DailyWire+ released the ninth episode of Dr. Jordan B. Peterson’s “Exodus” series Wednesday. In the episode, Peterson and six scholars held a roundtable discussion about the effect of the Ten Commandments on Judeo-Christian tradition.
Throughout the series, Peterson and company read through Exodus, the second book of the Bible and Torah. In the new episode, they explore the moment God shares the commandments with Moses at Mount Sinai, delving into the first five in detail and the difficulties and benefits that come with following them.
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“Maybe you have a terrible father and a terrible mother,” Peterson says of the fifth commandment. “And you might say, well, why should you honor them and why should you honor the elderly? And one answer is going to be something like, well, your destiny is to become elderly, and so if you set up your society so that the elderly, the traditions aren’t valued, then you’re going to eventually end up in a situation where you’re the tradition that’s not valued.”
“So, there’s this hint of iterability there,” he adds. “And so, you might also think too that the capacity that we have to honor that which came before us, our father and our mother, is … it’s an honoring of the fundamental spirit of patriarchal and matriarchal love.”
The episode dives into the effect of Moses’ descent from the mountain and the fundamental rules that guide the traditions of today. Peterson and his panel explain how the commandments have led to the organization of today’s society by distinguishing a balance between excess freedom and tyranny.
Peterson is joined by social critic Os Guinness, Cambridge assistant professor James Orr, President of Ralston College Stephen Blackwood, President of Hillsdale College Larry Arnn, Christian thinker Jonathan Pageau, and PragerU founder Dennis Prager.
“One of the most controversial things I have said in my career is that I don’t believe in unconditional love,” Prager said. “This is one of my Biblical bases. If you keep my covenant, you are my treasured people. If you don’t, you’re not. That’s conditional,” he added.
Peterson replied to Prager, adding, “If the love is unconditional, it doesn’t have an element of encouragement towards an ideal. There’s nothing that’s discriminating and judgemental in the way that’s elevating.”
There are eight new episodes, with an episode being released each week exclusively on DailyWire+. The series explores the importance of Exodus as explained by theological and literary scholars, and shows why the book remains significant thousands of years after being written – even in a world overcome by postmodernism.
Later episodes will continue the discussion through Exodus. Topics include porn, idolatry, and moral order. Some episodes will include Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro. In November, Daily Wire co-CEO Jeremy Boreing described the series as “perhaps the greatest content” the company has ever released.
For more of Peterson’s content, his documentary “Logos & Literacy” — which explores the Museum of the Bible and the Bible’s impact on society — is available for free on YouTube all month long. You can watch the new episode of “Exodus” here.