12 Rules for Life

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

12 Rules For Life: Order and Structure in a Chaotic World (English original title: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos ) is the German title of an English-language bestseller published in 2018 . It is a self-help book by Canadian clinical psychologist and psychology professor Jordan Peterson . The book contains practical ethical rules of life that are explained and justified with the help of findings from biology, literature, religion, myths, clinical experience and scientific research. It is written in a more accessible style than Peterson's previous academic book, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (1999).

description

'Happiness' is a pointless goal. Don't compare yourself with other people, compare yourself with who you were yesterday. No one gets away with anything, ever, so take responsibility for your own life. You conjure your own world, not only metaphorically but also literally and neurologically. These lessons are what the great stories and myths have been telling us since civilization began.

“'Happiness' is a useless goal. You shouldn't compare yourself to others, but to who you were yesterday. Nobody ever gets away with anything, so take responsibility for your own life. You create your own world - not just metaphorically , but also literally and neurologically . These are the lessons that the great stories and myths tell us from the beginning of civilization. "

- Jordan Peterson, 2018

The book arose out of Peterson's interest in practical life questions that are asked on Quora . Some of the quotes were from his former students Gregg Hurwitz in the novel orphan X quoted. Peterson stated that it is not written just for other people. It is also a warning to himself.

The book is divided into 12 chapters. The chapter heading consists of the wording of the specific rule, followed by an explanation in the form of an essay . The basic idea is that suffering is built into the structure of being . Although this suffering can be unbearable, people always have the choice of either withdrawing from the suffering, what it describes as a "suicidal gesture," or facing the challenges and moving forward. Living in a world of chaos and order, every person has a dark side in himself, from which impulses emerge that can "transform him into a monster" that gives space to these impulses and tries to satisfy them in reality.

Scientific experiments such as the Invisible Gorilla Test show that perception is always based on attention and that this is structured according to a person's goals.

On the subject of happiness, Peterson argues that one should only look for meaning , not for happiness . Peterson says, “It is pleasant to believe that the meaning of life is happiness. But what if you are unhappy? Happiness is a huge side benefit. When it comes, gratefully accept it. But it's fleeting and unpredictable. It's not something to aim at - because it's not a goal. And if happiness is the meaning of life, what if you are unhappy? Then you are a failure. "

The book assumes that people are born with a sense of ethics and meaning. People should take responsibility and look for meaning that goes beyond their own interests (Chapter 7, Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient )). Such thinking is reflected in great contemporary stories like Pinocchio , The Lion King and Harry Potter, or ancient stories in the Bible . Stand up straight with your shoulders back (title of the first chapter) means “accepting the terrible responsibility of life” and sacrificing oneself because the individual rises above victimization and “must lead his life in a way that avoids rejection of immediate satisfaction , required by natural and perverse desires alike ”. The comparison with neurological structures and behavior of lobsters is used as a natural example of the formation of social hierarchies.

The other parts of the work explore and criticize the condition of young men. An upbringing that ignores the gender differences between boys and girls (criticism of overprotection and the tabula rasa model in the social sciences), male-female interpersonal relationships , school shootings, religion and moral nihilism , relativism and a lack of respect for values which western society is built up.

In the final chapter, Peterson describes ways to deal with the most tragic events in a person's life. Events that are often beyond the control of the individual. In it, he describes his own personal struggle when it was discovered that his daughter had a rare bone disease. The chapter is a reflection on how to keep a watchful eye and appreciate the little things in life. It also outlines a practical way to deal with hardship: shortening the time-related area of ​​responsibility (e.g. focusing on the next minute rather than the next three months).

Structure of the book:

  1. Stand upright and make the shoulders wide ( English Stand up straight with your shoulders back )
  2. Treat you like someone for the help you are responsible ( Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping )
  3. Make friends with people who mean well by you ( make friends with people who want the best for you )
  4. Compare yourself with the one who you were yesterday, not with anyone today ( Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today )
  5. Do not let that your children do something that makes them unappealing to you ( Do not let your children do anything did makes you dislike them )
  6. First clean up your room before you criticize the world ( Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world )
  7. Strive for what is significant (not according to what are the benefits) ( Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient) )
  8. Tell the truth - or at least do not lie ( Tell the truth - or, at least, do not lie )
  9. Assume that the person with whom you speak might know something, what you do not know ( Assume did the person you are listening to might know something you do not )
  10. Be precise in your language ( Be precise in your speech )
  11. Do not disturb Children's Skateboarding ( Do not bother children When They are skateboarding )
  12. If you come across a cat, pet it ( Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street )

marketing

Peterson went on a world tour to market his book. The first part of this tour took place in England, Canada and the United States between January 14, 2018 and February 17, 2018. The sold out venues included the Emmanuel Center conference center in London with 1,000 seats and the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles with 2,000 seats. A February 11 event at the Citadel Theater in Edmonton was canceled by the theater's board and management, for which they later apologized. Instead, it was held in a sold-out hall in a Hyatt hotel. The second part of the tour included three sold out events in March in Australia. This was followed by events at the Beacon Theater in New York. The third part of the tour, which took place between early May and June, comprised ten events in the US and Canada, as well as one event in the UK.

As part of the tour, Peterson had an interview with Channel 4 News , which quickly spread across the Internet, got a lot of exposure, and reached more than ten million views on YouTube. He has also appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live , Fox & Friends , Tucker Carlson Tonight , ABCs 7.30 , Sky News Australias Outsiders and HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher , among others .

publication

The book was published by Penguin Random House on January 23, 2018 in Canada and by Penguin Allen Lane on January 16 in the UK. It has been translated into Icelandic and published ( Tólf lífsreglur - Mótefni við glundroða ). A publication by Beijing Cheers for the Mandarin version has been announced in China, and Goldmann Verlag has secured the rights for Germany. In July 2018, translations into 40 languages ​​were in preparation.

According to the Channel 4 News interview, 12 Rules for Life reached # 1 on Amazon's bestseller list in the United States and Canada , and # 4 in the UK. The English-language edition was also the most widely read book on Amazon, while the audiobook was # 1 on Amazon Canadian Audible and 3rd place in the US Audible.

In Canada, it has been on The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star bestseller lists since launch . In the UK, it topped the Sunday Times bestseller list for five weeks between February 18 and March 25 and again on April 15. Over 99,000 copies had been sold by July 9. According to information from The Guardian , Nielsen BookScan had over 10,000 book sales as of March 12 in Australia.

In the US, the book was # 1 for non-fiction and e-books on the Wall Street Journal , Washington Post and Reuters bestseller lists . The book reached on the USA Todays overall list ( overall list ) Place 2 and the overall list (nonfiction, hardcover) placed in the top 10 of Publishers Weekly . As of July 9, 476,961 copies had been sold. The non-fiction book (hardcover) pushed Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury out of the upper charts. The managing director of Penguin Random House said at the end of March that 700,000 copies had already been sold in the USA alone. However, Toronto Star book editor Deborah Dundas found the book was not on the New York Times , Los Angeles Times and IndieBound bestseller lists without getting reliable responses from the New York Times. The NYT stated that it was not counted because it was published by a Canadian company. According to Random House Canada, the book was properly handled for the US market.

meeting

Melanie Reid wrote in her review for The Times that the book is "aimed at teens, millennials and young parents". In summary, she said, “If you disregard word choice and cerebral preening , you are left with a tough self-help manual of self-employment, good behavior, self-improvement, and individualism that probably reflects [Peterson's] childhood in rural Canada in the 1960s . ”Bryan Appleyard, also in the Times, described the book as“ a less dense, more practical version of Maps of Meaning ”. He wrote that it was " a baggy , aggressive, straightforward book" that was ultimately an attempt to lead us back to what Peterson saw as true, beautiful and good - that is, God.

Hari Kunzru wrote in the Guardian that the book summarized advice from Peterson's clinical practice with personal anecdotes, accounts of his academic work as a psychologist, and "much of the intellectual history of the Great books ." Tim Lott, who also writes for the Guardian, didn't think it was a typical self-help book as it had a lot of influence, no positive message, commercial appeal, and intellectual weight compared to other self-help books like How to Win Friends and Influence People or The Secret have. A similar opinion - an atypical self-help book - was also contemplated by Barbara Danza in the Epoch Times. Bill Jamieson, in a joint review of Steven Pinker's Enlightenment Now at Scotsman , praised the essays for being "richly illustrated and packaged with excellent advice on how to restore the sense and sense of progress in our everyday lives," both books as " verbal waterboarding for supporters of big government ”. David Brooks of the New York Times argued, “The Peterson Path is a hard path, but it is an idealistic path - and for millions of young men it is proving to be the perfect antidote to the cocktail of pampering and blaming they are brought up in David A. French of the National Review considered it a "beacon" for the present day with a simple but profound goal of "helping someone look in the mirror and respect the person he or she sees" . Joe Humphreys of The Irish Times argued that "people shouldn't be prevented from reading what is a downright powerhouse of a book: wise, provocative, humorous, and also contradicting (as all deep and truthful studies of human nature must be)".

Dorothy Cummings McLean, who writes for the online magazine The Catholic World Report , considered it "the most thoughtful self-help book I have read in years." Rules of life that reminded them of Bernard Lonergan 's. The content serves “as a bridge between Christians and non-Christians who are interested in the truths of human life and who oppose the lies of ideological totalitarianism ”. In a review in the same magazine, Bishop Robert Barron praised the archetypal reading of the story about Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden , in which Jesus represents the “gardener”. He considered the exploration of the psyche of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and his experience written in the Gulag archipelago to be “one of the most illuminating passages ” and not supportive of his “ gnostic tendency to read the biblical religion purely psychologically and philosophically and not historically” or that “God … [Simply] is a principle or an abstraction ”. It is “valuable to the afflicted young men in our society who need a mentor to tell them to stand upright and act like heroes.” Adam AJ DeVille had a very different point of view in the same magazine and described 12 Rules for Life as "excruciatingly mundane, superficial and insidious", claiming that "the real danger in this book is its apology for social Darwinism and bourgeois individualism with a theological patina". "In a just world, this book would never have been published."

Ron Dart, in a review in the Ormsby Review, viewed the book as "an attempt to articulate a more meaningful order for freedom as an antidote to the unpredictable chaos of our time." Although "essential" with exemplary advice for men and women, the book is "hardly a sufficient text for the more difficult questions that plague us on our all-too human journey and should be read as such". Julian Baggini writes in a review of the book for the Financial Times : “In the headline, most of his rules are simple, timeless, in a good sense. The problem is that when Peterson works them out, they carry more fat than meat. ” Peter Hitchens stated on The Spectator that he didn't like the“ conversational and approachable ”style of writing and the level of“ recap ”, but noted that he was“ moving Moments ”,“ good advice ”with a message“ addressed to people who have grown up in the post-Christian West ”with a special attraction for young men. Park MacDougald ( New York ) shared a similar view and wrote that Peterson lacks “coherence and emotional depth” on paper compared to his lectures, but “nevertheless he produces wisdom”.

Kelefa Sanneh wrote in The New Yorker that “some of his critics might be surprised to find much of the advice he offers safely, albeit old-fashioned, that he wants young men to be better fathers, better husbands, and better parishioners. In this way he could be seen as a legacy of older gurus of mankind like Elbert Hubbard , who published the stern but wildly popular homily Message to Garcia in 1899. "Some like Heather Wilhelm (National Review) and James Grainge ( Toronto Star ) were critical of this the first reviews that Peterson would misinterpret.

expenditure

  • Jordan B. Peterson: 12 Rules For Life: Order and Structure in a Chaotic World - This Book Will Change Your Life! 1st edition. Goldmann Verlag , Munich 2018, ISBN 978-3-442-31514-7 .
  • Jordan B. Peterson: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos . 1st edition. Random House Canada, 2018, ISBN 978-0-345-81602-3 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Tim Lott: Jordan Peterson: 'The pursuit of happiness is a pointless goal' . In: The Observer , January 21, 2018. 
  2. ↑ a b Tom Bartlett: What's So Dangerous About Jordan Peterson? . In: The Chronicle of Higher Education , January 17, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018. 
  3. ↑ Jeffrey Howard: Does Postmodernism Pit Us Against Each Other? . In: Foundation for Economic Education , February 5, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  4. ↑ Jordan B Peterson's answer to What are the most valuable things everyone should know? - Quora ( en ) Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  5. ↑ Christie Blatchford: Christie Blatchford sits down with "warrior for common sense" Jordan Peterson . In: National Post , January 19, 2018. 
  6. ↑ a b c d e David Brooks: The Jordan Peterson Moment . In: The New York Times , January 25, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2018. 
  7. ↑ David Gornoski: Christ vs. the Crowd: My Interview with Jordan B. Peterson . In: The Christian Post , January 29, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  8. ^ A b c Park MacDougald: Why They Listen to Jordan Peterson . In: New York , February 11, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  9. ↑ a b James Grainger: Jordan Peterson on embracing your inner lobster in 12 Rules for Life . In: Toronto Star , January 22, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  10. ↑ Leonor Gonçalves: Psychologist Jordan Peterson says lobsters help to explain why human hierarchies exist - do they? . In: The Conversation , January 24, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  11. ^ A b Douglas Murray: The curious star appeal of Jordan Peterson . In: The Spectator , January 20, 2018. 
  12. ^ Niall McCrae: Bossy feminism and the male lemmings . In: The Conservative Woman , February 3, 2018. 
  13. ^ Adam Rubenstein: Jordan Peterson: 'I Don't Want People Falling Down in an Ideological Abyss' . In: The Weekly Standard , March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  14. ↑ Jared Sichel: Sichel: Jordan Peterson's '12 Rules for Life 'And The Parkland Massacre . In: The Daily Wire , February 21, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  15. ↑ a b c Kelefa Sanneh: Jordan Peterson's Gospel of Masculinity . In: The New Yorker , March 5, 2018. 
  16. ↑ Jordan, Peterson. Interview by Dave Rubin. Jordan Peterson LIVE: 12 Rules for Life - An Antidote to Chaos . 1st November 2017.
  17. ^ Jordan Peterson Events . In: jordanbpeterson.com . Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  18. ^ Katie Law: Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson: the 'anti-snowflake' crusader speaks out . In: London Evening Standard , January 20, 2018. 
  19. ^ Andrew Kelman: Walking the Tightrope Between Chaos and Order - An Interview with Jordan B Peterson . In: Quillette , January 27, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  20. ↑ Max Read: Talking Basement-Dwellers With Jordan Peterson, Reddit's New Favorite Philosopher . In: New York , February 4, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  21. ↑ a b David Staples: David Staples: Dark day as Citadel Theater snubs controversial author . In: Edmonton Journal , January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2018. 
  22. ^ Phil Heidenreich: Edmonton's Citadel Theater apologizes over how it handled Jordan Peterson event . In: Global News , January 20, 2018. 
  23. ↑ a b Janet Albrechtsen: Jordan Peterson: six reasons that explain his rise . In: The Australian , February 24, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  24. ↑ Dr. Jordan Peterson Announces 12 Rules for Life Tour . In: The New York Times , February 20, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  25. ↑ Jamie Doward: 'Back off', controversial professor urges critics of C4 interviewer . In: The Observer , January 21, 2018. 
  26. ^ Professor on Trudeau's 'Mankind' Objection: Canada Will 'Pay' for This Leftist Ideology . In: Fox News , February 6, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  27. ↑ Frank Chung: Jordan Peterson says hate speech will be policed ​​by 'last people in the world you would want to' . In: News Corp Australia , March 14, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2018. 
  28. ↑ Governments should not 'mandate' gender speech . In: Sky News Australia . Retrieved April 21, 2018. 
  29. ↑ Jordan Peterson Clashes w / Maher Panel About Political Divide: 'You Need To Have Respect' For Trump Voters . In: Mediaite , April 21, 2018. 
  30. ↑ 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson . Penguin Random House.
  31. ↑ 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson . Penguin. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  32. ↑ Tólf lífsreglur - Mótefni við glundroða ( Icelandic ) Forlagið. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  33. ↑ Josh Horwitz: An anti-Marxist, pro-free speech YouTuber is gaining a following in China . In: Quartz , February 23, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  34. ^ Sue Carter: Daily Deals: German rights sold to Jordan B. Peterson's 12 Rules for Life . In: Quill & Quire , January 26, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2018. 
  35. ↑ Markus Schär: Academic Climate Change? There is resistance to left orthodoxy in Anglo-Saxon universities . In: NZZ , July 6, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2019. 
  36. ↑ Amazon Best Sellers in Books . January 31, 2018. Accessed January 31, 2018.
  37. ↑ a b Tristin Hopper: Could Jordan Peterson become the best-selling Canadian author of all time? . In: Edmonton Journal , March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2018. 
  38. ↑ Bestsellers: Hardcover Non-Fiction, Feb. 3, 2018 . In: The Globe and Mail . Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  39. ↑ Bestsellers: Hardcover Non-Fiction, March 3, 2018 . In: The Globe and Mail . Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  40. ↑ Toronto Star bestsellers for the week ending Feb. 10 . In: Toronto Star . Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  41. ↑ Toronto Star bestsellers for the week ending March 10 . In: Toronto Star . Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  42. ↑ Books: The Sunday Times Bestsellers, February 18 . In: The Sunday Times . Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  43. ↑ Books: The Sunday Times Bestsellers, February 25 . In: The Sunday Times . Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  44. ↑ Books: The Sunday Times Bestsellers, March 4 . In: The Sunday Times . Retrieved March 5, 2018. 
  45. ↑ Books: The Sunday Times Bestsellers, March 11 . In: The Sunday Times . Retrieved March 12, 2018. 
  46. ↑ Books: The Sunday Times Bestsellers, March 25 . In: The Sunday Times . Retrieved March 26, 2018. 
  47. ↑ Books: The Sunday Times Bestsellers, April 15 . In: The Sunday Times . Retrieved May 22, 2018. 
  48. ↑ Books: The Sunday Times Bestsellers, July 8 . In: The Sunday Times . Retrieved July 9, 2018. 
  49. ↑ Gareth Hutchens: Not all he says is defensible, but Jordan Peterson deserves to be taken seriously . In: The Guardian , March 12, 2018. 
  50. ↑ Bestsellers: National nonfiction . In: The Washington Post , February 11, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  51. ↑ Bestsellers: National nonfiction . In: The Washington Post , February 25, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  52. ↑ Table-Hannah's 'The Great Alone' again tops US best-sellers . In: Reuters , March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018. 
  53. ↑ 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos charting . In: USA Today . Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  54. ^ Publishers Weekly Best Sellers . In: Miami Herald , March 1, 2018. Accessed March 3, 2018.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.miamiherald.com  
  55. ↑ Publishers Weekly Bestseller Lists - Hardcover Nonfiction . In: Publishers Weekly . Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  56. ↑ Publishers Weekly Bestseller Lists - Top 10 Overall . In: Publishers Weekly . Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  57. ↑ Publishers Weekly Bestseller Lists - Hardcover Nonfiction . In: Publishers Weekly . Retrieved July 9, 2018. 
  58. ↑ Rules to live by from a grumpy old man . In: Irish Independent , February 25, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  59. ↑ Jim Milliot: PRH Has Stable 2017 , Publishers Weekly . March 27, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018. 
  60. ↑ Deborah Dundas: Jordan Peterson's book is a bestseller - except where it matters most . In: Toronto Star , February 9. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  61. ^ Brian Stelter: Every top New York Times best-seller this year has been about Trump . In: CNN , April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018. 
  62. ↑ a b Melanie Reid: Review: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B Peterson . January 12, 2018.
  63. ↑ Kari Kunzru: 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B Peterson review - a self-help book from a culture warrior . January 18, 2018.
  64. ↑ Barbara Danza: Book Review: '12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos' by Jordan B. Peterson . In: Epoch Times . March 27, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  65. ↑ Bill Jamieson: Bill Jamieson: I've found two antidotes to our cult of unhappiness . In: The Scotsman , February 22, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  66. ^ David A. French: A Book for Our Times . In: National Review , March 1, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018. 
  67. ↑ Joe Humphreys: The gospel according to Jordan B Peterson . In: The Irish Times , April 21, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2018. 
  68. ^ Dorothy Cummings McLean: Jordan B. Peterson's "12 Rules for Life" is a call to clarity in an age of chaos . In: The Catholic World , February 11, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018. 
  69. ^ Robert Barron: The Jordan Peterson Phenomenon . In: The Catholic World , February 27, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018. 
  70. ^ Adam AJ DeVille: Jordan Peterson's Jungian best-seller is banal, superficial, and insidious - Catholic World Report . April 3, 2018. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  71. ^ Douglas Todd: Review of one of the most popular books ever by a Canadian . In: The Vancouver Sun , M3. March 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  72. ^ Ron Dart: The stupid man's smart person . In: The Ormsby Review , February 23, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018. 
  73. ^ Julian Baggini: 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson - back to basics . 19th January 2018.
  74. ↑ Peter Hitchens: Jordan Peterson doesn't go nearly far enough . In: The Spectator , February 10, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  75. ↑ Heather Wilhelm: The Last Gasps of Outrage Culture? . In: National Review , January 26, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018. 
  76. ^ Heather Wilhelm: Commentary: The last gasps of America's outrage culture . In: Chicago Tribune , January 29, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.