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kcrawfish's review against another edition
4.0
This textbook (yes it is a textbook, go in expecting the writer to be a teacher who is assuming you’ve done the outside assigned reading) dances on the edge of what humanity is and what we all believe.
It’s not surprising, given the origins of the book, that this text confronts humanity at its worst, and challenges the reader to look inward for answers about suffering (your own and humanity’s in general). This book began in inklings and flare-ups while the author studied the atrocities of war, specifically WW2.
I speak of these seeds of the manuscript as flare-ups because of the painstaking wrestling you can feel in every page of the book. It was like a man gripping a Grendel’s mother by the tail and trying to pull her from her cave. There’s something almost primordial about the theories laid out for you, something that feels alive and arcane, yet dangerous and new.
The author draws on history, on human atrocity, on religion, on personal encounters with the best and worst patients in clinical psychology, on ancient alchemy, on the Bible, on Tao, on Milton and Dostoyevsky, on Nietzsche and Jung.
If that seems like a broad brush to paint with to you, you’re absolutely right, and yet these weave into a detailed piece of art that reveals something vital in human history that applies directly to the human heart. It forces you to ask the painful question the author asked himself.
Even physics has unfounded beliefs that spring from nothing, like “of course there are only 3 dimensions”, until someone thinks to question, and a whole new world to explore opens up. Beliefs are emotional things, even the reaction to the discovery of new dimensions was an emotional one. So opening your eyes to your inward beliefs and morality is a terrifying, in part because you don’t know what you might find. But this is a necessary step to understanding, and overcoming our own flaws to become something stronger, someone better. The cost of not looking, might end with a lashing out at people you love, at yourself, at the world, even without full realization.
There’s no excuse for someone who takes revenge on the innocent because they’re trying to take revenge on God, or at least the idea of “God”, for the painful reality of existence. This text touches on why, on an alternative, on so many, many things.
Don’t mistake me. This is still a textbook, and its incredibly interesting topic (to me) does not make it suddenly read like Pride and Prejudice or any other pleasurable fiction work. But I do think it’s worth the wrestling and a genuine effort to try and understand. At least for me.
It’s not surprising, given the origins of the book, that this text confronts humanity at its worst, and challenges the reader to look inward for answers about suffering (your own and humanity’s in general). This book began in inklings and flare-ups while the author studied the atrocities of war, specifically WW2.
I believe now that my concern with death on a mass scale was intimately tied into my personal life, and that concerns with the meaning of life on a personal level (which arise with the contemplation of death) took a general form for me, which had to do with the value of humanity, and the purpose of life in general.
I speak of these seeds of the manuscript as flare-ups because of the painstaking wrestling you can feel in every page of the book. It was like a man gripping a Grendel’s mother by the tail and trying to pull her from her cave. There’s something almost primordial about the theories laid out for you, something that feels alive and arcane, yet dangerous and new.
The author draws on history, on human atrocity, on religion, on personal encounters with the best and worst patients in clinical psychology, on ancient alchemy, on the Bible, on Tao, on Milton and Dostoyevsky, on Nietzsche and Jung.
If that seems like a broad brush to paint with to you, you’re absolutely right, and yet these weave into a detailed piece of art that reveals something vital in human history that applies directly to the human heart. It forces you to ask the painful question the author asked himself.
...perhaps everything I believed was wrong.
Even physics has unfounded beliefs that spring from nothing, like “of course there are only 3 dimensions”, until someone thinks to question, and a whole new world to explore opens up. Beliefs are emotional things, even the reaction to the discovery of new dimensions was an emotional one. So opening your eyes to your inward beliefs and morality is a terrifying, in part because you don’t know what you might find. But this is a necessary step to understanding, and overcoming our own flaws to become something stronger, someone better. The cost of not looking, might end with a lashing out at people you love, at yourself, at the world, even without full realization.
There’s no excuse for someone who takes revenge on the innocent because they’re trying to take revenge on God, or at least the idea of “God”, for the painful reality of existence. This text touches on why, on an alternative, on so many, many things.
I believe now that everyone has this choice in front of them, even when they do not know or refuse to admit it; that everyone makes this choice, with every decision and action they take.
Don’t mistake me. This is still a textbook, and its incredibly interesting topic (to me) does not make it suddenly read like Pride and Prejudice or any other pleasurable fiction work. But I do think it’s worth the wrestling and a genuine effort to try and understand. At least for me.
lady_epoh's review against another edition
4.0
As a fan of Dr. Peterson’s adeptness when it comes to debate, I’m surprised I did not enjoy this more. It had great levels of comprehension of the human psyche, and the general flow of our beliefs and core values, and explained most of these in layman’s terms. I enjoyed the comparing and contrasting of the ancient theologies, and how they pertain to modern religious views. Overall, it’s a lot of information to process, so I’ve decided I feel Peterson shines brightest when actively challenged by another mind, and not just left to ramble.
pruey's review against another edition
5.0
Will definitely revisit this one in the future, plenty of information.
rottenapple99's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
mcallis47's review against another edition
5.0
A century after Nietzsche’s grim diagnosis of nihilism in the west, and decades after the horrifying symptoms of such manifested in earnest, Peterson offers a dusty nautical chart to those modern navigators who’ve spent the past age seeking guidance via close inspection of the sea itself. Where post-modern critiques of rationalism generally contain only disingenuous deconstruction of meaning, this work instead proposes a reintegration of phenomenological truth into the toolset of the modern mind.
In the words of another famous Canadian - who’s afraid of a little abstraction?
In the words of another famous Canadian - who’s afraid of a little abstraction?
andrew01re's review against another edition
5.0
Difficult content to parse, but an amazing insight into how belief systems originate and the power of myths and archetypes.
thomasgoddard's review against another edition
3.0
The idea behind this one is that Western civilization has generated a range of myths and stories over time to try to articulate a message that is important for future generations to inherit. To transmit information that cannot be successfully imparted using other methods.
Further to that, he proposes that the specific format of these tales actually work not just on a conscious and subconscious cognitive levels, but that they work in a way that structures the mind itself. Generating a sort of template of thinking. One we should ignore at our peril.
Additionally, there's the idea that our way of understanding the world is more Phenomenological than it is Cartesian. Symbolic rather than objective. I hope I've got that right.
That's what I got from it anyway. The thing is that it's hard to work out a lot of the message because it goes on a lot of merry dances. There are things that Peterson thinks are important and then there are things that actually advance his position.
Personally, I'm not convinced. However I did really enjoy the bits about his personal journey towards his conclusions.
I'm not a smart man, I'm just a regular Joe really, but I enjoyed the time thinking about those ideas. If nothing else he's right about the fact that the best way to live is to confront things you don't agree with or understand fully and try to interpret them. Never fall into the trap of rejecting people, ideas or experiences. It's difficult to accept people who represent the other. People who think differently. But nothing good comes from making people feel like outcasts. That's a story that keeps being told.
Further to that, he proposes that the specific format of these tales actually work not just on a conscious and subconscious cognitive levels, but that they work in a way that structures the mind itself. Generating a sort of template of thinking. One we should ignore at our peril.
Additionally, there's the idea that our way of understanding the world is more Phenomenological than it is Cartesian. Symbolic rather than objective. I hope I've got that right.
That's what I got from it anyway. The thing is that it's hard to work out a lot of the message because it goes on a lot of merry dances. There are things that Peterson thinks are important and then there are things that actually advance his position.
Personally, I'm not convinced. However I did really enjoy the bits about his personal journey towards his conclusions.
I'm not a smart man, I'm just a regular Joe really, but I enjoyed the time thinking about those ideas. If nothing else he's right about the fact that the best way to live is to confront things you don't agree with or understand fully and try to interpret them. Never fall into the trap of rejecting people, ideas or experiences. It's difficult to accept people who represent the other. People who think differently. But nothing good comes from making people feel like outcasts. That's a story that keeps being told.
cantordustbunnies's review against another edition
5.0
Quite simply one of the most profound things I've ever read. If you've ever heard Peterson's talks about fairy tales such as Peter Pan or Pinocchio then you should know that this book is similar to those but applied to religion. If you're expecting a purely scientific approach then his literary and highly metaphorical explanations might seem strange. I don't necessarily think that Peterson has hit upon precisely factual or objective interpretations of world religions but his explanation of them is immensely psychologically beneficial and deeply true in an emotional, pragmatic sense. He combines different schools of philosophical thought in a somewhat Hegelian manner while still managing to keep common sense intact. This book is quite lengthy and is a challenging read but is well worth it. For the first time I've seen an author make a convincing argument to be a good person. Unlike so many other "self help" authors, Peterson takes on and acknowledges the problems of life head on and incorporates them into his philosophy rather than finding ways to ignore them or explain them away. His approach is gentle and kind yet totally firm. He takes time to gain the reader's trust and delivers some pretty harsh truths which if you are willing to take them on can be totally devastating yet positively life changing. An absolutely remarkable work that is maybe a little unusual or flawed here and there but really has the potential to get at the core of your issues as it did mine. Therapeutic, to say the least. Reading this work also has given me a deeper insight into other talks Peterson has given, you realize that there is a common connecting thread to everything he says and how he behaves as a public figure. If you have an interest in Jordan Peterson himself, I would say this book is essential in understanding him.