Jordan Peterson
| Jordan Peterson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1962 (age 53–54) Alberta, Canada |
| Residence | Toronto, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Fields | Psychology |
| Institutions |
University of Toronto 1998– Harvard University 1993–98 |
| Alma mater |
McGill University Ph.D University of Alberta B.S. |
| Known for |
Personality Mythology Ideals Freedom of speech |
| Influences | |
|
Website | |
Jordan B. Peterson (b. 1962[1]) is a clinical psychologist and tenured professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. His research interests include self-deception, mythology, religion, narrative, neuroscience, personality, deception, creativity, intelligence, and motivation.[2]
Personal life
Jordan Peterson has a B.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Alberta. He received his PhD in clinical psychology from McGill University. He taught at Harvard University as an Assistant and an Associate Professor before returning to Canada and taking a position at the University of Toronto. Peterson currently resides in Toronto.[3] He grew up in Fairview, Alberta, Canada, a small town of 3000 people 580 km (360 mi) northwest of Edmonton, Alberta. He resided in Montreal from 1985–1993, where he studied under the supervision of Robert O. Pihl and Maurice Dongier. From 1993–1998 he lived in Arlington, Massachusetts, while teaching and conducting research at Harvard. He has resided in Toronto since 1998.
Media appearances
Peterson has appeared on TVO on shows such as Big Ideas[4][5][6][7] and The Agenda with Steve Paikin,[8] where he currently serves as a monthly essayist.[9][10][11] Peterson appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience Episode #877.[12]
Online projects
Peterson has produced a series of online writing exercises including: the Past Authoring Program, a guided autobiography; two Present Authoring Programs, which allow the user to analyze his or her personality faults and virtues in accordance with the Big Five personality model; and the Future Authoring program, which steps users through the process of envisioning and then planning their desired futures, three to five years down the road. The latter program was used with McGill University undergraduates on academic probation to improve their grades.[13]
The Self Authoring programs were developed in partial consequence of research conducted by James Pennebaker at the University of Texas and Gary Latham at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Pennebaker demonstrated that writing about traumatic or uncertain events and situations improved mental and physical health, while Latham has demonstrated that planning exercises that are personal, help make people more productive.[14]
Peterson records his lectures and uploads them to YouTube.[15]
Works
Peterson published Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief in 1999. The book describes a comprehensive rational theory for how we construct meaning, represented by the mythical process of the exploratory hero, and also provides a way of interpreting religious and mythical models of reality presented in a way that fits in with modern scientific understanding of how the brain works.[16] It synthesizes ideas drawn from narratives in mythology, religion, literature and philosophy, as well as research from modern neuropsychology.
Peterson’s primary goal was to figure out the reasons why individuals, not simply groups, engage in social conflict, and try to model the path individuals take that results in atrocities like the Holocaust or the Soviet Gulag.[17] Peterson considers himself a pragmatist, and uses science and neuropsychology to examine and learn from the belief systems of the past and vice versa, but his theory is primarily phenomenological.[18] Peterson explores the origins of evil, and also posits that an analysis of the world’s religious ideas might allow us to describe our essential morality and eventually develop a universal system of morality.[19]
Harvey Shepard, writing in the Religion column in the Montreal Gazette in 2003, states "To me, the book reflects its author's profound moral sense and vast erudition in areas ranging from clinical psychology to scripture and a good deal of personal soul searching..." He goes on to note that "Peterson's vision is both fully informed by current scientific and pragmatic methods, and in important ways deeply conservative and traditional."[20]
Political correctness
On 27 September 2016, Peterson released the first part of a three-part lecture video series on political correctness. In the video, he objects to the Canadian government's Bill C-16, which proposes to outlaw harassment and discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression under the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code.[21] His objection to the bill did not concern the LGBT discrimination legal debate, but rather the freedom of speech implications of C-16's other amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code, regarding their accommodation language. Furthermore, he argued that the new amendments paired with section 46.3 of the Ontario Human Rights Code would make it possible for "employers and organizations to be subject to punishment under the code if any employee or associate says anything that can be construed as 'directly or indirectly' offensive." Peterson further argues that it is necessary for people to recognize the importance of free speech and particularly free speech on college campuses.[22]
Peterson has publicly stated that he will not use non-binary pronouns such as 'zhe' in reference to others, even if requested.[23]
References
- ↑ @3:40, age 20 in 1982
- ↑ Jordan Peterson. . Accessed online May 19, 2015.
- ↑ Jordan Peterson. . Accessed online May 19, 2015.
- ↑ The Necessity of Virtue
- ↑ Reality and the Sacred
- ↑ Evil and Tragedy
- ↑ The Meaning of Music
- ↑ Trust and the Credit Crisis s
- ↑ Actions and Consequences
- ↑ Visceral Politics
- ↑ Bin Laden and Personal Responsibility
- ↑ PowerfulJRE (2016-11-28), Joe Rogan Experience #877 - Jordan Peterson, retrieved 2016-11-29
- ↑ Kamenetz, Anya (July 10, 2015). "The Writing Assignment That Changes Lives". NPR.
- ↑ Kamenetz, Anya (July 10, 2015). "The Writing Assignment That Changes Lives". NPR.
- ↑ "Jordan B Peterson - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
- ↑ Peterson, Jordan. "Maps of Meaning" Routledge, 1999, p. 12.
- ↑ Peterson, Jordan. "Maps of Meaning" Routledge, 1999, p. 12.
- ↑ Peterson, Jordan. "The Pragmatics of Meaning" Accessed online September 17, 2015.
- ↑ Peterson, Jordan. "Maps of Meaning" Routledge, 1999, p. 12.
- ↑ Shepherd, Harvey (November 11, 2003). "Meaning from Myths". Montreal Gazette.
- ↑ Craig, Sean (28 September 2016). "U of T professor attacks political correctness, says he refuses to use genderless pronouns". National Post. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- ↑ Morabito, Stella (17 October 2016). "Professor Ignites Protests By Refusing To Use Transgender Pronouns". The Federalist. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ↑ Davidson, Terry (29 September 2016). "U of T prof rips bill outlawing gender identity discrimination". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 5 October 2016.