You know what they say: you get what you pay for. And while free content has its place, there’s a case to be made for supporting insightful, transformative content that goes deeper and makes a lasting impression. 
That’s exactly what you’ll find here on DailyWire+ with Dr. Jordan Peterson’s exclusive projects, including in-depth lectures and series, that are designed to help you improve your mindset, relationships, and overall life experience. 
Jordan Peterson is a clinical psychologist, professor, and best-selling author known for his deep insights into psychology and self-improvement. His lectures and books have influenced millions of people and made him a globally recognized authority on navigating the challenges of life itself. 
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Below is a breakdown of Peterson’s most powerful exclusive content on the platform — and how it can help you become the best version of yourself.
<h3>On Marriage</h3>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-marriage" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-874569 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/16x9-Marriage-2-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/16x9-Marriage-2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/16x9-Marriage-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/16x9-Marriage-2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/16x9-Marriage-2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/16x9-Marriage-2.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
It&#8217;s become a common refrain in modern discourse: “Why get married?” Dr. Peterson offers a practical answer.
In this series, Peterson explores the complexities of marriage, emphasizing the importance of trust, sacrifice, and communication. Whether you&#8217;re preparing for marriage or looking to strengthen an existing relationship, his insights will set you up for long-term success by offering practical tips and tools for making a long-term commitment.
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<h3>Depression &amp; Anxiety</h3>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-depression-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-874573 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-10-at-3.31.59%E2%80%AFPM-1024x570.png" alt="" width="1024" height="570" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-10-at-3.31.59%E2%80%AFPM-1024x570.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-10-at-3.31.59%E2%80%AFPM-300x167.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-10-at-3.31.59%E2%80%AFPM-768x428.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-10-at-3.31.59%E2%80%AFPM-1536x855.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-10-at-3.31.59%E2%80%AFPM-2048x1140.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Mental health struggles are everywhere, but Peterson’s unique perspective offers a practical way to understand and combat them. He discusses the role of responsibility, meaning, and discipline in managing two of the most common issues: depression and anxiety. He also provides actionable strategies to regain control over your mind and emotions. 
This groundbreaking five-part series utilizes powerful psychotherapy techniques from his clinical work to uncover the roots of mental anguish and arm you with tools to reclaim your life.
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<h3>The Gospels</h3>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-gospels" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-874577 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative03116_JBP_Gospels_JC_16x9-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative03116_JBP_Gospels_JC_16x9-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative03116_JBP_Gospels_JC_16x9-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative03116_JBP_Gospels_JC_16x9-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative03116_JBP_Gospels_JC_16x9-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative03116_JBP_Gospels_JC_16x9.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Peterson’s deep dive into the Gospels reveals the significance of biblical stories and their relevance to modern life. Through this series, he delves into lessons on morality, resilience, and personal transformation, showing how these ancient texts translate into modern wisdom.
This ten-part follow-up to the highly acclaimed Exodus series is part of his lifelong effort to rescue society from the meaning crisis that seeks to devour our culture. Peterson invites nine of the world&#8217;s most brilliant minds to unravel the mysteries of the Gospel story and to resurrect the anchoring principles of the text that formed the West.
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<h3>Exodus</h3>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/exodus" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-874579 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/JP-_-Exodus-_-16x9-Social-1-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/JP-_-Exodus-_-16x9-Social-1-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/JP-_-Exodus-_-16x9-Social-1-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/JP-_-Exodus-_-16x9-Social-1-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/JP-_-Exodus-_-16x9-Social-1-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/JP-_-Exodus-_-16x9-Social-1-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
In this expansive 17-part series, Peterson examines the biblical book of Exodus and explores themes of leadership, freedom, and faith. He and a team of formidable scholars gather for an unprecedented, in-depth analysis of Exodus, seen as an academic work to be taken seriously in the modern era. 
Together this group dissects how these historical narratives offer guidance on personal growth, social structures, and the pursuit of truth that are still highly relevant in modern times.
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<h3>Success</h3>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/success" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-874585 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative03016_16x9-Success-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative03016_16x9-Success-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative03016_16x9-Success-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative03016_16x9-Success-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative03016_16x9-Success-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative03016_16x9-Success-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
What does it take to succeed? Money, fame and power are only the beginning. In this fascinating series, Dr. Peterson examines common indicators of success and explores their drawbacks and cautions. Peterson explains the ways success can look like between the sexes and what matters most to each. 
Peterson dissects the practical elements of achieving success in various aspects of life, including discipline, goal-setting, and personal accountability. This series provides a no-nonsense approach to self-improvement and ambition.
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<h3>Dragons, Monsters, and Men</h3>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dragons-monsters-and-men" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-874587 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/cl505tpn249a40942obs03ic7-1656541142047-1024x576.jpeg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/cl505tpn249a40942obs03ic7-1656541142047-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/cl505tpn249a40942obs03ic7-1656541142047-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/cl505tpn249a40942obs03ic7-1656541142047-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/cl505tpn249a40942obs03ic7-1656541142047-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/cl505tpn249a40942obs03ic7-1656541142047-2048x1152.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Drawing from mythology, psychology, and real-world examples, this series explores the eternal battle between chaos and order. Peterson illustrates how confronting personal &#8220;dragons&#8221; is essential for true transformation. This content is particularly powerful for those who are facing major life challenges or anyone hoping to become more resilient.
Discover your purpose and slay the dragons that stand in your way with this 4-part series on men, masculinity, and the pursuit of greatness.
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<h3>Negotiation</h3>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/negotiation" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-874591 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative02930_JP-Negotiation-Keyart-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative02930_JP-Negotiation-Keyart-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative02930_JP-Negotiation-Keyart-16x9-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative02930_JP-Negotiation-Keyart-16x9-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative02930_JP-Negotiation-Keyart-16x9-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/creative02930_JP-Negotiation-Keyart-16x9-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Success in life so often comes down to negotiation. These skills are useful everywhere, whether it’s in your career, relationships, or through personal growth. Peterson provides practical advice for improving negotiation skills, emphasizing the power of honesty and strategy.
Learn to navigate personal and professional challenges and create win-win scenarios in every interaction. Part of the &#8220;Mastering Life&#8221; catalog, this series reveals how mastering negotiation leads to a richer, more fulfilling existence.
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<h3>Vision and Destiny</h3>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/vision-and-destiny" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-874593 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/16x9-Paid-0-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/16x9-Paid-0-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/16x9-Paid-0-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/16x9-Paid-0-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/16x9-Paid-0-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/16x9-Paid-0-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Do you have a clear vision for your life? In this series, Peterson discusses the importance of defining personal goals and understanding your role in the grand scheme of the universe. By developing a strong sense of purpose, you can overcome challenges to create a meaningful future using the power of visualization.
Peterson draws upon his extensive research and relatable real-life experiences to illustrate how to develop attainable goals for intimate relationships, meaningful friendships, and your career. Transform the chaotic potential of the future into actuality — with a vision.
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Jordan Peterson

The Best Of Jordan Peterson: Exclusive Content From The Renowned Psychologist

DailyWire+

Jordan B. Peterson

The following is a transcript excerpt of a Q&amp;A portion from Dr. Jordan Peterson’s Beyond Order tour. In this segment, Dr. Peterson was asked how to be at peace with dying. He responds with thoughtful propositions about living a full life, mortality (the state of being subject to death), and death itself. He poses alternatives to death — and addresses whether such alternatives are desirable. Dr. Peterson’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/jordan-peterson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extensive catalog</a> is available on DailyWire+.
* * *
Question: I’ve worked in emergency medicine for 11 years, and I’ve seen a lot of death. Yet I am so afraid of dying. Any advice on how I can be at peace with dying and mortality?
Answer: Well, I do not know that anyone is ever really at peace with the reality of death. Read Socrates’ “Apology.” There are two versions: Plato’s and Xenophon’s. They are quite short, only a few pages long, so read both. Why read “Apology”? Because Socrates puts forward an interesting proposition and one worth contemplating. 
Implicit in Socrates’ “Apology” is the suggestion to imagine that you lived your life fully. Living your life fully would mean that you say what you have to say when you have to say it, and you do what you need to do when you need to do it. It would mean you avail yourself of every opportunity that comes your way. You would exhaust yourself in the service of your life. Then, maybe by the time you were old, you would have had enough. And you could just let go. 
You see this with older people, and we know this sometimes when we grieve. When a relative who is 95 dies, people are sad, but they often say, “They lived a full life.” The fuller the life, the less catastrophic the demise appears to be in some ways. So it might be that if you fully exhausted yourself, your life would be enough. After all, when people are old and look back on their life, they are often sorrowful and regretful for the things they did not do, the things they left undone, and in their older age, cannot do.
I asked my parents once if they could take a drug that would return them to being physically 18-years-old but were able to keep the wisdom they had accrued over the years, if they would do it. They did not say yes right away. Yet they did not say no right away either. I do not know if they ever told me what they had decided. But it is interesting to ponder because you would think if you were offered something approximating immortality and health, you would take it. And maybe you would.
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An alternative proposition would be to extract out an extra decade. It is not as though I am not trying to maintain myself; keeping oneself healthy seems like a good thing. But would I want to live 500 years? That is a long time. 1,000 years? I do not know. But the alternative is truncated existence with death — and that is also not particularly palatable. So, is there a medicament for mortality?
For those who are parents with now-grown children, would you have children again? Maybe the answer is yes, but another answer is, “Well, I had kids already. I already did that.” And if you did that well, maybe that is enough. Tammy and I have grandchildren now, which is not the same as having children, though it is kids-like, and it is wonderful. Tammy has joked that grandchildren have all the advantages of children with none of the disadvantages.
Everyone laughs at that because everyone understands the sentiment. It is great to have grandchildren. But would we return to our youth and do it again? That is a difficult question to answer. You cannot really know what you would decide unless that option were actually to become available to you. Maybe the answer is yes. Maybe the answer is no because we have been there and done that. So it is on to whatever the next thing is.
If you are afraid of death, take a look at how you are living and see if you are all in. Maybe if you are all in enough, that is and will be good enough. I also believe if you are all in, and death visits, and you know death is impending, you could say to yourself, “I did everything that I was here to do.” At least then you will not torture yourself with that as you are facing death.
* * *
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-role-of-the-holy-spirit-distinguishing-between-your-will-and-gods-will" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Jordan B. Peterson</a> is a clinical psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. From 1993 to 1998 he served as assistant and then associate professor of psychology at Harvard. He is the international bestselling author of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-role-of-the-holy-spirit-distinguishing-between-your-will-and-gods-will" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maps of Meaning</a>,” “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-role-of-the-holy-spirit-distinguishing-between-your-will-and-gods-will" target="_blank" rel="noopener">12 Rules For Life,</a>” and “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Order-More-Rules-Life/dp/0593084640/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;dib_tag=AUTHOR&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nbV0WtVit9busCddbjMST-Oe7hjueQrxfqnQ4L3HXXUFdIaqlEBr0sp9HQWIq9ut9NlHDAFA0YQoDWVZfDtKNJI7VvlzWv2rMhs2KcAAIIppPRMWq4GIiFerkrssvBABAjeKlg3OFs3H8IHs5D8ktJ5uBg3K-SZ4hpKltaKkrhY6j-RKn-tTkBz29JZXP3Rhm9SB14rHUX1nol5d4z4Fi6f8fwhxXWCVGgkvOHSqG6E.iVF1NljuBEwrpumO9rQBh9FotnzaIo4K7K8HvNnC46k&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beyond Order.</a>” Be sure to order his newest book, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Who-Wrestle-God-Jordan-Peterson/dp/0593542533/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=38kcw&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_p=f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_r=133-1833056-3520340&amp;pd_rd_wg=3zvBk&amp;pd_rd_r=93a1419a-853b-4c49-a764-cbaa90d3073a&amp;ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We Who Wrestle with God</a>” (Portfolio/Penguin).
You can now <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/the-jordan-b-peterson-podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listen to</a> or <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/jordan-peterson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">watch</a> his popular lectures on DailyWire+.

2GREGORYWOODMAN_DW_GREECE2022011

How To Be At Peace With Dying

Death

Dr. Jordan Peterson

Psychology

The following is a transcribed excerpt from one of Dr. Jordan Peterson’s 2015 lectures. You can <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/the-jordan-b-peterson-podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listen to</a> or <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-jordan-b-peterson-podcast">watch</a> more from Dr. Peterson on DailyWire+.
“Pinocchio” is a story that includes an initiation ritual and a journey to the depths (the underworld). It is a story of the consequence of a collapse of previous personality and the disintegration of that previous personality into a chaotic state prior to rebirth.
Pinocchio, a puppet, tries to become a real boy. In the beginning, he is a marionette. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-role-of-the-holy-spirit-distinguishing-between-your-will-and-gods-will" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carl Jung</a> explained that is your habitual state of being: Something else is pulling your strings. Even the idea that you are autonomous is the consequence of something else pulling your strings, so for Jung, what you needed to do was find out exactly who and what is pulling your strings and decide if that is the direction in which you want to go. That is what happens to Pinocchio in the story.
Pinocchio is a marionette made by Geppetto, a good father. He is a marionette with a benevolent puppeteer. But as soon as he develops some autonomy, he becomes prey to forces that are elements of the demonic archetype. In fact, the worst bad guy in the entire story turns into Satan himself. So Pinocchio goes through a series of temptations of various sorts, including a Freudian temptation to remain weak and sickly instead of becoming a real person. Another temptation Pinocchio faces is being offered false celebrity as a way of solving his life’s problems. He is offered the opportunity to become an actor when a deceitful fate constructs a persona that makes him appear far more valuable than he really is. These are two pathological modes of movement towards maturity — one being a phony, and the other taking the easy way out and hyper-valuing pathologies to the degree he becomes dependent.
The third pathological development offered to Pinocchio occurs on Pleasure Island, which is to do nothing but engage in short-term impulsive and destructive play. But when he goes to Pleasure Island, he finds that the island is actually ruled by demonic forces, faceless entities who are transforming all the pleasure-seeking marionettes into donkeys who are slaves. Pinocchio escapes from that by jumping into the unknown, represented by jumping into the water, which is equivalent to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-role-of-the-holy-spirit-distinguishing-between-your-will-and-gods-will" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plunging into chaos</a> — his exposure to his initiation. In other words, chaos was an escape from pathological tyranny.
Now, the cricket. While I cannot tell you everything about this element of the story, I can tell you a couple strange notions about it. The initials are J.C., and Jiminy Cricket was a common, mild-form of Southern American cursing; it is the equivalent of Jesus Christ. So you might think, and of course, the cricket is Pinocchio’s conscience. So why in the world would a pejorative term for Jesus Christ be applied to a cricket who is guiding a puppet into the water to rescue his father from a whale? Why would any of that happen? You know why but you cannot say why. You cannot say why you know or what it is you know, but the mere fact that it makes sense — and it does — is an indication from a Jungian perspective that you are operating at an archetypal level.
Further, the cricket is a bug. Why might this be? Well, things bug you. You should do something about the things that bug you because that is your conscience calling to you. It is destiny, in some sense, manifesting itself as an unconscious impulse. Now, there are a lot of things out there that might bug you; some of them do not, but lots of them do. Why do certain things bug you and not other things? That is a complicated question, but one potential answer is that there is part of your psyche that is oriented <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-role-of-the-holy-spirit-distinguishing-between-your-will-and-gods-will" target="_blank" rel="noopener">towards further development</a>. Jung would call that the self — essentially, the totality of everything you could be. It is a strange sort of entity because it is partly potential and it is potential that expands across time. But the way that your potential totality calls to you in the present is by placing things in front of you that are your problem. They announce themselves as your problem by bothering you. So if you pick up the task of fixing the thing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-role-of-the-holy-spirit-distinguishing-between-your-will-and-gods-will" target="_blank" rel="noopener">that bothers you</a>, then you find the pathway to further expansion of your personality.
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That is what happens with Pinocchio. Part of what makes the “Pinocchio” story so incredibly sophisticated is that despite the fact the cricket is an avatar of Christ, so to speak, the cricket has things to learn just like Pinocchio. That implies that you do have a conscience that guides you, but until you establish a dialogue with it, both you and the conscience are immature. You have to establish a conscious dialogue with it and interact together, which propels your development across time. That will stop you from being a marionette of external forces.
Many events at multiple levels of reality happen simultaneously when Pinocchio goes home, which is characteristic of an archetypal story. On one level, Pinocchio is too old to go home; he cannot go home to his father because, in some sense, he has already transcended his father Geppetto. That is on the personal level. On the transpersonal level, the deeper archetypal level, what is happening to Pinocchio is exactly what Nietzsche described at the end of the 19th century. Geppetto is his creator, and now he is dead; he is gone. So Pinocchio is bereft of placement. His soul has been corrupted, and he does not know what to do about it. When he returns to his family home, or to his tradition, he finds nothing.
But then a dove comes along and drops a note right in front of Pinocchio. The star from which the dove comes is a representation of the blue fairy, who is the positive element of the unknown. What this scene is basically saying is: When you are despairing because your father has died and your tradition has nothing to offer, the positive <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-role-of-the-holy-spirit-distinguishing-between-your-will-and-gods-will" target="_blank" rel="noopener">element of the unknown</a> may provide you with a message of where to go if you pay enough attention. That is an intuition of the automatic attraction of your interests to a new thing by forces you do not understand.
One of the real ways of coming to grips with the active unconscious is by understanding you cannot control what you are interested in. If it is not you, then you might ask who or what it is. And if you think about that problem long enough, you will start to understand what Jung was talking about. That is the way you can understand in your own life that the things that direct you as a being are not things that you consciously choose. In fact, they are not even things you can consciously choose.
* * *
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-role-of-the-holy-spirit-distinguishing-between-your-will-and-gods-will" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Jordan B. Peterson</a> is a clinical psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. From 1993 to 1998 he served as assistant and then associate professor of psychology at Harvard. He is the international bestselling author of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-role-of-the-holy-spirit-distinguishing-between-your-will-and-gods-will" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maps of Meaning</a>,” “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-role-of-the-holy-spirit-distinguishing-between-your-will-and-gods-will" target="_blank" rel="noopener">12 Rules For Life,</a>” and “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Order-More-Rules-Life/dp/0593084640/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;dib_tag=AUTHOR&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nbV0WtVit9busCddbjMST-Oe7hjueQrxfqnQ4L3HXXUFdIaqlEBr0sp9HQWIq9ut9NlHDAFA0YQoDWVZfDtKNJI7VvlzWv2rMhs2KcAAIIppPRMWq4GIiFerkrssvBABAjeKlg3OFs3H8IHs5D8ktJ5uBg3K-SZ4hpKltaKkrhY6j-RKn-tTkBz29JZXP3Rhm9SB14rHUX1nol5d4z4Fi6f8fwhxXWCVGgkvOHSqG6E.iVF1NljuBEwrpumO9rQBh9FotnzaIo4K7K8HvNnC46k&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beyond Order.</a>” Be sure to order his newest book, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Who-Wrestle-God-Jordan-Peterson/dp/0593542533/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=38kcw&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_p=f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_r=133-1833056-3520340&amp;pd_rd_wg=3zvBk&amp;pd_rd_r=93a1419a-853b-4c49-a764-cbaa90d3073a&amp;ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We Who Wrestle with God</a>” (Portfolio/Penguin).
You can now <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/the-jordan-b-peterson-podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listen to</a> or <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/jordan-peterson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">watch</a> his popular lectures on DailyWire+.

Readers Pass – Zeisloft – 5 Times Jordan Peterson Left His Opponents Speechless16x9

Psychology And ‘Pinocchio’

Psychology and 'Pinocchio'

Carl Jung

Children's Books

Disney

Friedrich Nietzsche

Hollywood

Movies

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson’s “We Who Wrestle With God: Perceptions of the Divine,” topped a New York Times bestseller list Friday, a week after it took the top spot on Amazon.
&#8220;The @nytimes is (no doubt) Thrilled to announce that Dr. Jordan B Peterson’s We Who Wrestle with God is Number 1!,&#8221; Peterson<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DC-TBmQynZG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> joked</a> on Instagram Friday. The book holds the number one spot on the Times&#8217; &#8220;Advice, How-To &amp; Miscellaneous&#8221; chart, beating out a number of popular books, including James Clear&#8217;s &#8220;Atomic Habits,&#8221; which has spent 261 weeks on the list.
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Based on Peterson&#8217;s worldwide lecture series of the same title, &#8220;We Who Wrestle With God&#8221; examines the Bible both “scientifically and spiritually,” offering new insights into well-known biblical stories like that of Cain and Abel, the Tower of Babel, and Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. &#8220;We Who Wrestle With God&#8221; became the<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jordan-petersons-we-who-wrestle-with-god-takes-1-spot-on-amazon" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> number one book</a> on Amazon just days after its release.
“We Who Wrestle with God” is now <a href="https://www.amazon.com/We-Who-Wrestle-God-Perceptions/dp/0593542533/ref=zg_bs_g_books_d_sccl_1/141-2880908-1217261?psc=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">available</a> on Amazon. Readers who want more of Peterson&#8217;s insight into the Biblical epic can check out his new series, “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/the-gospels-official-trailer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Gospels</a>,” which will be available to stream on DailyWire+ December 1.
Speaking to Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro during a recent episode of The Sunday Special, Peterson explained his view that the Bible is ultimately a story of sacrifice — and that this story offers an important reminder in our hyper-individualistic times.
“There’s no difference between work and sacrifice, because work is the sacrifice of the future to story, the sacrifice of the present to the future, and the sacrifice of the narrow self to the community,” Peterson said.  “If it’s all about me in the most narrow way, then there’s no community, right? There’s only the immediate gratification of my whim … and I have to impose those whims on other people using power, because they’re not going to cooperate voluntarily if it’s all about me.”
Along with his latest best-selling book, Peterson has also recently released a new series on DailyWire+. Peterson’s “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/jordan-peterson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mastering Life Collection</a>” is available to stream now. The series includes “Masculinity,” “Marriage,” “Vision &amp; Destiny,” “Depression &amp; Anxiety,” “Negotiation,” and “Success.”

Jordan Peterson’s ‘We Who Wrestle With God’ Tops New York Times Bestseller List

Amazon

New York Times

The following is a selected excerpt from Dr. Jordan B. Peterson’s new book “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/We-Who-Wrestle-God-Perceptions/dp/0593542533/ref=sr_1_1?crid=372JQ7ZR3ZS7G&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Yumo-_7_B9jRl_Z9sqYc15kVR52vCNBhGSGnY_jL2kmWcM4BHWrv1cogxRndBk25rmRAt-WU5QUmen7EQXbOoDvEI8nHxR0nJkA8IuBia3bAh_jQHtbUM_v5BUdR3Py69WBEBY_QcoGkNRq1AxZYZ72zF29luKmG1sF7Xiom4TroVGj9qhnYAvmE2qPaqh362mEbAGCpEp7S2QBd3v16RwPWp29ZlJsw4n1MRdC7QEQ.HuQw4_9-OwpooNu-ZyXma37-4OMfG1sU2RXZ1qETgEE&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=we+who+wrestle+with+god+jordan+peterson+book&amp;qid=1732029780&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=we+who+%2Cstripbooks%2C108&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We Who Wrestle With God: Perceptions Of The Divine,</a>” (November 19, 2024. Portfolio/Penguin Random House).
<h3>Foreshadowing: The Still, Small Voice</h3>
If we do and must see the world through a story; if the world reveals itself to us in the form of a story — what is that story? How do we properly characterize our aims, our most profound temptations, our most admirable upward strivings? What is relevant and what can and should be ignored? To what should we devote our costly attention? To what ends should we aim our action? What uncomfortable truth is our conscience eternally attempting to reveal? What is the appropriate hierarchy of value through which the world most productively, generously, and sustainably reveals itself? What, in other words, is the story, the true story of our lives — what is it, and what should it be? It is an account of our highest aspirations, our most fundamental relationship, and, simultaneously, of the true ground under our feet. It is therefore and must be the characterization of the divine itself, of God, just as the biblical accounts insist. And what is this?
<div id="attachment_830895" style="width: 391px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/We-Who-Wrestle-God-Perceptions/dp/0593542533/ref=sr_1_1?crid=372JQ7ZR3ZS7G&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Yumo-_7_B9jRl_Z9sqYc15kVR52vCNBhGSGnY_jL2kmWcM4BHWrv1cogxRndBk25rmRAt-WU5QUmen7EQXbOoDvEI8nHxR0nJkA8IuBia3bAh_jQHtbUM_v5BUdR3Py69WBEBY_QcoGkNRq1AxZYZ72zF29luKmG1sF7Xiom4TroVGj9qhnYAvmE2qPaqh362mEbAGCpEp7S2QBd3v16RwPWp29ZlJsw4n1MRdC7QEQ.HuQw4_9-OwpooNu-ZyXma37-4OMfG1sU2RXZ1qETgEE&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=we+who+wrestle+with+god+jordan+peterson+book&amp;qid=1732029780&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=we+who+%2Cstripbooks%2C108&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-830895" class="wp-image-830895 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/71B18dU7xnL._AC_UF10001000_QL80_-381x576.jpg" alt="Book design by Chris Welch. Portfolio/Penguin Random House" width="381" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/71B18dU7xnL._AC_UF10001000_QL80_-381x576.jpg 381w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/71B18dU7xnL._AC_UF10001000_QL80_-199x300.jpg 199w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/71B18dU7xnL._AC_UF10001000_QL80_.jpg 662w" sizes="(max-width: 381px) 100vw, 381px" /></a>Book design by Chris Welch. Portfolio/Penguin Random House</div>
Conscience, important as it is — the conscience that makes itself manifest to Elijah — is not the only manifestation of God; not His only dramatic persona. He appears also, as we shall see, as a calling — inspiration, adventure, enthusiasm, curiosity, even temptation — in another of His primary guises, and as much more. We most profoundly wish to meet, and if possible to become, the hero, for example (another guise) — and not just the hero but the hero of all heroes. We want to take on the mien not just of the king, master of his domain, but of the king of kings. We are constituted so that we admire the divine principle of sovereignty itself. We want that so we can take on the perspective of the spirit properly put in the highest of places and experience the world through his eyes. We want to do this so we can ourselves adopt that stance of heroism and responsible kingship toward the problems that beset us and offer us opportunity in our own lives. We want to understand, as profoundly as we are able, the nature of the Good that stands behind all proximal goods — the Good who brings about the compelling life more abundant than is the true garden of eternal desire. We want to identify, likewise, the Villain who stands behind all acts of villainy — the nature of the spirit who wishes to produce all the suffering of the world for the sake of nothing but all that suffering. We want to understand Good so that we can be good and understand Evil so that we can avoid being evil. In this way we can bring about the salvation and redemption of the world, in small ways and great. We can constrain the hell that evil produces, and not just for ourselves but for everyone we care for and love, for the stability and continuance of the societies that we inhabit, and for the love of the world itself.
For better or worse, the story is the thing — and for better or worse, the story on which our western psyches and cultures are now somewhat fragilely founded — however fragile they’ve become — is most fundamentally the story told in the library that makes up the biblical corpus, the compilation of drama that sits at the base of our culture and through which we look at the world. This is the story on which Western civilization is predicated. It is a collection of characterizations not only of God, whose imitation, worship, or, indeed, embodiment is held to be the highest of all possible aims, but of man and of woman, whose characters are held to exist in relationship to that God, and of society, in relation to the individual and the divine. It is, as well, the revelation of the sacrifice that makes such aim possible, and an examination in dramatic form of the transcendent target that is held to unite all things in the best possible manner. The biblical story, in its totality, is the frame through which the world of facts reveals itself, insofar as the West itself is concerned: it is the description of the hierarchy of value within which even science itself (that is, the science that ultimately pursues the good) is made possible. The Bible is the library of stories on which the most productive, freest, and most stable and peaceful societies the world has even known are predicated — the foundation of the West, plain and simple.
* * *
From WE WHO WRESTLE WITH GOD: Perceptions of the Divine by Jordan B. Peterson, to be published on November 19, 2024, by Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright (c) 2024 by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson.
* * *
<a href="https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Jordan B. Peterson</a> is a clinical psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. From 1993 to 1998 he served as assistant and then associate professor of psychology at Harvard. He is the international bestselling author of “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Maps-Meaning-Architecture-Jordan-Peterson/dp/0415922216/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maps of Meaning</a>,” “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/12-Rules-Life-Antidote-Chaos/dp/0345816021/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">12 Rules For Life,</a>” and “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Order-More-Rules-Life/dp/0593084640/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;dib_tag=AUTHOR&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nbV0WtVit9busCddbjMST-Oe7hjueQrxfqnQ4L3HXXUFdIaqlEBr0sp9HQWIq9ut9NlHDAFA0YQoDWVZfDtKNJI7VvlzWv2rMhs2KcAAIIppPRMWq4GIiFerkrssvBABAjeKlg3OFs3H8IHs5D8ktJ5uBg3K-SZ4hpKltaKkrhY6j-RKn-tTkBz29JZXP3Rhm9SB14rHUX1nol5d4z4Fi6f8fwhxXWCVGgkvOHSqG6E.iVF1NljuBEwrpumO9rQBh9FotnzaIo4K7K8HvNnC46k&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beyond Order.</a>” You can now <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/the-jordan-b-peterson-podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listen to</a> or <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/jordan-peterson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">watch</a> his popular lectures on DailyWire+.
Be sure to order his newest book, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Who-Wrestle-God-Jordan-Peterson/dp/0593542533/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=38kcw&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_p=f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_r=133-1833056-3520340&amp;pd_rd_wg=3zvBk&amp;pd_rd_r=93a1419a-853b-4c49-a764-cbaa90d3073a&amp;ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We Who Wrestle with God</a>” (Portfolio/Penguin. November 19, 2024.)

MixCollage-19-Nov-2024-10-27-AM-3296

On Wrestling With God

Bible

Books

On this week’s episode of &#8220;The Ben Shapiro Show, Sunday Special,” psychologist and bestselling author <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/exodus">Jordan B. Peterson</a> discusses the Bible and how biblical truths can inform our lives with Daily Wire editor emeritus <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-ben-shapiro-show">Ben Shapiro</a>.
Peterson joined Shapiro to discuss his forthcoming book, “<a href="https://store.dailywire.com/products/we-who-wrestle-with-god-by-jordan-b-peterson?srsltid=AfmBOoqhxDCmEZlTkBUDxcpft7DKIFfm3gJo1q1bLaW-8Aic8Ycozh44">We Who Wrestle With God: Perceptions of the Divine</a>,&#8221; which hits shelves Tuesday. The book is a “riveting” new look at the Bible that “analyzes the Biblical accounts of rebellion, sacrifice, suffering, and triumph that stabilize, inspire, and unite us culturally and psychologically.”
A clinical psychologist, Peterson approaches the Bible both “scientifically and spiritually,” offering new insights into well-known biblical stories like that of Cain and Abel, the Tower of Babel, and Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt.
Peterson argues that the Bible is a story of sacrifice, which he holds up as the proper model for human life. Peterson holds the biblical narrative up in contradistinction to the “self-defeating” story around which people frequently order their lives, one of “hedonistic self-gratification or nihilistic collapse.” 
“There&#8217;s no difference between work and sacrifice, because work is the sacrifice of the future to story, the sacrifice of the present to the future and the sacrifice of the narrow self to the community,” Peterson told Shapiro.
“If it&#8217;s all about me in the most narrow way, then there&#8217;s no community, right? There&#8217;s only the immediate gratification of my whim…and I have to impose those whims on other people using power, because they&#8217;re not going to cooperate voluntarily if it&#8217;s all about me.”
Shapiro noted that the “place where you most obviously make your first sacrifice is in marriage, where you sacrifice your interest to the interests of something larger. And then the place where you make your second sacrifice is when you start to have children.”
“It’s not a giant surprise that a society that refuses to see the story of humanity as a story of sacrifice, refuses the sacrifices themselves,” Shapiro said. “That makes a lot of sense that people aren&#8217;t getting together, people aren&#8217;t actually getting married, people aren&#8217;t having babies, because the minute you start to live that sacrifice, it becomes impossible to unsee.”
This is a topic which Peterson and Shapiro have frequently discussed, including earlier this year on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRREGG6hLVU">Peterson’s podcast</a>.
But the pair also broke considerable new ground on The Sunday Special, as Peterson delved into the ontological nature of the God of Abraham.
“The God in the Old Testament, and the New, for that matter, is ineffable,” Peterson said. “God isn&#8217;t real the same way a table is real, right?”
“I think it&#8217;s more definitive in the Old Testament account that whatever God is, is beyond categorization. This is why even Moses can only get a glimpse of God. So, God is outside our category structures.”
“Now does that make him real? Well, I would say God is hyperreal,” Peterson asserted. “God is the reality upon which all reality depends. That&#8217;s a different kind of category. And it&#8217;s not exactly comprehensible.”
Peterson, who has long drawn on biblical stories in his writings and lectures, takes his exegesis to the next level in “We Who Wrestle With God,” as well as in his forthcoming series &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/the-gospels-official-trailer">The Gospels</a>,&#8221; which will be available to stream on DailyWire+ December 1.
You can pre-order “We Who Wrestle With God” from <a href="https://store.dailywire.com/products/we-who-wrestle-with-god-by-jordan-b-peterson?srsltid=AfmBOoqhxDCmEZlTkBUDxcpft7DKIFfm3gJo1q1bLaW-8Aic8Ycozh44">The Daily Wire shop</a> or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/We-Who-Wrestle-God-Perceptions/dp/0593542533">Amazon</a>.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/sunday-special">WATCH the full episode of the Sunday Special HERE.</a>
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Jordan Peterson And Ben Shapiro Talk The Bible, Sacrifice, And Peterson’s New Book

Ben Shapiro

In the fifth and final episode of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-depression-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Depression &amp; Anxiety</a>,” Dr. Jordan B. Peterson hones in on the topics of identity and the future. The seriousness and gravity of the subjects he discusses in “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/reconstructing-the-future-you" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reconstructing The Future You</a>” match the black-and-white cast of the production, but Peterson’s demeanor brings light to the episode. Posed with information to divulge, he begins, “One of the things that’s come up recently on the political front is this idea that psychotherapeutic care, and medical care for that matter, should be identity affirming. And this is absolutely 100% preposterous.”
Yet this is not a claim he avoids extrapolating. Peterson goes on to explain there are questions that should be asked with regard to identity affirmation: What do you mean by identity? How should identity be properly measured? What is the proper role of a therapist in relation to identity? As a licensed clinical psychologist, Peterson knows the ethical requirements by which therapists are bound. They are not to rely on the reports of sporadic emotion, as doing so violates ethical clinical care. Rather, therapists are to explore identity with their clients.
Such an initiative becomes one of elaboration of identity. Exploring identity is an undertaking a therapist engages in with their client by asking: Who are you? Peterson explains that might involve walking through your whole life: “Where did you come from? Who are you now? Where are you going?” Past, present, and future are all the parts of the whole.
Peterson explains the point of therapy in the context of this episode and the discussion of identity, but he makes a statement that applies to therapy at large: “We’re here so that things can be better for you, and we’re going to explore what ‘better’ means because that’s, in some ways, something you have to determine — conceivably in consultation with me because we’re trying to solve the problem. But you have to define what ‘better’ is.” Again, Peterson provides an element of hope, a running theme throughout this series.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-depression-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: DR. JORDAN B. PETERSON’S SERIES, “DEPRESSION &amp; ANXIETY,” ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
While Peterson addresses that what you feel moment-to-moment is not incontrovertibly correct, he also explains the importance of developing the skills to discern what is true with regard to identity — and getting the story straight. A therapist can help people confront the traumas of their past, and writing about such trauma, though difficult, proves helpful and predicts improvement. People are able to figure out why and how they might avoid it again in the future.
But it is your future self that Peterson leads to in the conclusion of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-depression-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Depression &amp; Anxiety</a>.” For years, Peterson has taught on the subject and necessity of aiming up, advocating that we should each do what we can in the confines of our own life in the unlimited expanse of the opportunity of our own lives to aim up. He reiterates this in his concluding episode, saying, “We’re aiming to make things better. I’m on the side of you that wants things to be better, so I&#8217;m an advocate for that — whatever that is. I’m an advocate for that, that part of your identity.” It is the betterment of lives that Peterson continually strives to impress upon his viewers, though it is not an undertaking to pursue without effort.
He explains this to be part of the true essence of effective psychotherapy. Genuine growth does not come from simple affirmation, as growth is by no means “simple.” It requires exploration, reconstruction, and meticulous attention to details of your own life, but it is a task that will lead to a future self worth pursuing.

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The Destruction Of Identity-Affirming Psychotherapy And Advocating For Your Future Self

Anxiety

Depression

Therapy

With subdued alacrity, Dr. Jordan B. Peterson closes “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/the-trap-of-catastrophizing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Trap of Catastrophizing</a>,” the second of five episodes of his new series alongside DailyWire+ “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-depression-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Depression &amp; Anxiety</a>,” with thoughts on freedom at the individual level.
True to form, Peterson speaks as an existentialist, reasoning that a bounded environment of choice protects against the danger of drowning in chaos while, at the same time, creating a reasonable structure with an appropriate level of decision-making capabilities. In other words, the best scenario for any human is one in which you are free to make choices at the level of which you are capable.
The third episode, “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/exposure-therapy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Exposure Therapy</a>,” transitions from the topic of negative emotion to that of positive emotion. “We talked about the amelioration of negative emotion. We can also talk about the facilitation of positive emotion,” Peterson begins. Once someone moves toward even the smallest of goals — micro goals which contribute to a person’s life goals at large — any advancement toward accomplishment activates the positive emotion system. The idea is, according to Peterson, that your brain takes note of your productivity and rewards you with a “kick” of positive emotion.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-depression-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH DR. JORDAN B. PETERSON&#8217;S SERIES, &#8220;DEPRESSION &amp; ANXIETY,&#8221; ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
But as Peterson makes clear, this is more than an idea; it is a fact of neuroscience. Yet it is a fact he does not jargonize to the point of effectively losing his audience. (After all, not many men could tour the world giving philosophical lectures that draw audiences of thousands.) Peterson captivates his viewers, yes, but the reason for such captivation is his defining feature in this series: explaining scientifically accurate information in an understandable manner, a practice he seems to have honed when writing his 2018 book “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos.”
Published in 1999, Peterson’s first work, “Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief,” totals 564 pages and ranks in genres of behavioral psychology, medical general psychology, and cognitive psychology. It is a book to be tackled in academic spheres. Almost 20 years later, he authored “12 Rules for Life,” where he outlines precisely 12 practical rules by which to live. Rule six, “Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world,” is a reminder as to why we may need a reframing of perspective, a strategy Peterson incorporates in “Depression &amp; Anxiety,” by reframing both internalizing disorders with a goal of helping people.
This particular rule comes to mind as Peterson gives an example of a micro goal (emphasis on “micro”) that is capable of reinstating the positive emotion system. “Imagine you make a micro goal and the goal might be: This month I am going to clean up my room. So, the first thing you do is organize your sock drawer,” he offers. After pilfering through 30 pairs of socks, deciding which to trash, and fighting off the compulsion to keep them, progress is made.
Peterson explains the brain’s neurochemical influence, and then — true to his own eighth rule, “Tell the truth—or, at least, don’t lie” — Peterson does not mince words, stating that growth is the best option because “it is either that or stasis or death.” But as straightforward as Peterson’s words are, he meets the viewer where they are, empathically acknowledging that even organizing a sock drawer “is harder than it sounds.”
It is Peterson’s explanation of exposure therapy that cinches this episode’s absolute merit. What does exposure have to do with anxiety? Fear. Exposure therapy is the use of voluntary confrontation with challenges. In an example Peterson shares, a woman who is experiencing an anxiety disorder and barely able to leave her house is additionally petrified of elevators. Through exposure therapy, as described by Peterson, she overcomes her fear — but it is fear at the core of her paralysis.
Though exposure therapy must be engaged carefully, Peterson knows it works “because it’s thinking, and thinking works.” Usually people come to the understanding they are less afraid than they thought, and Peterson further claims, “There’s no difference between exposure therapy and learning.”
Peterson does not simply convey information in this series; he makes it accessible. He does not sit posed as a cavalier therapist; he empathizes with viewers, metaphorically reaching across the table with sincerity.
“You think it’s trivial,” Peterson concludes, adding, “No it’s not. It’s death and humiliation and insufficiency in the face of those things — and you’re practicing overcoming it.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-depression-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH DR. JORDAN B. PETERSON&#8217;S SERIES, &#8220;DEPRESSION &amp; ANXIETY,&#8221; ON DAILYWIRE+</a>

JODRAN_PETERSON11

Back To His Roots: Peterson Translates Clinical Research Into Practical Steps For Healing In Series

The following is a transcript excerpt from Dr. Jordan Peterson’s “Depression &amp; Anxiety.” In this segment, he addresses the facilitation of positive emotion, the brain’s neurochemical influence with an example of a micro goal, and the acquisition of skills versus counterproductive micro conceptions in relation to depression. Dr. Peterson’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/jordan-peterson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extensive catalog</a> is available on DailyWire+.
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We <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/on-depression-and-anxiety-specifying-the-nature-of-the-problem" target="_blank" rel="noopener">talked about</a> the amelioration of negative emotion. We can also talk about the facilitation of positive emotion. If you break down a person&#8217;s goals into different domains, you can establish micro goals. Then, as people observe themselves moving positively toward the accomplishment of micro goals, their positive emotion systems start to turn back on.
Imagine you make a micro goal and the goal might be: This month I am going to clean up my room. So, the first thing you do is organize your sock drawer, which is harder than it sounds because maybe you have 30 pairs of socks in there that you have had for 10 years. Some of them are ratty, a lot are not stylish, some are uncomfortable, and you have to take them out of the drawer. Then, you have to try them all on, and you have to make the difficult decision about when a pair of socks is a little too ratty to keep. And you have to contend with your obsessive compulsive disorder while you are doing that, a disorder that might make you want to hoard. It is not that easy. 
But if you see yourself doing it and you make a little progress, then your brain marks that progress by producing dopamine. Dopamine is the fundamental chemical that mediates the kind of positive emotion that makes people feel alive and hopeful. It is that drug, by the way, that is made manifest in excess by drugs like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine — all the drugs of abuse that people take to get stimulated. They are all dopaminergic. 
So the dopamine system gives you a little kick and signals, “Yes, that was good.” Then you might think, “What is that kick?” Well, it is a sign that you should do more of that. But that is not all that dopamine does neurochemically. 
Imagine there is a sequence of neurons that were activated as you were progressing toward the successful implementation of that goal. The dopamine makes those neurons grow — either proliferate more, develop more connections, or the connections get thicker. That means those things you did successfully are more likely to become part of you and to manifest themselves in the future, and that is growth. You feel that positively, and it is literal growth. It is biological growth. You think, “We&#8217;re moving toward growth.” It is either that or stasis or death. 
By setting up these micro goals in relationship to broader goals, then you can activate the positive emotion system, and that’s anti-depressant. My online <a href="https://www.selfauthoring.com/?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwr9m3BhDHARIsANut04bdBE8TQtfWcVzRZ-QsNpm8-BKN3B-oGj_0VhHLVm_U8Y66tWcU148aAnyjEALw_wcB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">self-authoring program</a> helps people get their story straight. Getting a story straight occurs by laying out the past, laying out the present, laying out the future, figuring out what skills to develop, coming up with a strategy for the development of the skills, and laying out a vision of goals. All of that is anti-depressant in the most fundamental sense.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-depression-anxiety">WATCH: Dr. Jordan B. Peterson on Depression and Anxiety on DailyWire+</a></h4>
Then it is possible, too, that if you are in dire straits and you have a health problem that is associated with depression, that an antidepressant can help with this to get the ball rolling. As I said, if you have a life, sometimes the antidepressant can be quite effective, although that does not necessarily mean it is addressing the underlying cause of the depression, which is often very difficult to specify. But it is better than being paralyzed into inability and suffering terribly despite the fact that you actually have your life together. 
If you do not have your life together, then you can do the process of decomposition (that I just described) and start making incremental movement toward putting each of those domains in order and putting yourself in order in that manner. That will constrain your anxiety and your suffering, and facilitate positive emotion. That is a big part of psychotherapy, all of that — on the biochemical front and also on the behavioral and practical front.
The cognitive behaviorists would concentrate more on re-structuring your conceptual schema. For example, maybe you are talking to someone who is intellectually arrogant but unemployed because they feel that an entry level job is beneath them. You might investigate that by asking: 
<blockquote>Beneath what, exactly? Beneath your intellectual pride? Do you have a better option? Maybe you are conceptualizing the workplace inappropriately, in a manner that is counterproductive with regards to your own stated goals. So you want to be alone and isolated, miserable, unproductive, and non-generous? Or do you want to get the ball rolling?
I guess I want to get the ball rolling.
Are you willing to start at the beginning?
Well, no, I think I should start at the top.</blockquote>
There is a problem in your conceptual scheme because no one is going to put you at the top, and you should not even be there. You do not want to set yourself up for failure. You might as well start somewhere you can start. And that is cognitive modification in some sense. It is the retooling of the categories that the person is using to interact with the world.
Behavioral therapies concentrate on the acquisition of the actual skills. Cognitive therapists deal with the micro conceptions that might be counterproductive. You can see some of those in depression.
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<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/defining-depression" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: Dr. Jordan B. Peterson on Depression and Anxiety on DailyWire+</a></h4>
<a href="https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Jordan B. Peterson</a> is a clinical psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. From 1993 to 1998 he served as assistant and then associate professor of psychology at Harvard. He is the international bestselling author of “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Maps-Meaning-Architecture-Jordan-Peterson/dp/0415922216/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maps of Meaning</a>,” “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/12-Rules-Life-Antidote-Chaos/dp/0345816021/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">12 Rules For Life,</a>” and “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Order-More-Rules-Life/dp/0593084640/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;dib_tag=AUTHOR&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nbV0WtVit9busCddbjMST-Oe7hjueQrxfqnQ4L3HXXUFdIaqlEBr0sp9HQWIq9ut9NlHDAFA0YQoDWVZfDtKNJI7VvlzWv2rMhs2KcAAIIppPRMWq4GIiFerkrssvBABAjeKlg3OFs3H8IHs5D8ktJ5uBg3K-SZ4hpKltaKkrhY6j-RKn-tTkBz29JZXP3Rhm9SB14rHUX1nol5d4z4Fi6f8fwhxXWCVGgkvOHSqG6E.iVF1NljuBEwrpumO9rQBh9FotnzaIo4K7K8HvNnC46k&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beyond Order.</a>” You can now <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/the-jordan-b-peterson-podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listen to</a> or <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/jordan-peterson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">watch</a> his popular lectures on DailyWire+.
Be sure to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Who-Wrestle-God-Jordan-Peterson/dp/0593542533/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=38kcw&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_p=f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_r=133-1833056-3520340&amp;pd_rd_wg=3zvBk&amp;pd_rd_r=93a1419a-853b-4c49-a764-cbaa90d3073a&amp;ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PRE-ORDER</a> Dr. Peterson’s newest book: “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Who-Wrestle-God-Jordan-Peterson/dp/0593542533/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=38kcw&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_p=f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_r=133-1833056-3520340&amp;pd_rd_wg=3zvBk&amp;pd_rd_r=93a1419a-853b-4c49-a764-cbaa90d3073a&amp;ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We Who Wrestle with God</a>” (Portfolio/Penguin. November 19, 2024.)
The views expressed in the series “Depression and Anxiety” are presented for educational and informational purposes and are not intended a medical or psychological advice.
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On Depression And Anxiety: How Micro Goals Facilitate Positive Emotion

Depression. Anxiety. Two commonly cited words in today’s society. Yet these are not undistinguished terms to Dr. Jordan B. Peterson.
As a clinician, professor, and researcher, Peterson has studied depression and anxiety for more than 30 years over the course of his career. Now, he is sharing his knowledge of both methodology and practice in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/defining-depression" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new series</a> on DailyWire+.
Pointedly titled “Depression &amp; Anxiety,” the series aims to educate viewers on these internalizing disorders, specifically as to how they can help themselves and empathize with others. As an author, psychologist, and professor who has dedicated his life to teaching how to plot a course to meaning and identify one’s purpose, few people share Peterson’s combined background of research and clinical practice. But it is his intention of helping others holistically improve their lives that is most evident in these episodes.
“Defining Depression,” the first of five episodes, shows Peterson entering an estate-like room as the soles of his shoes echo. Complete with high ceilings, elaborately draped curtains, marble-accented architecture, refined hardwood floors, and elegant chandeliers, light pours into the room from the imposing window, but Peterson is cast in black and white, a cinematic element uniquely connected to the topics at hand. Peterson settles into a wooden-spindle chair, the only piece of furniture in the room, and begins.
“So, we could start by talking about depression,” he offers, leaning forward. Peterson defines depression, which creates the foundation for the series. He moves onto address the difference between being depressed and having a terrible life, explaining, “One of the things I tried to determine as a good behaviorist was whether the person who was suffering a dearth of positive emotion and an excess of negative emotion was suffering because they were ill in this strictly physiological sense … or whether they were suffering from the cumulative micro and macro catastrophes of life.”
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/defining-depression" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: Episode 1 of Dr. Jordan B. Peterson&#8217;s new series &#8220;Depression and Anxiety&#8221; on DailyWire+</a></h4>
As to be expected, the first episode is somewhat fixated on feelings, as their influence on depression must be understood in order to, in turn, properly understand depression itself. Though some points Peterson makes may seem self-evident, there is a certain sense of comfort hearing such declarations from him; viewers experience relief, ease, and perhaps even gratitude in hearing their plight recognized as real. Those who are depressed “tend to feel all negative emotion simultaneously in a manner that’s paralyzing,” confirms Peterson. He furthers this information about emotion, naming the absence of positive emotion to be a factor in depression as well; nothing seems worthwhile.
Of course, Peterson does not leave his message without establishing concrete hope to be realized, sought after, and gained. His intent to motivate and empower viewers is evident as he shares the reasons why people become depressed and anxious, then he offers steps to conquer the afflictions based on their root causes. Depending on the individual’s circumstances, the proper treatment for depression varies — but is, indeed, possible. To understand the nature of the problem and to choose the antidote of suffering is to overcome depression.
From his first words in this series to his last, Peterson conveys a great sense of care with the words of wisdom he imparts. Watching the series, there is an overwhelming sense that he is a clinician positioned to guide his patient. Uniquely, the result is entertainment that does good for the world.
As individuals twist under the weight of modern-day life, Peterson comes alongside DailyWire+ to reframe depression and anxiety as approachable matters with the tangible hope of a path to healing.
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Dr. Jordan B. Peterson Establishes A Path Out Of Depression In New Series

Renowned psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson discussed his upcoming book exploring biblical narratives and defended his views on the virtues of sacrifice and truth-telling during an appearance on “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/sunday-special">The Ben Shapiro Show Sunday Special</a>.”
Peterson sat down with Shapiro after the two influential voices explored Jerusalem in the new DailyWire+ series from Peterson, “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/foundations-of-the-west">Foundations of the West</a>,” which goes through the profound legacies of Western civilizations and their lasting impact on the modern world.
During his discussion with Shapiro on the “Sunday Special,” Peterson discussed his upcoming book, &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/We-Who-Wrestle-God-Perceptions/dp/0593542533">We Who Wrestle With God</a>,&#8221; which explores the Biblical accounts of rebellion, sacrifice, suffering, and triumph that stabilize, inspire, and unite humankind culturally and psychologically. He told Shapiro that the book aims to demonstrate that &#8220;community is based on sacrifice&#8221; and that the human relationship to existence is fundamentally a relationship with the divine.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/how-to-find-beauty-in-self-sacrifice-jordan-peterson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH THE FULL &#8216;BEN SHAPIRO SHOW SUNDAY SPECIAL&#8217; WITH JORDAN PETERSON</a>
Peterson argued that his analysis shows &#8220;there isn&#8217;t anything more dangerous that you can do” than refusing to follow your conscience and “divine command,” even if speaking up seems risky. &#8220;There&#8217;s nothing better possible than what will happen to you if you tell the truth,&#8221; he stated, calling this a core &#8220;axiom of religious faith.&#8221;
The psychologist said he tested the book&#8217;s ideas on speaking tours with various intellectuals to see if they could be &#8220;destroyed&#8221; or if there were flaws he had missed. &#8220;I couldn&#8217;t break it,&#8221; Peterson claimed, expressing excitement about the project&#8217;s potential impact.
&#8220;We Who Wrestle With God&#8221; aims to demonstrate the enduring relevance of biblical narratives to modern life and explore fundamental questions about the nature of existence, sacrifice, and truth-telling. The book examines several key Old Testament stories, including Abraham&#8217;s near-sacrifice of Isaac, which Peterson views as illustrating the necessity of metaphorically &#8220;offering&#8221; one&#8217;s children to what is highest in life. He argues this demonstrates the sacrificial nature of good parenting and community.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724211156439000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2-L2DitSaIUj5wz8v0bgxx">Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you.</a>
“Do you offer your children up to what is highest or not? And the answer to that is, well, if you&#8217;re a good parent, you offer your children up to what&#8217;s highest,” Peterson said. “You don&#8217;t overprotect them. You don&#8217;t over-shelter them. You put them out into the world. You have them confront the catastrophic chaos of reality and you orient them towards what&#8217;s highest.”
Peterson also analyzes the story of Jonah, which he sees as highlighting the dangers of ignoring one&#8217;s conscience and divine calling, even when speaking truth appears perilous. He contends the story shows that &#8220;remaining silent in the face of a divine command is even more dangerous&#8221; than the potential worldly consequences of truth-telling.
Throughout the book, Peterson aims to bridge theological and scientific understandings, arguing that biblical wisdom can be justified from both spiritual and materialist perspectives. He expresses hope that his analysis will challenge popular atheist critiques of religion.

Ben Shapiro/Jordan Peterson

Jordan Peterson Previews New Book, ‘We Who Wrestle With God,’ On Ben Shapiro ‘Sunday Special’

The Ben Shapiro Show

The following is an edited transcript excerpt from Dr. Jordan B. Peterson’s new DailyWire+ series <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/foundations-of-the-west" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Foundations of The West</a>. Join Dr. Jordan B. Peterson and his esteemed colleagues in this new 5-part series exploring the ancient cities that shaped the West.
Start time: 12:17
<div id="attachment_787709" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-787709" class="size-large wp-image-787709" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/pnyx-1024x450.jpg" alt="Pynx Hill, Greece. Credit: ecotourism-greece.com" width="1024" height="450" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/pnyx-1024x450.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/pnyx-300x132.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/pnyx-768x337.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/pnyx-1536x674.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/pnyx.jpg 1897w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Pynx Hill, Greece. Credit: ecotourism-greece.com</div>
Jordan B. Peterson: Where are we?
Spencer Klavan: We are on the sight of a miracle. This is what&#8217;s called the Pynx. It comes from a Greek word meaning “closely packed together.” From 507 B.C. onward, the Athenian citizens would gather here to debate and discuss the fate of their city. There was nothing, basically, that they couldn&#8217;t decide if they voted on it here in almost every context — in war, in peace. This was the site where the Ecclesia, the Democratic Council of Citizens, met to debate and vote on every question you can imagine. There was almost no choice that couldn&#8217;t be made here by the people and by a vote. Initially, we think it had about a 5,000 person capacity. Most of the original Pynx is no longer visible at this point. It is remarkable to consider. You come up here, you sacrifice to Zeus, who is, you know, Zeus of the Council, Zeus of the Gathering. And then that cry goes out: “Who wishes to speak?” And you&#8217;re gazing out upon this sparklingly new row of columns rising up effectively out of the hill as you spoke.
The closest thing to the Pynx in modern America is the town hall. In the painting called &#8220;Free Speech&#8221; by Norman Rockwell, a man gets up and just addresses the crowd. It refers to our American belief that every man is created in the image of God and endowed with liberty by his Creator. That&#8217;s the spirit of the Pynx alive in America. 
<div id="attachment_787693" style="width: 459px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-787693" class="size-large wp-image-787693" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/dp-260937-22-449x576.jpg" alt="Norman Rockwell Museum Collections; SEPS: Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis" width="449" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/dp-260937-22-449x576.jpg 449w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/dp-260937-22-234x300.jpg 234w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/dp-260937-22-768x985.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/dp-260937-22.jpg 936w" sizes="(max-width: 449px) 100vw, 449px" />Norman Rockwell Museum Collections; SEPS: Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis</div>
We believe fundamentally in the same idea that the Greeks had of equality before the law and freedom of speech. It doesn&#8217;t matter who you are or where you&#8217;re from. You get a say. That&#8217;s the idea. What&#8217;s astonishing about this place is the temple not far from here, the Temple of Zeus (Olympian Zeus), was built under a tyranny. Cleisthenes, who was of these very famous and wealthy aristocrats, led what became a popular uprising. And every other city around this region reacted in the same way. They had an uprising, a revolution, and the installation of a tyranny because that&#8217;s a natural response, a revolution to extreme wealth and equality. This sort of thing has happened since time immemorial. The miracle to me is that what happened instead in Athens, they turned to this guy Solon, and they gave him the sole archonship of the city. He canceled the slavery of debt, but what he didn&#8217;t do is redistribute property or take tyrannical control. So that choice had left the Athenians in this unique position among all their contemporaries. They still had this inkling, this tradition, that actually there was another course here. 
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/athens-and-the-logos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: Foundations of the West, Episode 2: Athens And The Logos, with Jordan Peterson and Spencer Klavan</a></h4>
Peterson: How did the democratic state arise to begin with? Why did the aristocrats abandon their power or distribute it? What emerged to foster that? 
Klavan: Well, it&#8217;s a great story of high morals and low venal ambition. At the end of the sixth century B.C., leading into the fifth century, we get what we would now call a democracy. Cleisthenes, in an allegiance with the Spartan King Cleomenes, marshals the people to his aid. What you end up with is an aristocrat who is so cornered that the only people he can turn to are the people. So that&#8217;s where you get this extremely direct democracy. They would meet on this hill, which they then chiseled out into this audience space, and they would ask, “Who wants to speak?” There was still a hugely powerful aristocracy. But fundamentally, what you now had was a situation in which anybody within the citizen role, from the lowest farmer to the bluest blooded aristocrat, had something to say. It&#8217;s a shocking turn of events, and it makes Athens distinctive for the rest of its history. During the Persian War, when they beat back this massive empire — whereas the Persian forces were being driven by the lash of their great king, who was the embodiment of Ahura Mazda — these guys were fighting for their freedom, and it was only because they stood up for that that we even have an idea of democracy at all. It was itself a bad word in antiquity. It was very suspicious to a lot of people. 
<div id="attachment_787695" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-787695" class="wp-image-787695 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/GettyImages-1301327411-865x576.jpg" alt="This is a drone photo of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the Acropolis of Athens, Greece. The theater was renovated in the 1950's and it is used for theatrical plays and concerts in the summer. George Pachantouris. Getty Images." width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/GettyImages-1301327411-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/GettyImages-1301327411-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/GettyImages-1301327411-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/GettyImages-1301327411-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/GettyImages-1301327411-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/GettyImages-1301327411-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/GettyImages-1301327411-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />George Pachantouris. Getty Images.</div>
Peterson: Yes, well, why would you give the rabble a voice? 
Klavan: Why, indeed. Freedom inevitably creates more potential for chaos. The genius of the American founders was that they lived during a time when these questions were being reexamined and reanimated, and the founders were looking out at this enormous expanse of land and territory. And they were looking back at Athens and saying, “Well, ok, this is very beautiful that they fought for their freedom. But ultimately, of course, they ended up in a kind of disarray.” The Peloponnesian War comes, so they were looking back at the fall of that and thinking, well, it&#8217;s really Rome, the Republic of Rome, and the representative government that works best. Our whole idea of politics comes from the word polis, and a polis is a city. From that, we have our word politique, which is the art, the technique of gathering together in community and living life together. That&#8217;s not just a list of laws. There&#8217;s so much more to politique, to the art of politics and of community. And what Aristotle says is that mankind is a political animal, and by that he doesn&#8217;t mean that we&#8217;re born naturally into the world with an interest in tax policy or economic figures. What he means is that everywhere we live, we live in structured community together. The question is going to be how? What is the most just? The best way to organize our lives? That&#8217;s what politics is.
<div id="attachment_787741" style="width: 394px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-787741" class="size-large wp-image-787741" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/Peterson-and-Klavan-Athens9-384x576.jpg" alt="Dr. Jordan B. Peterson and Spencer Klavan in Athens. Gregory Woodman. DailyWire+." width="384" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/Peterson-and-Klavan-Athens9-384x576.jpg 384w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/Peterson-and-Klavan-Athens9-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/Peterson-and-Klavan-Athens9-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/Peterson-and-Klavan-Athens9-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/Peterson-and-Klavan-Athens9-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/Peterson-and-Klavan-Athens9-1360x2040.jpg 1360w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/Peterson-and-Klavan-Athens9-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="(max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" />Woodman. DailyWire+.</div>
Peterson: In the Judeo-Christian tradition, in Exodus, Jethro tells Moses that tyrant judge plus rabble isn&#8217;t a good model of government; there has to be hierarchical levels intermediating, and that&#8217;s the alternative to the tyranny and the desert. It&#8217;s something like the hierarchical organization of authority, which is, by the way, how your brain works too. It interacts with the world in nested concepts that are hierarchically structured. If that hierarchy is performing optimally, then you get the right balance between chaos and order. Then you could see in democracy that the Judeo-Christian tradition and the Athenian tradition stack. The combination of those two in some sense is the core of modern conservatism. Power should be distributed down to the hierarchy, to the lowest, most local possible level of decision. And you could say, “Well, that should just be democracy where everyone has their voice.” But the problem with that is it gets very, very fractious, and it doesn&#8217;t scale.
Klavan: The problem with democracy is that it devolves into mob rule, which opens the way for a strong man and a tyranny.
Peterson: That&#8217;s what people clamor about when they talk about the danger of populism.
Klavan: Yes, exactly.
Peterson: The mob has gotten out of hand; now, they&#8217;re going to elect a tyrant.
Klavan: Really, the republic is a perpetual motion machine. It&#8217;s designed to take that cycle and just freeze it essentially.
* * *
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/athens-and-the-logos">WATCH: Foundations of the West, Episode 2: Athens And The Logos, with Jordan Peterson and Spencer Klavan</a></h4>

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