Jordan Peterson

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Jordan Peterson (2018)
Jordan Peterson Signature.svg

Jordan Bernt Peterson (born on 12. June 1962 in Edmonton ( Alberta )) is a Canadian clinical psychologist , nonfiction author and professor. He has taught psychology at the University of Toronto since 1997 , his main areas of research being the psychology of religious and ideological beliefs, and personality and performance improvement. He is also active on social media and known as a traveling speaker.

Life

Peterson grew up in Fairview , Alberta , a small town northwest of Edmonton, as the eldest of three children. His father, Walter Peterson, was a teacher and vice principal , and his mother was a librarian at Grande Prairie College . Since literature was a high priority in his family, Peterson learned to read and write very early. At the age of 13, Sandy Notley, Rachel Notley's mother and then a librarian at his school, sparked his interest in the literature of George Orwell , Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and Ayn Rand . At the same time, his political involvement in the New Democratic Party (NDP) began, to which he belonged as a youth. At the age of 18 he left the party again.

Peterson first studied political science at Grande Prairie College, but later moved to the University of Alberta , where he graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts. After graduation, he traveled around Europe for a year and became interested in the psychological causes of the Cold War . Peterson recognized the "destructive ability" of humans, which led to depression in him. In his search for answers, he immersed himself in the works of Carl Gustav Jung , Friedrich Nietzsche and Aleksandr Solschenizyn . He returned to the University of Alberta and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 1984. In 1985 he moved to Montreal and received his PhD with Robert O. Pihl at McGill University .

Peterson married Tammy Roberts in 1989 and the couple have a son and daughter.

In 2019, Peterson went to rehab after developing physical withdrawal symptoms after stopping clonazepam , an anxiolytic drug. He had previously been prescribed clonazepam by his doctor to treat anxiety related to his wife's cancer diagnosis.

Career

From 1993 to 1997, Peterson taught as an assistant professor at Harvard University , focusing on aggressive behavior caused by drugs and alcoholism. In 1997 he returned to the University of Toronto, where he has been a professor ever since.

Peterson started uploading his lectures to Youtube in 2013 and interest in him grew. In 2017, his YouTube channel had more than a million subscribers; in 2019 it was more than two million. He has also published his lectures there since 2013, and his lectures on the Old Testament and psychology have been viewed 17 million times. He used the Patreon platform to raise monthly donations, lectured at TEDx events, and appeared on television in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. A Channel 4 interview with Peterson, conducted by Cathy Newman, had more than 18 million views on YouTube. In December 2018, Peterson deleted his Patreon account in protest against the deletion of the accounts of political actors who, according to Patreon , had violated their rules on hate speech .

In 2018 he published the self-help guide 12 Rules for Life , which became a bestseller in the USA and Canada.

After Peterson announced on March 18, 2019 that he would be staying on a two-month visiting scholarship at Cambridge University , the theological faculty there withdrew the invitation. A social media photo of Peterson posing with a man whose T-shirt read broadly and incorrectly: I am a proud Islamaphober was widely circulated . On March 15, 2019, the racist, right-wing terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand left 50 dead. Peterson took a reading tour of New Zealand in February 2019, where the photo was taken. After the terrorist attack, individual New Zealand bookstores and a bookstore chain decided to temporarily boycott the book for which he was on a reading tour .

The rector of the University of Cambridge, Stephen Toope, said Peterson's work and views are not representative of the student body and therefore his visit would not be seen as a valuable contribution to the university, but as one who contradicts the principles of the University.

Positions

Peterson describes itself as a classic British Liberal (classic British liberal) and sees itself as a defender of free speech against the activists of political correctness among others, on issues such as privileges of the white population ( white privilege ), cultural appropriation and feminist and neo-Marxist postmodernism . Marxism and neo-Marxism are no better than fascism and neo-fascism. In his view, universities are largely responsible for the wave of political correctness that has swept Europe and North America. These would not care about the individual and should be "stopped". He sees “cultural Marxism” as the new, threatening totalitarianism .

Bill C-16

Gained public attention Peterson in 2016 as an opponent of the enactment in June 2017 Canadian Law Bill C-16 ( english An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code , Act to Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code ' ). According to his interpretation, the change in the law should make the use of transgender terms compulsory. Peterson said that the compelled speech , which is a criminal offense , is a border crossing by the legislature. He criticizes the fact that the compulsion to say certain things represents a massive cut in the freedom of speech. He also stated that these legal innovations stem from “postmodern ideology”.

According to Peterson, there is insufficient evidence that gender identity and biological gender are distinct, independent constructs. Rather, it is so that all evidence suggests that there are no independently varying constructs. He rejects the legally enforced use of specific pronouns desired by those affected in the third person and called it "constructs of a small coterie of ideologically motivated people". The conservative National Post accused Peterson (wrongly) of denying the existence of “non-binary gender identities” and quoted Peterson's colleague, physics professor A. W. Peet, as being affected: “To invalidate a false claim, only one counterexample is necessary. Here I am the counterexample. ”On the other hand, Peterson repeatedly emphasizes that his negative position on the mandatory use of language does not mean that he denies the existence of people who do not fit into the binary gender categories.

In a BBC interview, Peterson explained to justify his rejection of the law that he had studied totalitarianism for forty years and that it always began with an attempt to control ideological and linguistic territory. "Under no circumstances will I use these words that were invented by people who do just that."

Peterson criticized that the changes to the human rights law would make employers and organizations liable to prosecution if an employee or partner said something that, directly or indirectly, "whether intentionally or unintentionally", could be interpreted as offensive . Law professor Brenda Cossman, like Peterson of the University of Toronto, said: "There is nothing in Bill C-16 that criminalizes the abuse of pronouns." Language, such as curses and hate speech, are already regulated by law. She feared that many thoughts in the context had post-factual backgrounds. In the statement she wrote by the Center for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto, Cossman makes it clear that the deliberate misuse of pronouns against the background of Bill C-16 is not a criminal offense, but it is certainly a criminal offense before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunals and courts can be prosecuted ( “misuse of pronouns may become actionable” ) and names fines and orders from the tribunals or courts as possible sanctions, but no prison sentences. Thus, according to the Guidelines for the prevention of gender-based discrimination against the Human Rights Commission of Ontario from 2014 refusing a person with their self-chosen name and the appropriate pronouns to speak, a form of gender-based discrimination ( gender-based harassment ) within the meaning of the Human Rights Code of Ontario and can be punished by the Human Rights Commission.

In May 2017, Peterson was among the 24 invited experts to address the Senate Legal and Constitutional Committee on Bill C-16 . Peterson explained to the committee that the arguments that biology does not determine gender came from the humanities and were ideologically driven.

The Canadian law added gender identity or gender expression as a further group for the already recognized - and not criticized by Peterson - prohibition of verbal utterances (such as public insults on a large scale / hate speech ; similar to sedition ) and acts of violence ( hate crime ), which are included in the legislation of the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code were already enshrined. Until then, however, the group was only included implicitly instead of explicitly. Before the bill was passed, the Canadian Bar Association contradicted Peterson's claim that the bill interfered with the right to free speech. The charge that Bill C-16 is forcing individuals to use certain pronouns is based on a misunderstanding. The legal definition of hate crime or hate speech is not achieved through the mere incorrect pronominal form of address .

The newly introduced anti-discrimination group is already indirectly included in the legislation and is directly mentioned in Bill C-16. On the other hand, according to a statement by the Center for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto, the intentional misuse of pronouns could well give rise to lawsuits before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunals or courts and lead to fines and other legal remedies (such as omission, development of anti-discrimination guidelines, etc.) , however, this behavior is not a criminal offense and does not lead to prison sentences.

reception

His first book Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief from 1999 found barely 500 buyers after publication - it was only translated into German as a result of Peterson's sudden success. His second book, 12 Rules for Life , sold more than three million copies. His scientific publications were cited in a total of 11893 other scientific publications.

The American economist Tyler Cowen named Peterson in a blog post in January 2018 as one of the most influential public intellectuals in the western world at the moment, but stressed that he had weighted people on his list by influence and not just by personal approval. Conservative journalist David Brooks shared this assessment in a comment in the New York Times . In contrast, Slavoj Žižek considers him to be a “Wikipedia theorist”.

Bernard Schiff, a retired psychology professor at the University of Toronto and a colleague of Jordan Peterson, published an article in the Canadian daily Toronto Star entitled, “I was Peterson's greatest supporter. Now I consider him dangerous ”. In it, Schiff paints the picture of an opportunist who has made a Mephistophelian covenant with the masses: "Jordan has studied the authoritarian demagogues and learned from them that he knows exactly how to reach the masses." left-wing conspiracy "wrongly characterized. Peterson imitates what he himself criticizes and wants to fight: mark those who think differently and silence them, as well as hinder the exchange of ideas (similar to the practices of the Stasi and the McCarthy era ). Peterson had done the professorships and the institutions supporting him a bad service. Fears of losing his post at the university are unfounded. He was on the sabbatical at the time he caused a stir in the debate about the gender-neutral pronouns . The university asked him to stop because he was creating an environment that made teaching difficult. The university's letter contained no hint of dismissal.

Schiff also criticized Peterson's rejection of the state-required ethics committee for university studies, which ensures that studies are only conducted with subjects whose safety and well-being are observed.

bibliography

Books

Articles in scientific journals

The 15 most cited scientific papers according to Google Scholar and ResearchGate :

literature

Literature reviews
Reviews

Web links

Commons : Jordan Peterson  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b English The bill is intended to protect individuals from discrimination within the sphere of federal jurisdiction and from being the targets of hate propaganda, as a consequence of their gender identity or their gender expression. The bill adds "gender identity or expression" to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Act and the list of characteristics of identifiable groups protected from hate propaganda in the Criminal Code. It also adds that evidence that an offense was motivated by bias, prejudice or hate based on a person's gender identity or expression constitutes an aggravating circumstance for a court to consider when imposing a criminal sentence. 'The bill is intended to protect people from discrimination within the sphere of federal jurisdiction and as a target of hate speech as a result of their gender identity or expression. The bill adds “gender identity or expression” to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination in Canadian human rights law and the list of characteristics of identifiable groups protected from hate speech in the Criminal Code . It adds that evidence that an offense was motivated by bias, prejudice or hatred over a person's gender identity or expression is an aggravating factor for a court to consider when imposing a sentence. ' From: Legislative Summary of Bill C-16: An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code of October 21, 2016, Library of Parliament Research Publications, Parliament of Canada
  2. ^ The Canadian association of approximately 36,000 attorneys, judges, notaries, law professors and students.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Vinay Menon: Jordan Peterson is trying to make sense of the world - including his own strange journey . In: Toronto Star , March 16, 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2018. 
  2. ^ A professor's refusal to use gender-neutral pronouns, and the vicious campus war that followed. In: Toronto Life. January 25, 2017, accessed May 31, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Jordan Peterson | News | The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved May 31, 2017 .
  4. ↑ nurun.com: Where we live ... (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 22, 2017 ; Retrieved April 23, 2019 (Canadian English).
  5. ^ Jordan Peterson - U of T Mind Matters. In: U of T Mind Matters. Retrieved August 14, 2017 .
  6. ↑ Patty Winsa: He says freedom, they say hate. The pronoun fight is back . Toronto Star, January 15, 2017
  7. ↑ Jason McBride: The Pronoun Warrior . Toronto Life, January 25, 2017
  8. ↑ Jordan Peterson enters rehab after wife's cancer diagnosis ( en ) September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  9. ↑ Jordan Peterson is in rehab for Klonopin addiction . September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  10. ↑ Suzanne Lucas: Jordan Peterson Is in Rehab. Why HR and Managers Should Take Note . September 23, 2019. Accessed September 28, 2019.
  11. ↑ Jordan Peterson - Linking Mythology to Psychology. April 26, 1995, accessed August 19, 2017 .
  12. ↑ nurun.com: Where we live ... (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 22, 2017 ; Retrieved April 23, 2019 (Canadian English).
  13. ↑ Simona Chiose: Jordan Peterson and the trolls in the ivory tower . In: The Globe and Mail , June 2, 2017.
  14. ^ The Jordan Peterson Moment, The New York Times, accessed July 7, 2018
  15. ^ Brian Flood: Jordan B. Peterson, Dave Rubin ditch crowdfunding site Patreon to stand up for free speech . In: FoxNews.com . January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  16. ^ Nellie Bowles: Patreon Bars Anti-Feminist for Racist Speech, Inciting Revolt (en-US) . In: The New York Times , December 24, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2019. 
  17. ↑ Best-Selling Books Week Ended Feb. 11 , The Wall Street Journal, accessed July 5, 2018
  18. ↑ Bestsellers: National nonfiction , The Washington Post , accessed July 5, 2018
  19. ↑ Cambridge rescinds offer of visiting fellowship to controversial professor Jordan Peterson. In: Varsity . March 20, 2019, accessed April 23, 2019 .
  20. ↑ Eleanor Busby: "Jordan Peterson: Alt-right figurehead's Cambridge fellowship revoked after photo with man in Islamophobic t-shirt" The Independent of March 24, 2019
  21. ↑ New Zealand bookstores ban best-selling author Jordan Peterson , Neue Presse, March 24, 2019
  22. ↑ Dealers are selling books by author Peterson again. In: deutschlandfunk.de. March 27, 2019, accessed March 31, 2019.
  23. ↑ Cambridge University rescinds Jordan Peterson invitation , The Guardian, March 20, 2019
  24. ↑ Peterson offer rescinded prior to student or staff pressure, Toope says , Varsity (Cambridge), March 25, 2019
  25. ↑ Rescindment of visiting fellowship | statement from Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen J Toope ,
  26. ↑ Jordan Peterson and the transgender wars spectator.co.uk, accessed July 7, 2018
  27. ↑ Robert Kraychik: Dissident Professor Explains neo-Marxism; "Women's Studies Should Be Defunded". In: The Daily Wire , May 28, 2017.
  28. ^ Antonella Artuso: Prof. Jordan Peterson responds to CBC cultural appropriation fallout . In: Toronto Sun , May 23, 2017.
  29. ↑ Jordan Peterson and the trolls in the ivory tower The Globe and Mail, accessed July 7, 2018
  30. ↑ a b c Myth of taboo breakers. In: zeit.de. Zeit Online , August 13, 2018, accessed January 31, 2019 .
  31. ^ A b c Carol Off: "I'm not a bigot" Meet the U of T prof who refuses to use genderless pronouns . In: CBC Radio One , September 30, 2016.
  32. ↑ a b Sean Craig: U of T professor attacks political correctness, says he refuses to use genderless pronouns . In: National Post , September 28, 2016.
  33. ↑ Canadian university professor under fire for 'disturbing' refusal to use gender-neutral pronouns. In: telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph Media Group Limited as of November 7, 2016, archived from the original on April 26, 2017 ; accessed on January 12, 2018 .
  34. ↑ Stella Morabito: Professor Ignites Protests By Refusing To Use Transgender Pronouns. In: thefederalist.com. October 17, 2016, accessed December 5, 2018 .
  35. ↑ Simona Chiose: University of Toronto professor defends right to use gender-specific pronouns . In: The Globe and Mail , November 19, 2016.
  36. ^ A b Brenda Cossman: Bill C-16 - No, its Not about Criminalizing Pronoun Misuse. Retrieved February 11, 2019 (Canadian English).
  37. ↑ Policy on preventing discrimination because of gender identity and gender expression. In: http://www.ohrc.on.ca/ . Ontario Human Rights Commission, April 14, 2014, accessed February 12, 2019 (Canadian English).
  38. ↑ Simona Chiose: U of T professor opposes transgender bill at Senate committee hearing . In: The Globe and Mail , May 17, 2017.
  39. ↑ a b CBA position on Bill C-16. In: cba.org. Canadian Bar Association, May 12, 2017; accessed January 31, 2019 .
  40. ↑ Young Men Have Nothing - Best-selling Canadian author Jordan B. Peterson is the global star of a new masculinity movement. He considers the patriarchy to be natural , Die Zeit, February 6, 2019
  41. ↑ Q&A 2019 01 January. Retrieved September 13, 2019 .
  42. ^ Google Scholar. Retrieved September 13, 2019 .
  43. ^ Tyler Cowen: The five most influential public intellectuals? Marginal Revolution, January 23, 2018
  44. ↑ David Brooks, The Jordan Peterson Moment, The New York Times, January 25, 2018
  45. ↑ Slavoj Zizek says 'the dream of universal liberal democracy is over'. In: The Independent . April 16, 2019, accessed April 20, 2019 .
  46. ↑ a b c Bernhard Schiff: I was Jordan Peterson's strongest supporter. Now I think he's dangerous. In: thestar.com. Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd., May 25, 2018, accessed May 7, 2020 .
  47. ↑ Is Jordan Peterson dangerous? In: CBC News. YouTube, June 10, 2018, accessed April 2, 2019 (TV interview with Bernard Schiff).
personal data
SURNAME Peterson, Jordan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Peterson, Jordan Bernt (full name); Peterson, Jordan B.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian clinical psychologist, cultural critic, and author
DATE OF BIRTH June 12, 1962
PLACE OF BIRTH Edmonton , Canada