off when they were oppressed by the heterosexual monogamists than when they're allied with the trans activists"<ref>https://www.mediamatters.org/daily-wire/jordan-peterson-i-think-gay-community-was-hell-lot-better-when-they-were-oppressed</ref>

===Ignoring real threats to academic freedom===
While Peterson claims to be inspired by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's political opposition to authoritarianism and refers to his own stance against enforced pronoun use as based on Solzhenitsyn's positions on the importance of students and universities in safeguarding freedom,<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFcn775CqAg Dr. Jordan Peterson speaks at UofT Rally for Free Speech] (Oct 11, 2016) ''YouTube''.</ref> he doesn't seem to be opposed to any contemporary threats to academic freedom of speech outside of [[trans rights]].

As well as the frivolous lawsuits he threatened against a few critics, another example of Peterson mainly using free speech for self-interest while lacking any knowledge of (or doesn't care for if the subjects are things he doesn't like) contemporary political events was especially on display when, while on a book tour in [[Hungary]], Peterson met with Prime Minister [[Viktor Orbán]] who had already carried out an extended [[Antisemitism|anti-semitic]] campaign to diminish [[Hungary]]'s role in the [[Holocaust]] and [[Demonization|demonize]] Jewish groups opposed to his authoritarianism,<ref>[https://www.politico.eu/article/viktor-orban-anti-semitism-problem-hungary-jews/ Viktor Orbán’s anti-Semitism problem: Trump’s guest at the White House is no friend to the Jews.] by William Echikson (May 13, 2019 4:00 pm) ''Politico''.</ref> censoring any gender studies in Hungarian Universities<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/19/europe/hungary-bans-gender-study-at-colleges-trnd/index.html Hungary’s PM bans gender study at colleges saying ‘people are born either male or female’] by Lauren Kent & Samantha Tapfumaneyi (9:22 AM EDT, Fri October 19, 2018) ''CNN''.</ref> as well as actually shutting down a University perceived to be critical of his policies using anti-semitic tropes and explicit [[George Soros|Soros]]-themed [[conspiracy theory|conspiracies]].<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/03/dark-day-freedom-george-soros-affiliated-central-european-university-quits-hungary 'Dark day for freedom': Soros-affiliated university quits Hungary: Central European University is first major university to be pushed out of an EU country] by Shaun Walker (3 Dec 2018 09.50 EST) ''The Guardian''.</ref> While Peterson in the past appeared to have called Orbán an "authoritarian" and "dictator wannabe," the two positively discussed [[political correctness]] as a real threat according to Hungarian media<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190530142412/https://hungarytoday.hu/orban-meets-jordan-peterson-in-budapest/ Orbán Meets Jordan Peterson in Budapest] (2019.05.30) ''Hungary Today''.</ref> which Peterson never contradicted or clarified when requested.<ref>[http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/06/jordan-peterson-orban-meeting-hungary.html Jordan Peterson’s Meeting With Orbán Was Hypocritical — But in Character] by Eric Levitz (June 4, 2019) ''New York Magazine''.</ref> Shortly after, while he didn't explicitly praise Orbán in an interview with ''Magyar Nemzet'', Peterson characterized contemporary society as lacking a religious/[[metaphysical]] foundation and said that Orbán was attempting to provide that foundation in Hungary.<ref name=orban/><ref name=nemzet>[https://magyarnemzet.hu/belfold/az-ertelmes-eletcel-tartja-meg-az-embert-katasztrofa-idejen-6982826/  Az értelmes életcél tartja meg az embert katasztrófa idején. Peterson: Kétséges az iszlám és a demokrácia összeegyeztethetősége] (2019. június 1. szombat 07:24) ''Magyar Nemzet''.</ref> Shortly after that, Orbán shut down the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.<ref>[https://index.hu/english/2019/07/02/hungarian_academy_of_sciences_research_network_taken_away_academic_freedom_ministry_of_innovation_and_technology/ Hungarian Academy of Sciences stripped of its research network] by Kovács Zoltán (2019.07.02. 11:08) 'Index''.</ref>

{{quotebox|Religion is concerned with what is most valuable. Some could say this has no metaphysical basis. But how do they know for sure? We don't know where our conscience comes from, we have no idea why is there a constant battle between good and bad in people's [[soul]]s, and we really don't know how this reflects the inner reality of our world… I know that one of the things your PM [[Viktor Orbán|Orbán]] is trying to do is reinstitute the metaphysical foundations of Hungarian culture. He might be lucky and succeed.<ref name=orban/><ref name=nemzet/>}}

Following Orbán's demonization of immigrants as a means of gaining electoral success, Peterson also took the time to suggest that Islam was incompatible with democracy in the most ignorant way possible.

{{quotebox|MN: The biggest difference (in attitudes) is regarding immigration, multiculturalism and the acceptance of muslim minorities. What do you think about these issues?

JBP: For me it is not clear that Islam is compatible with democracy. We have no proof of it to be compatible. Most of muslim countries are stragglers on the lists compiled by independent international organizations when it comes to freedom and corruption. The issue of women's rights is also frightening in these states. I couldn't name a successful, independent Muslim democracy. So there is a fundamental problem that I won't go into now. I'm not trying to be antagonistic towards muslims. I wish all the best to muslim culture, but they have severe and manifold problems that they need to tackle, and the right approach is not avoiding talking about it.<ref name=orban>[https://reddit.com/r/enoughpetersonspam/comments/bwr7tn/the_interview_that_appeared_in_the/ The interview that appeared in the government-aligned newspaper Magyar Nemzet with Peterson, translated] (c. 2019) ''Reddit''.</ref><ref name=nemzet/>}}

===Opposition to public health measures===
In January 2022, Peterson prepared for a return to public speaking with two opinion pieces in ''The National Post'', one of the two national dailies in Canada.  The first presented his decision to take early retirement and emeritus status from the University of Toronto as the result of persecution,<ref>[https://nationalpost.com/opinion/jordan-peterson-why-i-am-no-longer-a-tenured-professor-at-the-university-of-toronto  Jordan Peterson: Why I am no longer a tenured professor at the University of Toronto: The appalling ideology of diversity, inclusion and equity is demolishing education and business] by Jordan Peterson (Jan 19, 2022) ''National Post''.</ref> and the second argued against attempts to contain the [[COVID-19]] pandemic other than offering vaccines to those who want them and blamed the difficulties of life during the pandemic on public health measures rather than on a deadly, disabling disease which spreads rapidly through the air:

{{quotebox|How long are we going to flail about, hiding behind our masks, afraid to send our children (who are in no danger more serious than risk of the flu) to school, charging university students full tuition for tenth-rate online “education,” pitting family member against family member over vaccine policy and, most seriously, compromising the great economic engine upon which our health also depends? ... Enough, Canadians. Enough, Canadian politicos. Enough masks. Enough social gathering limitations. Enough restaurant closures. Enough undermining of social trust. Make the bloody vaccines available to those who want them. Quit using force to ensure compliance on the part of those who don’t. Some of the latter might be crazy but, by and large, they are no crazier than the rest of us. Set a date. Open the damn country back up, before we wreck something we can’t fix.<ref>[https://nationalpost.com/opinion/jordan-peterson-open-the-damn-country-back-up-before-canadians-wreck-something-we-cant-fix  Jordan Peterson: Open the damn country back up, before Canadians wreck something we can’t fix: The country is growing more authoritarian in response to fear] by Jordan Peterson (Jan 10, 2022) ''National Post''.</ref>}}

In this article, Peterson admired the lack of masks or social restrictions in Tennessee compared to the masks and restrictions in Quebec.  He did not observe that people in Tennessee have been about twice as likely to die of COVID as people in Quebec, which is one of the ''hardest hit'' provinces in Canada.{{efn|There were about 315 deaths per 100,000 residents in Tennessee until late December 2021, and 152 deaths per 100,000 residents in Quebec until late January 2022. For population and COVID statistics for Tennessee<ref>[https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/TN QuickFacts: Tennessee] ''United States Census Bureau''.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220201060114/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/tennessee-covid-cases.html Tracking Coronavirus in Tennessee: Latest Map and Case Count] (Jan. 31, 2022) ''The New York Times'' (archived from February 1, 2022).</ref> And for Quebec<ref>[https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/population-and-age-and-sex-structure-quebec/tableau/population-of-quebec Population of Québec, July 1, 1971-2022] ''Gouvernement du Québec'.</ref><ref>[https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/health-issues/a-z/2019-coronavirus/situation-coronavirus-in-quebec Data on COVID-19 in Québec] ''Gouvernement du Québec'.</ref>}}

===Human rights denier===
{{cquote|Anything anyone else must supply cannot be a right.|||Jordan Peterson,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220620191804/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/1485505275821969412 ]Anything anyone else must supply cannot be a right. Not least because someone else then must supply it. And rights cannot be based on compulsion. Obviously.] by Jordan B. Peterson (10:50 PM - 23 Jan 2022) ''Twitter'' (archived from June 20, 222).</ref> arguing against the right to healthcare, right to food, right to water, right to education, right to an attorney…}}

The distinction between positive and negative [[Rights#General sense of the term|rights]] is both an academic philosophical debate and a right-[[Libertarian]] or [[Ayn Rand|randroid]] talking point against laws or policies which require anyone to do anything for anyone else ("I am not morally obliged to share my bread with a starving person because that would be a positive right, but they are morally obliged not to punch me in the face and take it because that is a negative right").

==Anti-postmodernism==
Peterson does not like [[postmodernism]], judging from the very reasonable number of videos he has produced on the subject.<ref>[https://www.google.co.in/search?q=site:youtube.com+jordan+peterson+postmodernism Randomly generated list of articles from Google]</ref> (In his book, Peterson praises [[Heidegger]], who is sometimes described as the first postmodernist philosopher,<ref>''The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity'' by Jürgen Habermas (1985) MIT Press. ISBN 0262581027.</ref> which would therefore be ironic, sometimes.<ref name=rules/>{{rp|348}}{{efn|{{cquote|I use the term Being (with a capital “B”) in part because of my exposure to the ideas of the 20<sup>th</sup>-century German philosopher Martin Heidegger. Heidegger tried to distinguish between reality, as conceived objectively, and the totality of human experience (which is his “Being”). Being (with a capital “B”) is what each of us experiences, subjectively, personally and individually, as well as what we each experience jointly with others. As such, it includes emotions, drives, dreams, visions and revelations, as well as our private thoughts and perceptions. Being is also, finally, something that is brought into existence by action, so its nature is to an indeterminate degree a consequence of our decisions and choices — something shaped by our hypothetically [[free will]]. Construed in this manner, Being is (1) not something easily and directly reducible to the material and objective and (2) something that most definitely requires its own term, as Heidegger labored for decades to indicate.}}}}) Peterson also constantly abuses and misinterprets ideas by [[Nietzsche]] and [[Carl Jung|Jung]], both of whom he barely understands - but in typical JP fashion pretends to have some kind of deep understanding of, as well as that they wouldn't completely disagree with his Christianity-ridden worldview.

Peterson believes that postmodernism is a severe threat to academic life. In this regard, he shares company with some generally more reasonable figures like [[Richard Dawkins]], who criticized the influence of postmodernism in academia in 1998,<ref>[http://www.physics.nyu.edu/sokal/dawkins.html Postmodernism disrobed: Review of ''Intellectual Impostures'' by Alan Sokal and Jean Bricmont] by Richard Dawkins (1998) ''Nature'' 394:141-143.</ref> and [[Steven Pinker]], who considers it as part of an anti-intellectual [[pseudoscientific]] trend, claiming that "the humanities have yet to recover from the disaster of postmodernism, with its defiant [[obscurantism]], dogmatic relativism, and suffocating political correctness."<ref>[https://newrepublic.com/article/114127/science-not-enemy-humanities Science Is Not Your Enemy]</ref><ref>[https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/steven-pinker/enlightenment-now/ Englightenment Now by Steven Pinker - Kirkus Review]</ref>

In contrast, other {{wpl|criticism of postmodernism}} tends to focus on its ''obscurity'', rather than its omnipresence. For example, [[Noam Chomsky]] writes with frustration about the impregnability of the works of the French School of postmodernism:

{{quotebox|… I'm just incapable of understanding… There are lots of things I don't understand — say, the latest debates over whether [[neutrino]]s have mass or the way that [[Fermat's last theorem]] was… proven recently. But from 50 years in this game, I have learned two things: (1) I can ask friends who work in these areas to explain it to me at a level that I can understand, and they can do so, without particular difficulty; (2) if I'm interested, I can proceed to learn more so that I will come to understand it. Now [[Jacques Derrida|Derrida]], [[Jacques Lacan|Lacan]], [[Jean-François Lyotard|Lyotard]], Kristeva, etc. – even [[Michel Foucault|Foucault]], whom I knew and liked, and who was somewhat different from the rest – write things that I also don't understand, but (1) and (2) don't hold: no one who says they do understand can explain it to me and I haven't a clue as to how to proceed to overcome my failures. That leaves one of two possibilities: (a) some new advance in intellectual life has been made, perhaps some sudden [[genetic]] [[mutation]], which has created a form of "theory" that is beyond [[quantum theory]], topology, etc., in depth and profundity; or (b) … I won't spell it out."<ref>[http://bactra.org/chomsky-on-postmodernism.html Chomsky on Postmodernism] (13 Nov 1995 03:21:23 -0500).</ref>}}

Peterson maintains that the majority of the social sciences and humanities have been "corrupted" by postmodern ideology and thinks specific, more recent disciplines should never have existed in the first place: 
 	
{{quotebox|So, as I said already, women's studies, and all the ethnic studies and racial studies groups, man, those things have to go and the faster they go the better. It would have been better had they never been part of the university to begin with as far as I can tell. [[Sociology]], that's corrupt. [[Anthropology]], that's corrupt. English literature, that's corrupt. Maybe the worse offenders are the faculties of education.<ref>[https://pressprogress.ca/university-of-toronto-professors-warn-jordan-peterson-is-planning-a-targeted-harassment-campaign  University of Toronto Professors Warn Jordan Peterson is Planning a Targeted Harassment Campaign: Is Jordan Peterson becoming too big of a problem for Canada’s largest university to ignore?] (November 10, 2017) ''PressProgress''.</ref>}}
 	
To combat this alleged corruption, Peterson proposed creating a "postmodern lexicon detector”, which would allow students and parents to scan potential university courses and avoid the ones that are allegedly "ideological." Facing heavy criticism, he has since retracted this idea.<ref>[https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/11/13/professor-abandons-plan-list-%E2%80%98neo-marxist-course-content%E2%80%99 Professor Abandons Plan for List of ‘Neo-Marxist Course Content’] by Nick Roll (November 13, 2017) ''Inside Higher Ed''.</ref> His means of surveying the entirety of the social sciences and humanities to determine their corruption – including anthropology, [[archaeology]], [[history]], geography, [[political science]], sociology, classics, English, comparative literature, [[music]], visual arts, religious studies, and law – remains unknown.

Peterson has associated postmodernism with the conspiracy theory of Cultural Marxism. He has produced multiple videos on Cultural Marxism, which he views as a threat to western civilization. Peterson supports the political repression of supposed Cultural Marxists – he accused professors at the Ontario Institute for the Studies of Education of being a "fifth column" for supposedly promoting Marxism, and stated that Institute educators "should be put on trial for treason."<ref>[https://psmag.com/education/jordan-peterson-sliding-toward-fascism How Anti-Leftism Has Made Jordan Peterson a Mark for Fascist Propaganda: When academics start complaining about "cultural Marxism," they're entering—wittingly or no—a realm of deep anti-Semitism.] by Noah Berlatsky (Mar 2, 2018) ''Pacific Standard''.</ref> This is even though Peterson was, by his own admission, a "socialist" in his youth.<ref>[https://www.thepostmillennial.com/in-1977-a-14-year-old-jordan-peterson-was-almost-elected-vice-president-of-the-alberta-ndp/ In 1977 a 14 year old Jordan Peterson was almost elected vice-president of the Alberta NDP] by Cosmin Dzsurdzsa (October 28, 2018 4:51 PM) ''The Post Millennial''.</ref>

==Imperialism and authoritarianism apologia==
Early in his career Peterson emphasized that he was horrified by the atrocities of totalitarian regimes in the 20th century such as Stalin's USSR.  He warned that seemingly harmless policies in Canada were on the [[slippery slope]] to dictatorship.  In 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine with stated goals of ending its existence as a state with an independent policy, Peterson started to repeat Russian talking points on the war such as:

{{cquote|We are now several months into the conflict with Russia.  I say 'we' because we are all pretending here in the West that the real war is between Russia and Ukraine but ... if we ... provide full support for Ukraine then maybe the Russians, foolish and backwards as they are won't notice and we can simultaneously pretend that we aren't flirting with the prospect of a long, arduous and inconceivably destructive war.<ref name=dailywire>[https://www.dailywire.com/news/russia-vs-ukraine-or-civil-war-in-the-west Russia Vs. Ukraine Or Civil War In The West?] by Jordan Peterson (2022) ''Daily Wire''.</ref>}}

Part of Peterson's argument is that [[gender ideology]] may make the West 'degenerate, in a profoundly threatening manner' <ref>[https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/the-third-rail/62d08716c5c05500224b78d3/jordan-peterson-youtube-video-russia-ukraine/ Jordan Peterson Is Terribly Wrong About Russia, and the West: On the intellectual bankruptcy of moral equivalence] by David French (July 15, 2022) ''The Atlantic''.</ref><ref name=dailywire/> and that:

{{blockquote|“We can’t win against Vladimir Putin in any way because you cannot win against someone you cannot say ‘no’ to. Period. And we can’t say ‘no’ to Putin because we sold our soul for his oil and gas."<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAqWOMmgTUY Jordan Peterson Debates The Psychology Of Vladimir Putin With Piers Morgan] (Sep 21, 2022) ''YouTube''.</ref>}}

In other words, resisting Nazi and Soviet imperialism in the past was righteous and justified, but resisting Russian and neofascist imperialism today is wicked and doomed.  Just why Ukrainians must not resist Russian armies torturing and murdering them, but Canadians must resist requests to call someone by their preferred name or wear a mask in crowded indoor spaces during a respiratory pandemic, is not explained by Peterson.

==Pseudoscience==
{{cquote|Spend half an hour on his website, sit through a few of his interminable videos, and you realize that what he has going for him, the niche he has found — he never seems to say "know" where he could instead say "cognizant of" — is that Jordan Peterson is the stupid man's smart person.|||Tabatha Southey<ref>[http://www.macleans.ca/opinion/is-jordan-peterson-the-stupid-mans-smart-person/ Is Jordan Peterson the stupid man's smart person? Tabatha Southey delves into University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson's work and finds his secret sauce—and what makes his work unnerving] by Tabatha Southey (November 17, 2017) ''Maclean's''.</ref>}}
Peterson presents himself as a defender of [[science]] and criticizes poor methodology in fields like sociology. However, Peterson often makes non-scientific speculation and offers [[unfalsifiable]] opinions.

{{anchor|molecule-reading shamans}}
===Molecule-reading shamans and other DNA woo===
[[File:Anonymous-Fuxi and Nüwa.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Fuxi (right) with his sister, Nüwa]]
After reading {{wpl|The Cosmic Serpent|''The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge''}} by Jeremy Narby (a book that hypothesizes that [[shaman]]s may be able to access information at the molecular level through the ingestion of [[ayahuasca]]), Peterson [[Credulity|came to believe]] that the double helix structure of the [[DNA]] molecule was being represented in the twin-snake motifs in ancient Egyptian, Chinese<ref name=neuropsychology>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb5cBkbQpGY&feature=youtu.be&t=1h45m32s 2017 Maps of Meaning 8: Neuropsychology of Symbolic Representation] by Jordan B Peterson (Mar 13, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref> and [[Hindu]] art<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9j-bVDrGdI&t=65m49s 2017 Personality 22: Conclusion: Psychology and Belief] by Jordan B Peterson (Jun 11, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref> as well as in the symbol of the caduceus from ancient Greek mythology (which he mistakenly equated with the rod of Asclepius<ref>{{wpa|Caduceus as a symbol of medicine}}</ref>). Peterson's claims [[pseudoarchaeology|are not accepted by mainstream archaeologists]]; indeed, Peterson utterly fails to present a method through which humans could possess knowledge about molecular processes (on the other hand, humans can observe real live snakes mating, which would explain the inspiration of these images).{{efn|Contrast [[Deepak Chopra]], who explains this problem with "[[quantum woo|quantum]]".}} When confronted about it, Peterson speculated that people might be able to have [[Extrasensory perception|mysterious unexplained perceptions]] under certain conditions. <ref name=biblical>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ifi5KkXig3s&feature=youtu.be&t=8543 Biblical Series IV: Adam and Eve: Self-Consciousness, Evil, and Death] by Jordan B Peterson (Jun 19, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref> Interestingly, the art he specifically references [Fuxi and Nuwa] does not include a double helix at all as the helices are not parallel as required to form a double helix, as well as the structure of DNA. If you want to enjoy the absurdity at length:<ref name=neuropsychology/><ref>[https://debunkingdenialism.com/2018/06/25/jordan-peterson-ancient-art-depicts-dna/ Jordan Peterson Wrongly Claims Ancient Art Depicts Structure of DNA] by emilskeptic (June 25, 2018) ''Debunking Denialism''.</ref>

{{quotebox|This is from [[China]]. So this is Fuxi and Nuwa, I think I got that right… But I just love that representation… It is so insanely cool this representation! So you see the sort of… the primary mother and father of humanity emerging from this underlying snake-like entity with its tails tangled together. I think that is a repres… I really do believe that this, although it is very complicated to explain why. I really believe that is a representation of DNA, so…and that representation, that entwined double helix, that is everywhere… you can see it in Australian aboriginal arts and I am using the Australians as an example because they were isolated in Australia for like 50 000 years. They are the most archaic people that were ever discovered and they have clear representations of these double helix structures in their art, so… and those are the two giant serpents out of which the world is made, roughly speaking. It is the same thing you see in the staff of Asclepius, which is the healing symbol that physicians use although that is usually only one snake but sometimes it is two. So that is a Chinese representation and then there is this.}}

Peterson also stated in a lecture that the [[theory of evolution]]'s reliance on copying errors to produce mutations is where the theory is "weak".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux6TVYqdN-E&feature=youtu.be&t=19m43s 2016 Lecture 03 Maps of Meaning: Part I: The basic story and its transformations] by Jordan B Peterson (Feb 4, 2016) ''YouTube''.</ref> In the same lecture, he stated that he thinks that "DNA is a very, very complex microcomputer… maybe it's a [[quantum computer]]".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux6TVYqdN-E&t=23m0s 2016 Lecture 03 Maps of Meaning: Part I: The basic story and its transformations] by Jordan B Peterson (Feb 4, 2016) ''YouTube''.</ref> This claim is an old [[creationist]] [[canard]] and is considered by actual biologists to misrepresent how it actually works.<ref>[https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/02/24/the-genome-is-not-a-computer-p/ The genome is not a computer program] by PZ Myetrs (24 February 2008) ''Pharyngula''.</ref>

===Quantum woo===
{{main|Quantum woo}}
Peterson has also dabbled in [[quantum woo|quantum mysticism]]. For example, in a debate with philosopher {{wpl|Ronald de Sousa||.}} Peterson displayed both a tenuous grasp of quantum theory (which one might expect from a psychologist) and a willingness to knit buzzwords foreign to his subject into the fabric of an academic presentation (which one should avoid). In particular, Peterson claimed that [[quantum physics]] affirms his spiritual view of the world:

{{quotebox|Now you may know that there's an interpretation in quantum physics, for example, called the [[Copenhagen interpretation]], and not everybody agrees with it, but according to the Copenhagen interpretation no event is an actualized event until it's perceived. And the person who formulated that [[hypothesis]], John Wheeler,{{efn|Peterson is confusing the Copenhagen interpretation with the {{wpl|Interpretations of quantum mechanics#Consciousness causes collapse|participatory anthropic principle}}}} is one of the most renowned physicists of the 20<sup>th</sup> century and he believed, before he died, quite firmly that whatever [[consciousness]] is played an integral role in Being. Now it seems to me after studying this for a very long period of time that '''the entirety of Western civilization is predicated on the idea that there's something divine about individual consciousness''' and after studying that for such a lengthy period of time and trying to figure out what it meant, I think I found out what it meant. I think I found out that '''the reason that our archaic stories say that [[human being]]s, men and women, are made in the image of God is because consciousness plays a central role in Being itself'''. Modern people think the world is somehow simply made out of objects and then they look at the world and then they think about the world and then they evaluate it and then they act, but let me tell you as a neuroscientist{{efn|Peterson is not a neuroscientist.}} […] that is wrong. There's no debate about it, it's just wrong. […] The facts of the matter seem to be something more like this: '''the world is actually made of potential, and that potential is actualized by consciousness'''.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zCP9mW0GH4&t=21m15s Peterson and de Sousa debate Living Without the Sacred?] (May 25, 2011) ''YouTube''. Time=21 minutes, 15 seconds.</ref>}}

Quantum mechanics is only useful for explaining the mechanics of the universe at atomic or subatomic levels. As such, it cannot help Peterson explain ''anything'' about their field.

===Misunderstanding myths===
{{cquote|The story of [[Deepity|Adam and Eve represents the fruit as producing a psychological transformation.]] So the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is an abstraction across trees, and it's trying to say: "Here's something that's common across trees, it's a fruit that's common across trees. The fruit that's common across trees is something that you might call food, fair enough. But here's something that's even more cool; food that's stable across the entire domain of food, isn't food, it's information. We use the same bloody circuits in our brain to forage for information that animals use to forage for information. Why is that? Because we figured out knowing where the food is, is more important than having the food. … That's why we're information foragers.<ref name=biblical/>}}
In attempting to co-ordinate various mythologies, using Carl Jung's "archetype" psychological theory into a common narrative, Peterson runs the risk of baseless syncretism, especially as his primary concern is Christianity. For example, when describing [[Buddhist]] concepts in ''Maps of Meaning: the Architecture of Belief'', he describes nirvana as "perfection". He equates it with the Christian idea of [[Heaven]] to draw parallels between the two belief systems.<ref name=maps>''Maps Of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief'' by Jordan B. Peterson (1999) Routledge. ISBN 0415922224.</ref> Some claim this reflects a [[Buddhism#Common Misconceptions about Buddhism|common misconception of Buddhist concepts]] but could be a problem of interpretation and conflicting theology.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070304051450/http://www.purebuddhism.org/nirvana.html Nirvana] ''Pure Buddhism'' (archived from March 4, 2007).</ref><ref>[http://www.ecclesia.gr/greek/press/theologia/material/2004_2_3_Papademetriou.pdf Nirvana: A State of Perfection (Buddhist vision of the ultimate Good)] by George C. Papademetriou</ref><ref>[http://www.encyclopedia-of-religion.org/nirvana.html What Is Nirvana] ''Encyclopedia of Spiritual Knowledge''.</ref>

===Global warming===
{{cquote|Well, that's because there's no such thing as climate. Right? "Climate" and "everything" are the same word, and that's what bothers me about the climate change types. It's like, this is something that bothers me about it, technically. It's like, climate is about everything. Okay. But your models aren't based on everything. Your models are based on a set number of variables. So that means you've reduced the variables, which are everything, to that set. Well how did you decide which set of variables to include in the equation, if it's about everything? That's not just a criticism, that's like, if it's about everything, your models aren't right. Because your models do not and cannot model everything.|||Jordan Peterson, science and scientific models understander<ref>[https://www.salon.com/2022/01/26/joe-rogan-jordan-peterson-give-their-definition-of-black-and-say-theres-no-such-thing-as-climate/ Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson give their definition of Black and say "there's no such thing as climate"] By Brett Bachman (Jan 26, 2022 6:47PM EST) ''Salon''</ref>}}
{{cquote|The climate models can predict the past. Just like models of the stock market. I defy these "modellers" to predict one stock accurately for one year and to bet their own money on the outcome. And one stock is a lot less complex than "climate" particularly out a century.|||Because if you study climate for decades, then surely you can lend your expertise to the totally unrelated field of stock predictions.<ref>@jordanbpeterson. (January 27, 2022).[https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/1486840669264044035?s=19]. ''Twitter''. Accessed January 28, 2022.</ref>}}
{{cquote|He's [Bjørn Lomborg] casually called a "climate change denier," for example, which is an appallingly treacherous term of criticism, used to denigrate someone personally by associating them with Holocaust deniers. The ethics of anyone who employs it should be instantly questioned.|||Jordan Peterson<ref name=starvation>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210622000504/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/1071493364837695488 He's casually called a "climate change denier," for example, which is an appallingly treacherous term of criticism, used to denigrate someone personally by associating them with Holocaust deniers. The ethics of anyone who employs it should be instantly questioned.] by Jordan B Peterson (11:55 AM - 8 Dec 2018) ''Twitter'' (archived from June 22, 2021).</ref>}}
{{cquote|The "unlikely" part makes it thoroughly reassuring. So it'll only cost my right to teach (as opposed to biology denier Dr. Nicholas Matte).|||Jordan Peterson<ref name=Twitter1>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180519155228/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/794348587324993536 The "unlikely" part makes it thoroughly reassuring. So it'll only cost my right to teach (as opposed to biology denier Dr. Nicholas Matte).] by Jordan B Peterson (18:20 - 3 Nov 2016) ''Twitter'' (archived from May 19, 2018).</ref>}}
{{cquote|Human emissions of carbon dioxide have saved life on Earth from inevitable starvation & extinction due to CO2 {{sic}}|||Jordan Peterson, quoting, without properly putting quotes or at least specifying it's a quote, from a denialist article<ref name=Twitter2>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180224184639/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/825871336333574144 Human emissions of carbon dioxide have saved life on Earth from inevitable starvation & extinction due to C02] by Jordan B Peterson (5:00 PM - 29 Jan 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from February 24, 2018).</ref>}}
Peterson retweeted global warming deniers including [[Anthony Watts]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180224184515if_/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/485807558666371075 Properly placed NOAA weather stations show no warming over last decade http://wp.me/p7y4l-sSf via @wattsupwiththat] By Jordan B Peterson (8:28 AM - 6 Jul 2014) ''Twitter'' (archived from February 24, 2018).</ref><ref>[https://archive.ph/ro4SE Good news for penguins: Antarctic sea ice at second highest level in past 34 years (!)] by Jordan B Peterson (8:04 PM - 7 Mar 2014) ''Twitter'' (archived from 14 Jul 2021 07:25:02 UTC).</ref><ref name=wattscooling>[https://archive.ph/fNjXo Despite fervent apocalyptic wishes, intransingent home planet appears to be cooling:] by Jordan B Peterson (7:36 PM - 7 Mar 2014) ''Twitter'' (archived from 14 Jul 2021 07:20:43 UTC).</ref> [[Bjorn Lomborg]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180224184504if_/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/540155016930000896 Bjorn Lomborg: Global warming is hardly the world’s biggest problem http://natpo.st/1slajjg via @fullcomment] by Jordan B Peterson (6:46 AM - 3 Dec 2014) ''Twitter'' (archived from February 24, 2018).</ref> [[Richard Lindzen]],<ref>[https://archive.ph/ih5nF Something for the anticapitalist environmentalists to hate] by Jordan B Peterson (9:13 PM - 1 Aug 2018) ''Twitter'' (archived from 14 Jul 2021 07:31:13 UTC).</ref> and the ''[[Daily Mail]]''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180224184529/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/485805993968676864 Too much ice in Antarctica: penguins shivering. http://dailym.ai/1mjAqls via @MailOnline] by Jordan B Peterson (8:22 AM - 6 Jul 2014) ''Twitter'' (archived ffrom February 24, 2018).</ref> Peterson claims that his retweets aren't endorsements, but it is irresponsible for him to share climate change denial links without critical examination or without critical commentary (climate change denial is complete rank pseudoscience), especially when his conservative audience is highly receptive to climate change denial. Even if his retweets aren't necessarily promoting pseudoscience, Peterson's regular tweets downplay global warming, consistent with his retweets. For example, one of his tweets links to a blog called "NoTricksZone" (a reference to the "trick" word in [[Climategate]]): "So it turns out that it was scientists who were sensitive to atmospheric CO2 level increases?"<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180224184607if_/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/920415141358845952 So it turns out that it was scientists who were sensitive to atmospheric CO2 level increases?] by Jordan B Peterson (3:24 PM - 17 Oct 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from February 24, 2018).</ref> On occasion, he supports the "global cooling"<ref name=wattscooling/><ref>[https://archive.ph/oXuQI Cooling into warming? http://wp.me/pPrQ9-qvU via @wordpressdotcom] by Jordan B Peterson (9:23 AM - 6 Jul 2014) ''Twitter'' (archived from 14 Jul 2021 07:43:15 UTC).</ref> as well as the "carbon-dioxide-is-good-for-plants" talking points.<ref name=starvation/> This kind of self-contradicting vagueness that results from his denying that retweets are endorsements yet the regular tweeting's suggesting endorsements is another example of the obtuse manner Peterson presents his views.

===Drugs and the supernatural===
{{main|1=Drug|3=Supernatural}}
In a conversation with [[atheist]] [[Matt Dillahunty]] that discussed religion and [[magic mushrooms]], Peterson claimed that one cannot quit [[smoking]] without divine help and implied that mystical experiences may point to (but are not direct evidence of) the existence of God. A transcript of the conversation in question is provided:<ref>[https://youtu.be/FmH7JUeVQb8?t=902 Jordan Peterson vs Matt Dillahunty] (May 4, 2018) ''YouTube''.</ref>

{{quotebox|
'''Dillahunty:''' We have no confirming that this something mystical or supernatural actually can — happened, this this is this is about the language —<br>
'''Peterson:''' Stops people from smoking.<br>
'''Dillahunty:''' Well, you can stop smoking without any sort of supernatural intervention.<br>
'''Peterson:''' No, not really. <br>
'''Dillahunty:''' You can't stop smoking without supernatural —<br>
'''Peterson:''' There aren't really any, any reliable chemical means for inducing smoking cessation. You can use a drug called Bupropion, I think that's the one, whatever Wellbutrin is, um —<br>
'''Dillahunty:''' Is that supernatural? <br>
'''Peterson:''' No, you don't need a supernatural effect, but it doesn't work very well, but if you give people magic mushrooms, [[psilocybin]], and they have a mystical experience, they have about an 85 percent chance of smoking cessation.<br>
'''Dillahunty:''' Sure, but —<br>
'''Peterson:''' With one treatment. Yeah, but that's kinda like evidence, you know.<br>
'''Dillahunty:''' Sure —<br>
'''Peterson:''' It's kinda like evidence.<br>
'''Dillahunty:''' It's evidence that you can take mushrooms and increase your chance of quitting smoking.<br>
'''Peterson:''' No it's not, it's indication that if you take mushrooms, and you have a mystical experience, you'll stop smoking. Because it doesn't work if you don't have the experience.<br>
'''Dillahunty:''' Okay, if you take the mushrooms, and you have an experience that you describe as mystical, um, then you'll decrease your chances of smoking. But that doesn't tell me that there's something to this notion that they had an experience that was supernatural in any sense.<br>
'''Peterson:''' Well, it's not definitive evidence, but &mdash;<br>
'''Dillahunty:''' It's not evidence at all!<br>
'''Peterson:''' Oh sure it is! Wait a second, wait a second, that's wrong, it is evidence!<br>
'''Dillahunty:''' No. He's right. He's right. I will concede that.<br>
'''Peterson:''' So, because, look, you want to think this through [[skeptical]]ly, okay, you have a pharmacological substance, psilocybin, and you give it to people who are trying to commit — to quit smoking, the psilocybin doesn't directly have an impact on the smoking behavior, it has to elicit what's described subjectively as a mystical experience, and you can get physiological indicators of that mystical experience, and you might say that's not enough to prove that it's a mystical experience, but you know, you're conscious, and I accept that, it's like you accept all sorts of things without being able to demonstrate their, their validity on every possible objective, um, with every possible objective criteria, so don't get into too much of a hurry, it's a serious issue, if you give people psilocybin for example, and they have a mystical experience, not only are they much more likely to quit smoking, which is really something, but they're also much less likely to death anxiety if they have cancer, like, that's quite the thing, and not only that, if you test them a year later and they've had a mystical experience, which the majority of them regard as the most significant one or two three, one two or three experiences of their life, including such things as getting married, their personalities are permanently altered in the direction in the direction of more openness to experience and more creativity by a standard deviation, like that's walloping effects, so we can't get too much in a hurry about dispensing with all that.<br>
'''Dillahunty:''' So, skepticism, as I repeatedly point out on the show, is not about cynicism, it's not about debunking, and I'm not saying that there is no supernatural and that there is no mystical experience. What I'm saying is, the thing that people subjectively describe as "I had an incredibly impactful mystical experience," whether it comes from taking a pharmaceutical, or whether it comes from attending a revival church service, or hearing a particular preacher, whether it comes from having a particularly impressive sexual experience, all of those things, that is the subjective description of that, which may be because of limitations in language, that they don't have any other — this is the language that infuses culture, so that we have to use that to describe it but that doesn't in any way serve to confirm that there is any sort of supernatural realm or any sort of supernatural actor.<br>
'''Peterson:''' Well it depends on how you define supernatural. Like, look, I get your point. And I'm not saying that the phenomena of psilocybin intoxication is direct proof for the existence of God.}}

The study Peterson seemed to be referencing had a sample size of 12 people.<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4342293/ Psilocybin-occasioned Mystical Experiences in the Treatment of Tobacco Addiction] by Albert Garcia-Romeu et al. (2015) ''Curr. Drug Abuse Rev.'' 7(3):157–164. doi:10.2174/1874473708666150107121331.</ref> However, it is common when testing dangerous drugs to limit sample size — for example, Vollenweider et al.'s 1998 examination of [[schizophrenia]] and psilocybin had just 25 people.<ref>[http://en.psilosophy.info/psilocybin_induces_schizophrenia_like_psychosis_in_humans_via_a_serotonin_2_agonist_action.html Psilocybin induces schizophrenia-like psychosis in humans via a serotonin-2 agonist action] by Franz X. Vollenweider et al. (1998) '' Neuroreport'' 9(17):3897-902. doi:10.1097/00001756-199812010-00024.</ref>

===Meat only diet===
{{main|Carnivore diet}}
{{cquote|I eat beef and [[salt]] and [[water]]. That’s it. And I never cheat. Ever. Not even a little bit.|||Jordan Peterson in 2018<ref name=gabbatt>[https://www.theguardian.com/food/2018/sep/10/my-carnivore-diet-jordan-peterson-beef My carnivore diet: what I learned from eating only beef, salt and water: Jordan Peterson insists his fad diet helps you lose weight and feel better. I tried it for a week, and let me tell you: it was truly, punishingly awful] by Adam Gabbatt (11 Sep 2018 00.00 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref>}}

[[File:Peterson - Our Carnivore Diet.jpg|thumb|200px|You too can be featured in a bootleg book cover (created not by you, but some incompetent fanboy) as inexplicably smaller, poorly cropped, and suffering from poor camera exposure from pursuing a meat-only diet.<ref>''Jordan & Mikhaila Peterson — Our Carnivore Diet: How to cure Depression and Disease with Meat only: Revised Transcripts and Blogposts — featuring Dr. Shawn Baker.'' by Johnny Rockermeier (2019) Bookmundo Direct. ISBN 946398061X. [https://archive.ph/pGgmF archived Amazon page] from 4 Apr 2021 07:04:05 UTC, not currently for sale).</ref> — depressing, isn't it?]]

In 2016, Peterson embraced a heavy meat diet mixed with green vegetables.<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2018/03/16/jordan-peterson-is-trying-to-make-sense-of-the-world-including-his-own-strange-journey.html Jordan Peterson is trying to make sense of the world — including his own strange journey] by Vinay Menon (March 16, 2018) ''Toronto Star''.</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw8Rf9h0-Sk Jordan Peterson and his all meat diet] (Feb 4, 2018) ''YouTube''.</ref> In 2018, he cut out the greens and now only eats beef.<ref>[https://www.livekindly.co/jordan-peterson-all-meat-diet-dystopia/ Jordan Peterson’s All-Meat Diet Is the Dystopia He Warned Us About] by Jill Ettinger (2018) ''Live Kindly''.</ref>

Peterson's daughter Mikhaila is a proponent of the pseudoscientific meat only diet, and Peterson has claimed benefits from it. On this diet, they eat only beef, salt and drink water, even omitting medication.<ref name="Atlantic">[https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/08/the-peterson-family-meat-cleanse/567613/ The Jordan Peterson All-Meat Diet] by James Hamblin (August 28, 2018) ''The Atlantic''.</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/19/my-beef-with-jordan-petersons-all-cow-diet My beef with Jordan Peterson's all-cow diet: The psychologist’s daughter Mikhaila invented the beef diet to ease her health problems. It’s best taken with a pinch of salt] by Emer O’Toole (19 Sep 2018 12.15 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref> Their diet is known as "The Lion diet".<ref name=gabbatt/><ref name="sutton">{{Cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-05/carnivore-diet-of-meat-and-water/11757396|title=The beefed-up diet 'changing lives' but health experts not so sure|last=Sutton|first=Malcolm|date=2019-12-05|work=ABC News - Australia|language=en-AU|access-date=2020-02-02}}</ref><ref name="hamblin">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/08/the-peterson-family-meat-cleanse/567613/|date=28 August 2018|title=The Jordan Peterson All-Meat Diet|author=James Hamblin|work=The Atlantic|access-date=2020-02-02|issn=1072-7825}}</ref> Medical experts condemn the diet (as well as stopping medication) as dangerous. It lacks critical nutrients, which could have devastating health effects.<ref name=gabbatt/><ref>[https://www.sciencealert.com/something-you-should-know-about-100-meat-pure-carnivore-diet-palaeo-keto-health-cancer-vitamins-nutrients There's Something You Should Know About The 100% Meat 'Pure Carnivore Diet'] by 
Peter Dockrill (17 September 2018) ''Science Alert''.</ref><ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/carnivore-diet-plan-results-meat-only-fad-nutrition-health-warning-a8489266.html 'Carnivore diet': New social media trend criticised by nutritionists as 'very damaging'] by Rachel Hosie (13 August 2018 14:40) ''The Independent''.</ref> There are also adverse ecological effects, as harvesting beef requires mammoth resources.

Peterson claims the diet has eliminated the symptoms of "His lifelong depression, anxiety, gastric reflux (and associated snoring), inability to wake up in the mornings, psoriasis, gingivitis, floaters in his right eye, numbness on the sides of his legs, problems with mood regulation."<ref name="Atlantic"/>  There is no scientific evidence for any of these claims. In 2021, Peterson revealed that he is still unhappy, and that his life's "been stressful beyond comprehension" since publicly revealing his controversial ideas in 2016<ref>Anders Anglesey, [https://www.newsweek.com/jordan-peterson-tells-tucker-carlson-his-life-has-not-been-happy-since-speaking-out-1588459 Jordan Peterson Tells Tucker Carlson His Life 'Has Not Been Happy' Since Speaking Out] by Anders Anglesey (5/4/21 at 10:01 AM EDT) ''Newsweek''.</ref> — perhaps he should try giving up public speaking?

He also has stated that after adopting the diet, his body is more susceptible to changes. For example, merely deviating by drinking some apple cider "produced an overwhelming sense of impending doom", possibly caused an inflammatory response, and deprived him of sleep for 25 consecutive days.{{efn|The current scientifically-documented record is {{wpl|Randy Gardner sleep deprivation experiment|11 days|.}} Guinness used to list 18 days, but discontinued the record so as not to give anyone ideas about breaking it.}} Asked how this is possible, he replied, "I'll tell you how it's possible: You lay in bed frozen in something approximating terror for eight hours. And then you get up."<ref name="Atlantic"/>

Poor guy.

When Meaterson was directly asked if he would recommend the diet, he said no despite having fans that contacted him, claiming that following Mikhaila's diet made them lose weight.<ref>JRE Clips (July 2, 2018). [https://youtu.be/HLF29w6YqXs?t=720 Joe Rogan - Jordan Peterson's Carnivore Diet Cured His Depression?] (Jul 2, 2018) ''YouTube''.</ref>

In March 2023, Mikhaila published Peterson's vitamin results after 5 years of allegedly only eating beef, salt and water.<ref>[https://archive.ph/DeWZq Vitamin Results 2023 (5 years on the Lion Diet)]</ref> Peterson claims he does not take any supplements, but looking at his vitamin results, this cannot be the case. He is either eating other foods secretly or he is taking supplements as his Vitamin C and  Vitamin E scores are very good. Cooked beef is very low in vitamin E, so it is impossible that Peterson is not consuming other foods or is supplementing.<ref>[https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1982.tb12883.x Vitamin B12, E and D Content of Raw and Cooked Beef]</ref> It is very likely that he is taking vitamin E supplements. Mikhaila has not published her father's lipid panel results.

===Lobsters and demands for human hierarchy===
[[File:Mother and daughters with lobster claw deformity, c. 1912 Wellcome L0033874.jpg|thumb|Like fringe [[eugenicists]] before his dubious ascendance, Peterson likes to compare human beings to lobsters.]]
{{cquote|Peterson is at his murkiest when he is talking about nature. Half the time he seems to be committing the [[naturalistic fallacy]]: he'll describe tendencies that exist, and imply that these things are therefore good. So he'll talk about dominance hierarchies among lobsters, and exhort young men to "Look for your inspiration to the victorious lobster." Of course, the animal kingdom is also a place of {{wpl|Mutualism (biology)|mutual aid|,}} and for a man to emulate a lobster is like a woman treating the existence of the praying mantis as a [[Cannibalism|license to eat her husband]].|||Nathan J. Robinson<ref name=CurrentAffairs/>}}
In January 2018, during an interview with British journalist Cathy Newman to promote his self-help book, ''12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos'',<ref name=rules/> Peterson argued that hierarchies are not a social construct, but biological to some extent. To prove his point, Peterson infamously compared humans' tendency to form social hierarchies to lobsters, which display "hierarchical" behavior in that the biggest lobsters fight off other smaller lobsters when it comes to food and mates.<ref>[http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/156853965x00048 A Dominance Order for Shelter in the Spiny Lobster ''Jasus lalandei'' (H. Milne-Edwards)] by D. R. Fielder (1965) ''Behavior'' 24(3/4):236-245.</ref><ref>[http://theconversation.com/amp/psychologist-jordan-peterson-says-lobsters-help-to-explain-why-human-hierarchies-exist-do-they-90489 Psychologist Jordan Peterson says lobsters help to explain why human hierarchies exist – do they?] by Leonor Gonçalves (January 24, 2018 2.33pm GMT) ''The Conversation''.</ref><ref>[https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/01/putting-monsterpaint-onjordan-peterson/550859/ Why Can't People Hear What Jordan Peterson Is Saying? A British broadcaster doggedly tried to put words into the academic’s mouth.] by Conor Friedersdorf (January 22, 2018) ''The Atlantic''.</ref>  He also asserted that lobsters' nervous systems respond to serotonin in a similar manner as humans, which actually is true to some extent.<ref>[https://www.pnas.org/content/94/11/5939 Serotonin and aggressive motivation in crustaceans], Robert Huber, Kalim Smith, Antonia Delago, Karin Isaksson, and Edward A. Kravitz, PNAS.org</ref> Dr. Peterson is [[Ultracrepidarianism|not a marine biologist]].  "No biologist would argue with Peterson that dominance hierarchies have probably existed for a long time, but it's also true that plenty of animals live together without the need to assert dominance over one another."<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/06/04/jordan-peterson-needs-to-reconsider-the-lobster/ Jordan Peterson needs to reconsider the lobster.] by Bailey Steinworth (4 June 2018) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

==Jungian psychology and the origins of his worldview==
Peterson's worldview has been most influenced by psychologist [[Carl Jung]], philosopher [[Friedrich Nietzsche]] and [[Soviet]] dissident {{wpl|Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn||,}}<ref name=mcbride/> perhaps most so by the former since Jung was a pioneer in Peterson's chosen field of psychology. Peterson's inspiration by Jung can also be seen in his abuse of classical Jungian concepts (such as archetypes, myths, the collective unconscious, and synchronicity), but appropriated and then rearranged by Peterson in order to advance his own reactionary politics to the public.

Peterson's peculiar claims that he is somehow both a Christian (favoring the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]])<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIB05YeMiW8 Am I Christian? Timothy Lott and Jordan B Peterson] (Aug 1, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref><ref>[https://www.helleniscope.com/2020/07/10/jordan-peterson-on-orthodox-christianity-christ-is-the-logos/ Jordan Peterson on Orthodox Christianity: Christ is the Logos!!] (July 10, 2020) ''Helleniscope''.</ref> ''and'' an atheist<ref name=blatchford/> can be traced back to his being influenced by Solzhenitsyn (an Orthodox Christian) and Nietzsche (an atheist).{{efn|It should be noted that there are indeed openly atheistic members of the broader definition of Christianity, but they are generally restricted to [[Unitarian Universalism]] and [[Quakers]] — [[Secular religions#Christian-originated secular religions]].}}

====Collective unconscious====
Peterson uses speculactive Jungian constructs such as mythical archetypes<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170209183638/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDQ8DiP_Y_A&gl=US&hl=en Jordan Peterson: Integrating Your Shadow Self (Jung)] (Feb 8, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref> and the "[[collective unconscious]]" in his books and lectures. The "collective consciousness" asserts that all humans have an "unconscious mind" which is derived from ancestral memory that is common to all humankind. The idea of the unconscious mind is one of the oldest ideas in the field of psychology and is still generally in use.<ref>[https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/supersurvivors/201707/does-the-unconscious-really-exist  Does the Unconscious Really Exist? Some psychologists think the unconscious mind is pure fiction.] by David B. Feldman (July 17, 2017) ''Psychology Today''.</ref> For example, Jung's view on mythology holds that similarities in myths and narratives across cultures are something that "strongly points to an underlying commonality of structure and purpose" — i.e., that all mythologies come from a shared subconscious experience.<ref name=maps/>{{rp|92}}

====Synchronicity====
Carl Jung also developed the principle of "synchronicity", which purports that apparently meaningful [[coincidence]]s may have a [[Correlation does not imply causation|deeper psychological interpretation even when there is no apparent causal link]]. Jung proposed synchronicity has a possible connection with alleged [[extrasensory perception|ESP]] phenomena, and it is often misidentified as [[paranormal]] pseudoscience. In Jungian theory, [[astrology]], the [[I Ching]], and paranormal events are all products of synchronicity. It is the causal psychological principle from which they originate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20111107105114/http://www.terrapsych.com/jungdefs.html A Glossary of Jungian Terms] by Craig Chalquist, ''Terrapsychology'' (archived from November 7, 2011).</ref><ref>[http://skepdic.com/jung.html synchronicity] ''The Skeptic's Dictionary''.</ref><ref name="Shermer2002">[https://web.archive.org/web/20131216005441/http://www.antoniolombatti.it/SkepticEncyclopedia1.pdf ''The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience''] by Michael Shermer (2002) ABC-CLIO. Volume 1. ISBN 1576076539.</ref>

As a (pseudo)Jungian, Peterson has repeatedly cited synchronicity to explain coincidences that he notices,<ref>[https://archive.ph/cvDnc Synchronicity? I think so…] by Jordan B Peterson (9:52 PM - 12 Feb 2018) ''Twitter'' (archived from 15 Jul 2021 07:30:47 UTC).</ref><ref>[https://archive.ph/wip/f4Phg Synchronicity 2: Re 12 Rules for Life, June 2017:] by Jordan B Peterson (10:10 AM · Jun 6, 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from 15 Jul 2021 07:33:59 UTC).</ref> including the apparent likeness between [[Pepe the Frog]] and Kek, the Frog-headed ancient Egyptian deity.<ref>[https://archive.ph/wip/CIEsa More frog synchronicity: https://pepethefrogfaith.wordpress.com] (8:02 PM · Nov 6, 2016) ''Twitter'' (archived from 15 Jul 2021 07:38:01 UTC).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180507114644/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rTg9S_-pto Praise Kek and frog synchronicity - Jordan Peterson] (Dec 9, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref> While it's unclear if this was in jest, Peterson has made a few other paranormal claims (see above section {{sl|molecule-reading shamans}}).

====Religion====
[[File:Peterson Advertising Atheism The Agenda With Steve Paikin.png|thumb|right|165px|Peterson explaining that atheism causes hair loss]]
{{cquote|[Question:] Why do you not explicitly endorse Christianity?<br/>[Answer:] Because it's more powerful to endorse it implicitly :)<ref>[https://archive.ph/xkRxp I am Dr. Jordan B Peterson, U of T Professor, clinical psychologist, author of 12 Rules for Life and Maps of Meaning, and creator of The Self Authoring Suite. Ask me anything!] (c. 2018) ''Reddit'' (archived from 15 Jul 2021 20:00:09 UTC)..</ref>}}
Peterson presents himself as a [[cultural Christian]] who believes that [[belief in belief|atheism leads to meaningless societies]]. For example, in a 2011 debate with various atheists, Peterson argued that [[Stalin]]'s atheism and alleged pessimistic outlook motivated his mass-murders:<ref name=advertising>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48V0m2lia5U Advertising Atheism] (Oct 12, 2011) ''YouTube''.</ref>
{{clear}}

{{quotebox|'''Peterson:''' No, he [Stalin] was killing people because, as a rational man, his conclusion [was] that life was so unbearable that it should be wiped out. Uh, you know, you guys who…

'''Robert Buckman:''' Jordan, [incomprehensible] he was a rational man?

'''Peterson:''' Hang on a second! You know, you guys are into, you know, rational thinking, forget all the time[s] that – rational thinking can go in a variety of directions. It depends on your initial [[presupposition]]s. If you believe that life is worth living – which, by the way, under some conditions, is highly debatable – you're gonna come up with a pretty optimistic conclusion. But if you've looked at life and you think that the suffering of most people is unbearable and life is evil, which is what Stalin thought, you have no problems whatsoever mobilizing everything you can to kill as many people as you can. And if you don't have any faith, like any faith, in an ultimate authority that says, essentially, that life is sacred, what's to stop you from stopping that? The fact that you have good…

'''Buckman:''' It's called morality.

'''Peterson:''' Yeah, where does ''that'' come from?

'''Buckman:''' Well, Stalin and I differed in terms of morality.}}

In 2013, Peterson supported [[presuppositionalism]],{{efn|Peterson's idea is not new. That axioms are required for proof is ancient knowledge, {{wpl|Euclid's Elements|known to Euclid}} and his contemporaries.}} by using one of the worst syllogisms ever.

{{quotebox|Proof itself, of any sort, is impossible, without an [[axiom]] (as Gödel proved{{efn|As an aside, this is ''not'' what [[Gödel's incompleteness theorems]] proved.}}). Thus faith in God is a prerequisite for all proof.<ref>[http://archive.ph/khKVm Proof itself, of any sort, is impossible, without an axiom (as Godel proved). Thus faith in God is a prerequisite for all proof.] by Jordan B Peterson (9:03 PM - 25 Nov 2013) ''Twitter'' (archived from 22 Jan 2017 02:45:17 UTC).</ref>}}

{{quotebox|To say "I believe in God" is equivalent, in some sense, to say "my thought is ultimately coherent, but predicated on an axiom (as my thought is also incomplete, so I must take something on faith)."

To say "I don't believe in God" is therefore to say "no axiom outside my thought is necessary" or "the necessary axiom outside my thought is not real." The consequence of this statement is that God himself unravels, then the state unravels, then the family unravels, and then the self itself unravels.

To stem this unraveling with false certainty: that is [[totalitarianism]]. To speed it along is [[nihilism]]. We experimented with totalitarianism in the twentieth century, as alternative to the ultimate axiom of faith in the unknowable and unspeakable. Totalitarianism failed. Now we will have to experiment to{{sic}} nihilism. This experiment, led by the resentful, will also fail and it is as doubtful that we can survive it as it was that we could survive totalitarianism.<ref>[[:File:Jordan Peterson Facebook God Axioms Presuppositionalism 2013.jpg|Screenshot of Facebook post by Jordan B Peterson (November 25, 2013) 9:36pm]]</ref>}}

In 2013, among his 32 answers to the question, "If you could write a rule book for being a man, what 'man law' would you write," Peterson included the following dictates:

{{quotebox|3: Keep the sacred fire burning.

9: Offer your sons up as a sacrifice to God.

12: Consult the ancestral spirits.

16: Make a worthy temple for the Lord.

27: Bring heaven to earth.

28: Take on the [[sin]]s of the world.<ref>[https://www.quora.com/If-you-could-write-a-rule-book-for-being-a-man-what-man-law-would-you-write-What-are-the-qualities-of-a-good-husband-father-or-brother-What-one-thing-would-you-want-to-see-in-your-daughters-boyfriend-or-husband-Why/answer/Jordan-B-Peterson If you could write a rule book for being a man, what "man law" would you write? What are the qualities of a good husband, father, or brother? What one thing would you want to see in your daughter's boyfriend or husband? Why?] by Jordan B Peterson (c. 2014) ''Quora''.</ref>}}

In 2016, Peterson supported a link between atheism and the decline of meaningful lives:

{{quotebox|I have lectured and written for the last thirty years, working on ideas originally laid out by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and the novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky. In the late 1800's, these two thinkers began to contend with the "death of God" — the disruption of traditional religious and cultural belief by rationality and science. '''If God dies, Dostoevsky said, "everything will then be permitted." This is a very frightening idea. As you move forward through time and history from the 19<sup>th</sup> century and contemplate National Socialism and the horrors of totalitarian communism, Dostoevsky looks positively prophetic.'''

The same is true of Nietzsche. '''In the aftermath of God's death, he believed humanity, would become entranced, even possessed, by utopian political ideas, such as those of Marx. Nietzsche believed that such possession would kill millions in the twentieth century, as it did.''' The great German thinker also posited that human beings would have to create their own values, to fill the void left by God's demise. However, it is not clear that we can create values, voluntarily. Individuals who have forced themselves to manifest interest in something that just didn't interest them know the limits of our value-creating capacity. We also don't live particularly long. It's impossibly difficult to self-generate a complete model for being in the span of a single short life. 

'''Dostoevsky, for his part, recommended a conscious revisiting of Russian Orthodox Christian ideas. But it is also not clear that we can return safely to past certainties, real or imagined.''' There may be much we have to rescue from our damaged traditions, but all of it will have to be viewed in a new light, if it is going to function and live.

'''I have been working, instead, on the belief that transcendent values genuinely exist; that they are in fact the most tangible realities of being. Such values have to be discovered, as much as invented, during the dance of the individual with society and nature.''' Then they have to be carefully integrated and united into something powerful and stable. This is in part something that Carl Jung discovered, during his forays into the deep past of ideas.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20181221075018/https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/donate/ Support Dr. Peterson’s Projects] ''Patreon'' (archived from December 21, 2018).</ref>}}

In 2017, Peterson reiterated this idea:

{{quotebox|'''The worship of the rational mind makes you prone to totalitarian ideology. The Catholic Church always warned against this.'''{{efn|Never mind that the Catholic Church has routinely supported authoritarian regimes, from [[Monarchy|monarchies]] to dictatorships such as in {{wpl|Francoist Spain||.}}}} The warning was that the rational mind always falls in love with its own creations. '''The intellect is raised to the status of highest god. The highest ideal that a person holds — consciously or unconsciously — that's their god.''' It functions precisely in that manner. It exists forever, it exists in all people, it takes them over and exists in their behavior. That's a god. We have to think about that idea functionally.}}

{{quotebox|If religion was the opium of the masses, then communism was the methamphetamine of the masses.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_GPAl_q2QQ Biblical Series III: God and the Hierarchy of Authority] by Jordan B Peterson (Jun 6, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref>}}

In 2017, Peterson described the "Kingdom of God" as a goal to reach in a poem titled "Wisdom":<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKHuxVvA7T8 2017/04/24: Banned lecture at Linfield College: Ethics and Free Speech] by Jordan B Peterson (May 2, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref>{{efn|Beware of the non-humanities academic who thinks that he's a poet, it will turn out like the ''Songs of a Chartered Accountant''<ref>''Songs of a Chartered Accountant'' by Arthur Bennett (1930) Gee.</ref> or [[Propaganda|worse]].}}

{{quotebox|'''Life is suffering'''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180519153610if_/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/855771680680980482 Life is suffering] by Jordan B Peterson (06:14 - 22 apr. 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from May 19, 2018).</ref><br>
Love is the desire to see unnecessary suffering ameliorated<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180519153609/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/855771862055264261 Love is the desire to see unnecessary suffering ameliorated] by Jordan B Peterson (06:14 - 22 apr. 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from May 19, 2018).</ref><br>
Truth is the handmaiden of love<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180519153609if_/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/855771990174556160 Truth is the handmaiden of love] by Jordan B Peterson (06:15 - 22 apr. 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from May 19, 2018).</</ref><br>
Dialogue is the pathway to truth<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180519153609/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/855772127344984064 Dialogue is the pathway to truth] by Jordan B Peterson (06:15 - 22 apr. 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from May 19, 2018).</ref><br>
Humility is recognition of personal insufficiency and the willingness to learn<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180519153608if_/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/855772605919277056 Humility is recognition of personal insufficiency and the willingness to learn] by Jordan B Peterson (06:17 - 22 apr. 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from May 19, 2018).</ref><br>
To learn is '''[[Resurrection|to die voluntarily and be born again]]''', in great ways and small<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180519153608/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/855772749389746176 To learn is to die voluntarily and be born again, in great ways and in small] by Jordan B Peterson (06:18 - 22 apr. 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from May 19, 2018).</ref><br>
So speech must be untrammeled, so that dialogue can take place<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180519153608if_/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/855772903467384832 Speech must remain untrammeled so that dialog can take place] by Jordan B Peterson (06:18 - 22 apr. 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from May 19, 2018).</ref><br>
So that we can all humbly learn<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180519153607if_/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/855773002604044289 So that we can all humbly learn] by Jordan B Peterson (06:19 - 22 apr. 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from May 19, 2018).</ref><br>
So that truth can serve love<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180519153607/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/855773112637333504 So that truth can serve love] by Jordan B Peterson (06:19 - 22 apr. 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from May 19, 2018).</ref><br>
So that suffering can be ameliorated<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180519153607if_/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/855773254903939072 So that suffering can be ameliorated] by Jordan B Peterson (06:20 - 22 apr. 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from May 19, 2018).</ref><br>
'''So that we can all stumble forward to the Kingdom of God﻿'''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180519153606if_/https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/855773350248894464 So that all of us can stumble forward to the Kingdom of God] by Jordan B Peterson (06:20 - 22 apr. 2017) ''Twitter'' (archived from May 19, 2018).</ref>}}

In 2017, Peterson described music as filling the spiritual void in atheistic society:

{{quotebox|One of the things that struck me as near miraculous about music, '''especially in a rather nihilistic and atheistic society,''' is that it really does fill '''the void which was left by the death of God''' — and its because you cannot rationally critique music. It speaks to you, it speaks of meaning, and no matter what you say about it, no matter how cynical you are, you cannot put a crowbar underneath that and toss it aside.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhlL7IjaZNI Drinking from the Firehose with Howard Bloom] by Jordan B Peterson (Dec 1, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref>}}

In 2018, Peterson asserted that he was now an unbeliever, but supported [[Pascal's Wager]]:

{{quotebox|Are you a Christian? Do you believe in God?

I think the proper response to that is[, "]No, but I'm afraid He might exist["].<ref name=blatchford/>}}

In 2018, Peterson claimed that [[Nazism]] and Marxism were "atheist doctrines":

{{quotebox|[Question:] Dr. Peterson you've claimed that the atrocities of [[Nazi Germany]] came out of a loss of belief in God. However only about 1.5% of Germans in 1939 claimed to lack a religious belief, and many of the anti-semitic beliefs propagated by the Nazis were inspired by those of Christian figures like [[Martin Luther]]. How can you explain the populist spread of Nazism in Germany as the result of atheism when the historical facts do not suggest such a conclusion?<br>[Answer:] Nazism was an atheist doctrine. So was Marxism.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/8m21kw/i_am_dr_jordan_b_peterson_u_of_t_professor/dzkahd2/?context=8&depth=9 I am Dr. Jordan B Peterson, U of T Professor, clinical psychologist, author of 12 Rules for Life and Maps of Meaning, and creator of The Self Authoring Suite. Ask me anything!] (2018) ''Reddit''.</ref>}}

In May 2025, Peterson participated in a debate against 20 atheists hosted by {{wpl|Surrounded (web series)|Jubilee}} on YouTube. When an atheist named Danny asked Peterson about his religious beliefs, Peterson refused to clarify whether he identified as a Christian or not:<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://youtu.be/Pwk5MPE_6zE |title=Jordan Peterson vs 20 Atheists {{!}} Surrounded |author=Jubilee |website=YouTube |date=May 26, 2025 |access-date=September 22, 2025}}</ref>{{rp|50:50–51:30s}}
{{Quotebox|
'''Danny:''' How do they [Catholics] regard [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Mary]]?<br>
'''Peterson:''' Why are you asking me this?<br>
'''Danny:''' Because you're a Christian.<br>
'''Peterson:''' You say that, I haven't claimed that!<br>
'''Danny:''' Oh what is this, is this "Christians vs. Atheists"?<br>
'''Peterson:''' I don't know.<br>
'''Danny:''' You don't know where you are right now.<br>
'''Peterson:''' Don't be a smart ass.<br>
'''Danny:''' Well— either you're—<br>
'''Peterson:''' [interjects] And I mean it.<br>
'''Danny:''' Either you're a Christian or you're not.<br>
'''Peterson:''' [interjects] Because I won't talk to you if you're a smart ass.<br>
'''Danny:''' Either you're a Christian or you're not, which one is it?<br>
'''Peterson:''' I— I can be either of them but I don't have to tell you.<br>
'''Danny:''' You could be— You don't have to tell me? I was under the impression, I was invited, to talk to a Christian. Am I not talking to a Christian.<br>
'''Peterson:''' No, you were invited to...<br>
'''Danny:''' I think everyone should look at the title of the YouTube channel, you're probably in the wrong YouTube video.<br>
'''Peterson:''' You're really quite something, you are.<br>
'''Danny:''' Aren't I, but you're really quite nothing. Right, you're not a Christian!<br>
'''Peterson:''' [[Ragequit|Okay I'm done with him]].<br>
}}
The video was originally titled "One Christian vs. 20 Atheists Ft. Jordan Peterson", but was later renamed by Jubilee to "Jordan Peterson vs 20 Atheists" due to this interaction. Peterson has since been ridiculed online by both Christians and atheists for refusing to take a stance on whether he is Christian or not.

In short: Peterson appears, for the past decade, to be wholly on board with the idea that religion is essential for a functioning society, sometimes called [[belief in belief]]. However, his historical [[evidence]] is weak at best or just wrong. Given that [[fascism]] has usually been religious in nature and that neither fascism nor communism has been preceded by widespread irreligion.

==Defamation lawsuits and threats against critics==
While Peterson calls himself a free speech lover and is hailed by his supporters as a champion of free speech, he has sued several of his critics for pretty lame reasons. Lindsey Shepherd, a teaching assistant at Wilfrid Laurier University, was reprimanded by her professor, Nathan Rambukkana, for showing a video of Peterson in class. Rambukkana stated that presenting a Peterson video in class was inappropriate, comparing it to presenting a speech by [[Godwin's Law|Hitler]]. Unbeknownst to the professor, the TA was recording the conversation and publicly released the audio of the conversation. Peterson subsequently filed a defamation lawsuit against Wilfred Laurier University. Despite Rambukkana making his remarks on Peterson in private, Peterson's case stated that Rambukkana should have known audio of his comments would have been posted on YouTube and be used to destroy Peterson's reputation.<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2018/06/21/jordan-peterson-sues-wilfrid-laurier-university-for-defamation-over-staff-remarks-during-meeting.html Jordan Peterson sues Wilfrid Laurier University for defamation over staff remarks during meeting] by Peter Goffin (June 21, 2018) ''Toronto Star''.</ref>

When Wilfrid Laurier University's statement of defense stated that the media exposure of the case actually helped Peterson, Peterson launched a second lawsuit against the University. Since it's okay when Peterson does it, Peterson then compared Wilfrid Laurier [[Irony|to the Nazis]], stating that accusing Peterson of gaining from the lawsuit was like saying that "those who survived the Holocaust should be grateful to their oppressors for teaching them survival skills."<ref>[https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/pa8dyy/free-speech-hero-jordan-peterson-launches-another-defamation-lawsuit Free Speech Hero Jordan Peterson Launches Another Defamation Lawsuit] by Mack Lamoureux (September 12, 2018, 9:15am) ''Vice''.</ref>

Peterson additionally threatened to file a defamation lawsuit against Kate Manne, who accused him of [[misogyny]] in a critical book review of ''12 Rules for Life''.<ref>[https://www.thecut.com/2018/09/jordan-peterson-threatened-to-sue-feminist-critic-kate-manne.html Exclusive: Jordan Peterson Threatened to Sue a Critic for Calling Him a Misogynist] by Irin Carmon (Sept. 20, 2018) ''The Cut''.</ref> Following a negative book review of ''12 Rules for Life'' in the ''[[New York Times]]'' by Pankaj Mishra, Peterson called Mishra an "arrogant racist son of a bitch" and threatened to "slap" Mishra should they ever meet in person.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/23/jordan-peterson-rage-self-help-guru-cathy-newman-twitter Sorry, Jordan Peterson: rage isn’t a great look for a self-help guru] by Nesrine Malik (23 Mar 2018 05.00 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref> In 2021, in response to a Twitter poster who mocked Peterson's benzos addiction; Peterson called the poster a "sanctimonious, slandering, arrogant, careless little prick", and said the poster would need a benzos should they meet face to face, implying Peterson wanted to become physically violent.<ref>@jordanbpeterson [https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/1460776261010264067]. ''Twitter'', Retrieved December 6, 2021.</ref>

Peterson additionally has authoritarian, censorious views on higher education- he has called his colleagues at University of Toronto's graduate educational institute a "fifth column" who should be "arrested for treason"- by which he means the alleged teaching of Marxism.<ref>Berlatsky, Noah. (March 2, 2018). [https://psmag.com/education/jordan-peterson-sliding-toward-fascism]. ''Pacific Standard.''</ref> 

In response to a post by [[Justin Trudeau]] calling for Canadians to get a COVID-19 booster shot, Peterson insulted the Prime Minister and said "You'd have to kill me first."<ref>@jordanbpeterson [https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/1474595549177434117]. ''Twitter'', Retrieved December 28, 2021.</ref> Considering his feeble body and COVID-19 flying around, we don't think the Prime Minister needs to help.

Peterson also suggested that people who refer to him as [[cisgender]] should "call me cis to my face and see what happens", a clear implied threat.<ref>Shuttleworth, Catherine. (29 June 2023). [https://www.indy100.com/viral/jordan-peterson-mocked-cis-askren Jordan Peterson mocked by UFC fighter for threatening people who call him 'cis']. ''Indy 100.''</ref>

==Fake quotes==
Even during his rare moments of clarity, Peterson says a lot of dumb shit. This doesn't excuse misquoting him, however. Some common examples follow:

===Rape would be unnecessary===
Twitter account "Jordan Peterson or Islamist Cleric?" made a [[meme]] with the quote "If women weren't so choosy, then rape would be unnecessary."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180624032421if_/https://twitter.com/JBPorCleric/status/979525958528065536 If women weren't so choosy, then rape would be unnecessary.] by Jordan Peterson or Islamist Cleric? (6:09 PM - 29 Mar 2018) ''Twitter'' (archived from June 24, 2018).</ref> This misquotes a set of Reddit comments Peterson made in defense of his lecture, ''Tragedy vs Evil'':<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/lectures/comments/2frwau/jordan_peterson_evil_and_tragedy_4236_an_amazing/clqsmg9/ Jordan Peterson - Evil and Tragedy (42:36) An amazing mix of psychological and philosophical insight into evil, and how individual evil can lead to society-wide disruption. Fascinating.] (c. 2015) ''Reddit''.</ref><ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/lectures/comments/2frwau/jordan_peterson_evil_and_tragedy_4236_an_amazing/clqs91w/ Jordan Peterson - Evil and Tragedy (42:36) An amazing mix of psychological and philosophical insight into evil, and how individual evil can lead to society-wide disruption. Fascinating.] (c. 2015) ''Reddit''.</ref>

{{quotebox|Also, the fact that women can be raped hardly constitutes an argument against female [[sexual selection]]. Obviously female choice can be forcibly overcome. But if the choosiness wasn't there (as in the case of chimpanzees) then rape would be unnecessary. Read David Buss on female sexual selection.

[…]

Here is the link for "twice as many female ancestors"[:] http://arxiv.org/pdf/1203.6231.pdf}}

In turn, context from the lecture makes it clear that he's making an argument that women are the sexual selectors (rather than males), and claims that the fact that males rape females more often than the reverse is evidence of this:<ref>[https://youtu.be/MLp7vWB0TeY?t=999 Tragedy vs Evil] by Jordan B Peterson (Mar 30, 2013) ''YouTube''.</ref>

{{quotebox|I think it means, first of all, that women make men self-conscious, and I think there's ample reason to presume that, and there's good [[evolutionary]] reasons for suggesting why that might be the case, because sexual selection among human beings has been a primary force of evolutionary development, and sexual selection in human beings is primarily conducted by women, so, for example, as Roy has pointed out in his address to the APA a few years ago, and I hope I get this right, twice as many of your relatives are women as men and that means that women are more frequently reproductively successful than men and that they reject most men, and the rejection of a man for reproductive purposes by a woman is the most serious form of rejection that's possible from an evolutionary point of view, because the judgment is that, 'Well, you might be nice enough to talk to, but you're sure not fit to have your genes propagate into the next generation,' so it's no wonder that women can make self make men self-conscious[.]}}

==Real quotes==

*"Up yours, woke moralists! We'll see who cancels who" - Jordan Peterson at the end of his meltdown over Twitter banning him for [[misgendering]] and [[deadnaming]] Elliot Page, and leveling unfounded accusations of criminality toward their surgeon. <ref>https://youtu.be/UYfKWQqvFac?t=852</ref>
*"Thank God For the Legacy Media And Bisexuality Visibility Day! Sincerely, Oppressed Invisible Nonexistent Bisexuals Nowhere" - Jordan Peterson posting about Bisexuality Visibility Day on his Twitter account <ref>[https://archive.ph/OtGe3]</ref>

==Non-expert witness status==
Peterson has put himself forward as an [[expert witness]] in psychology. Courts aren't so keen on him in [[child]]-related cases, chiefly because he is not a child psychologist and has no experience in custody management (if you ever wondered why Peterson is so opposed to law as an area of study, although the counter-argument could be that Peterson worked in a large law firm in Toronto for 15 years during the 2000s into the 2010s.) In <i>Sordi v. Sordi</i>, 2009 CanLII 80104 (ON SC), the whole document is clear and worth reading, but Justice D. Roger Timms, though not a psychologist himself, notes in particular:<ref>[https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2009/2009canlii80104/2009canlii80104.html <i>Sordi v. Sordi</i>, 2009 CanLII 80104 (ON SC)](2009-12-02) ''CanLII''.</ref>

{{quotebox| I will deal next with Dr. Peterson's report entitled “Multiple rater response to play assessment description From Kawartha Family Court Assessment Service Report”. It is dated May 4, 2009. This is perhaps the most interesting of all of the reports that counsel for the respondent wishes the court to consider.  It comes as close to “junk science” as anything that I have ever been asked to consider.

That title is somewhat misleading in that it contains less than two pages of references to articles that Dr. Peterson found by doing an on-line search of on-line material on that topic. Dr. Peterson has no expertise in that area. If he had, then he might have known that the proposition that fathers play a key role in proper development of children in both intact and non-intact families, and that mothers have no legal “leg-up” when it comes to deciding custody cases, have long since been accepted by our courts here in Canada. I do not need to consider any of the articles referred to by Dr. Peterson to accept that.

The apparent but unfounded arrogance of Dr. Peterson found throughout this report [and for that matter in some of the other reports] is troubling and give rise to the question of whether his reports are not [[bias]]ed in more than one fashion. That there can be more than one type of bias when it comes to experts is explored by Professor David Paciocco in his article “Taking a 'Goudge' out of Bluster and Blarney: an 'Evidence-Based Approach' to Expert Testimony”.[9] On page 18 of his paper, Professor Paciocco lists and defines many possible types of bias, including: lack of independence bias; adversarial bias; [[selection bias]]; team bias; professional interest bias; association bias; and noble cause distortion bias. I venture the opinion that Dr. Peterson suffers from at least two, if not three, of those.}}

In <i>R. v. Pearce (M.L.)</i>, 2014 MBCA 70 (CanLII), Peterson failed to sell the court (Justices Barbara M. Hamilton, Marc M. Monnin and Christopher J. Mainella) on his "Unfakeable Big Five" personality test as a forensic tool — "The appellant proposed to call two psychologists (Drs. Jordan B. Peterson and Timothy E. Moore) as expert witnesses to support his [[Confabulation|false confession]] defence":<ref>[https://www.canlii.org/en/mb/mbca/doc/2014/2014mbca70/2014mbca70.html R. v. Pearce (M.L.), 2014 MBCA 70 (CanLII)] (2014-07-17) ''CanLII''.</ref>

{{quotebox | [88] The situation here is even more remote. It is difficult to see how Dr. Peterson's technique of assessing the personality of a person for his private consulting business satisfies the Daubert factors to make it admissible for a forensic purpose. Dr. Peterson provided no evidence that his technique of personality assessment has been properly tested for the purpose it is being used for here, detecting when an agreeable person may falsely confess to the police. All Dr. Peterson could say is he hired university students to try and fake the personality assessment and they couldn't do it. That is not scientific validation. There has been no [[peer review]] of the technique of the Unfakeable Big Five. Dr. Peterson provided no rate of error or accepted deviations. In fact, he claimed, without any proof, that his assessment tool cannot be deceived while other personality assessment techniques can be. Finally, there is no evidence that the Unfakeable Big Five is generally accepted as a forensic tool. It was designed and is used for Dr. Peterson's private consulting clients to hire employees.

[90] While not necessary to decide this appeal, I would close discussion of the judge's ruling on Dr. Peterson's proposed expert evidence by expressing concern about the decision to attempt to proffer Dr. Peterson as an expert witness on areas that he was clearly not qualified as he had no background whatsoever regarding [[police]] interrogations. This decision unnecessarily complicated and delayed this trial and is proof positive of the concern expressed in D.D. (at para. 56) of the detrimental impact on the justice system of attempting to use dubious expert opinion.}}

==Stopped clock==
In a [[Stopped clock|stopped clock moment]], Peterson says in an interview with Dave Rubin that he opposes the [[Capital punishment|death penalty]]. He says he doesn’t want to give the state the power to kill people, and he mentions the cost and complexity of death penalty cases in the United States.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L30_hfuZoQ8 The Death Penalty feat. PragerU] (Apr 27, 2020) ''YouTube''.</ref>

==Peterson Academy==
On September 27, 2023, Peterson announced the formation of Peterson Academy.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Zq8jRqOMeg Jordan Peterson’s Online University] by Jordan B. Peterson (September 27, 2023) ''YouTube''.</ref> As of July 2024, they have still not filled any staff positions.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20240707034141/https://careers.petersonacademy.com/ Careers] ''Peterson Academy'' (archived from July 7, 2024)..</ref> From the scant information given from the website, it appears to be nothing more than the promise of a bunch of videos from some like-minded individuals: Jonathan Pageau on Symbolism & Christianity, Peterson on Nietzsche, [[Bret Weinstein]] & Heather Heying on Evolutionary Interference, James Orr on [[Plato]], [[men's rights activist]] Warren Farrell on The Boy Crisis, Rob Henderson on The Psychology of Social Status, Nigel Bigger on Deconstruction Decolonization.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20240522125425/https://petersonacademy.com/subscribe Subscribe] ''Peterson Academy''.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Carl Jung]]
*[[Joseph Campbell]]
*[[Julius Evola]]
*[[Fun:List of Canadians who were prosecuted for using incorrect gender pronouns]]
*[[Peter Thiel]] — A right-wing billionaire who has reportedly had links to Peterson for years.<ref>Nafeez Ahmed (December 10, 2021). [https://bylinetimes.com/2021/12/10/peter-thiels-free-speech-for-race-science-crusade-at-cambridge-university-revealed/ "Peter Thiel's Free Speech for Race Science Crusade at Cambridge University Revealed"]. ''Byline Times''.</ref><ref>Wesley Yang (May 1, 2018). [https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a19834137/jordan-peterson-interview/ "The Passion of Jordan Peterson"]. ''Esquire''.</ref>

==External links==
===By Peterson===
*[https://jordanbpeterson.com JordanBPeterson.com], his website
*[https://www.youtube.com/user/JordanPetersonVideos/videos JordanPetersonVideos] on YouTube
*[https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson @JordanBPeterson] on [[Twitter]]
*[https://www.facebook.com/drjordanpeterson/ Dr Jordan B Peterson] on [[Facebook]]
*[https://www.reddit.com/user/drjordanbpeterson drjordanbpeterson] on [[Reddit]]
*[https://www.quora.com/profile/Jordan-B-Peterson Jordan B Peterson] on Quora

===On Peterson===
*[https://www.amazon.com/Jordanetics-Journey-Humanitys-Greatest-Thinker/dp/9527065690 Jordanetics: A Journey Into the Mind of Humanity's Greatest Thinker] by [[Vox Day]]. Really, what more needs saying? 
*[https://www.reddit.com/r/enoughpetersonspam/wiki/critique r/EnoughPetersonSpam wiki]
*[https://www.thestar.com/opinion/2018/05/25/i-was-jordan-petersons-strongest-supporter-now-i-think-hes-dangerous.html I was Jordan Peterson's strongest supporter. Now I think he's dangerous], Bernard Schiff, The Star
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kasiov0ytEc Analysis of Peterson's video "Genders, Rights and Freedom of Speech"], ''The Agenda with Steve Paikin''.
*[https://www.viewpointmag.com/2018/01/23/postmodernism-not-take-place-jordan-petersons-12-rules-life/ Postmodernism Did Not Take Place: On Jordan Peterson's 12 Rules for Life], Viewpoint Magazine
*[https://twitter.com/classiclib3ral/status/960233344297512961 Some humour about Peterson's inability to remember his social media passwords]
*[[ContraPoints]] [https://twitter.com/ContraPoints/status/862448094511849472 on Peterson's ideas about being "forced" to use pronouns], [https://web.archive.org/web/20180303000416/https://twitter.com/ContraPoints/status/862448094511849472 archived]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LqZdkkBDas ContraPoints' video on Daddy Peterson]
*[https://johnaugust.com.au/article/jordan-peterson-left-anarchic-critique A left-anarchic view of Peterson] by John August, thinking anarchists have been left out because Peterson has taken a swipe at everyone else
*[[Philosophy Tube]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEMB1Ky2n1E on Peterson and the meaning of life]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A2UC1YQxy4 Thought Slime's take on Peterson]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmH7JUeVQb8 An Evening With Matt Dillahunty & Jordan Peterson], in which Peterson presents exclusively tired old religious apologist arguments
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLi3C1ZYxuU&list=PLIK-x5uT6oS_wrbtSIJL_cIJMJUKTxyJy Cass Eris, herself a cognitive psychologist, gives an in-depth review of all chapters of ''12 Rules for Life'']
*Camestros Felapton, [https://camestrosfelapton.wordpress.com/2018/02/28/reading-peterson-so-you-dont-have-to-part-1/ Reading Peterson So You Don’t Have To] (2018)

==Further reading==
*''The Current Affairs Rules for Life: On Social Justice and its Critics/essays in defence of the left'', (2018) Nathan J. Robinson [[Special:Booksources/9780997844788|ISBN 9780997844788]] - A critique of Jordan Peterson and [[Sam Harris]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note|2|80%}}

==References==
{{reflist|3|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Jordan B.}}
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