Jordan Peterson is one of the most famous public intellectuals in the world. But his pronouncements in favor of capitalism and hierarchy collapse at t

Why Jordan Peterson Is Always Wrong

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2021-06-15 23:00:12

Jordan Peterson is one of the most famous public intellectuals in the world. But his pronouncements in favor of capitalism and hierarchy collapse at the slightest bit of scrutiny.

Jordan Peterson speaking with attendees at the 2018 Young Women's Leadership Summit hosted by Turning Point USA at the Hyatt Regency DFW Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia

Writing in the New York Times in 2018, David Brooks called Jordan Peterson the “most influential public intellectual in the Western world.” Whether or not that’s the case, he’s certainly one of the most-viewed intellectuals in the history of YouTube. Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life, a self-help book laced with Jungian psychology and reactionary politics, was a runaway bestseller. When he debated Slavoj Zizek in Toronto last April, ticket scalpers were charging more than they could have for Maple Leaf games.

Peterson is as famous for his criticisms of the Left as he is for his work on the psychological malaise of modernity. Many of his barbs have been directed at what he calls “postmodern neo-Marxism” and “cultural Marxism.” According to Peterson, universities are full of ungrateful radicals, determined to undermine the intellectual and spiritual foundations of Western civilization, insistent on advancing a dangerous totalitarian agenda that pushes for “equality of outcome” in every sphere of life. Nor is this danger confined to the classroom. Everywhere Peterson looks, he sees the attempts of institutionally powerful radicals to remake society in their multi-gendered image.