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Myth, Meaning, and Antifragile Individualism: On the Ideas of Jordan Peterson
Jordan Peterson has attracted a high level of attention. Controversies may bring people into contact with Peterson's work, but ideas are arguably what keep them there. Focusing on those ideas, this book explores Peterson’s answers to perennial questions.What is common to all humans, regardless of their background? Is complete knowledge ever possible? What would constitute a meaningful life? Why have humans evolved the capacity for intelligence? Should one treat others as individuals or as members of a group? Is a single person powerless in the face of evil? What is the relation between speech, thought, and action? Why have religious myths and narratives figured so prominently in human history? Are the hierarchies we find in society good or bad?After devoting a chapter to each of these questions, Champagne unites the different strands of Peterson’s thinking in a handy summary. Champagne then spends the remaining third of the book articulating his main critical concerns. He argues that while building on tradition is inevitable and indeed desirable, Peterson’s individualist project is hindered by the non-revisable character and self-sacrificial content of religious belief.This engaging multidisciplinary study is ideal for those who know little about Peterson’s views, or for those who are familiar but want to see more clearly how Peterson’s views hang together. The debates spearheaded by Peterson are in full swing, so Myth, Meaning, and Antifragile Individualism should become a reference point for any serious engagement with Peterson’s ideas.
- GenresPhilosophy
217 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 11, 2020
6 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Marc Champagne
5 booksMarc Champagne is a philosopher with two PhDs who teaches philosophy at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 4, 2020
I've encountered Jordan Peterson back in 2016, with the whole C-16 polemic. I started getting into his material, and I found him tremendously insightful. Ended up watching all lectures available at the time and reading Maps of Meaning. My JBP streak ended a year later or so. In part because there was nothing new I could get from him and he was just repeating himself. Not that this is bad, just a consequence of studying someone in depth. In addition, I found many other thinkers that dealt with the topics that he did (and in a more detailed form), and navigated towards that instead. Lastly, I hated that he got associated with the whole self-help movement and politics.
But despite not reading or watching anything about him, I couldn't stop seeing stuff about him in one way or another, usually with news or attack pieces. And that always left a bitter taste in my mouth, because even though he was all over the place, his ideas were almost never discussed. It was always about either self-help or politics. And that's a shame, because what I valued so much about him, his particular system of psychology, philosophy, and religion, was never addressed. This always made me want to write a book about his ideas so that people could learn and engage with them without all the drama. However, that would be a gigantic project that I was never able to justify spending time on.
Lo and behold, I found this book. Precisely what I had wanted to do ages, and ordered it immediately. It is written by Marc Champagne, with 2 different PhDs, one in philosophy of mind and another in philosophy of signs. The academic rigor is clear makes me glad that I did not write the book.
It is divided into 2 parts. The first he calls "exposition" and deals with explaining Peterson's ideas across 9 chapters, like facing ignorance, the phenomenological map of the known and the unknown, meaning, morality, personality, speech, and individualism. They are well written, and I was happy to see direct JBP quotes. I didn't read this part very much. I already know his ideas and didn't want to invest too much time on it. I mostly wanted to see if this was a good resource for his thought. Overall I think he made a fair characterization, although I felt it was pulled too hard towards individualism. I found that some important aspects of cognitive science and religion should have been better emphasized.
The second part is called "evaluation", where he criticizes some of his ideas. This what I was interested in the most. First I immediately realized why religion was lacking in the first place, as the author didn't seem too sympathetic towards it. Nevertheless, I did enjoy his criticism. I disagree with most of it, but I think in general they are well argued for. And most importantly, they are criticisms of his ideas, in a fair manner, and not to his popularity, politics, or anything else. This is what I was looking for, and I was glad to see it happen.
Overall it's a very solid book. Both in the summary of his ideas and some criticisms towards it. I would have approached it differently in some ways, but that might just be my specific bias of course. If you want either a summary of Peterson's thought or a fair take at his ideas, it's worth buying. And I congratulate Champagne for written this book which was more than necessary.
But despite not reading or watching anything about him, I couldn't stop seeing stuff about him in one way or another, usually with news or attack pieces. And that always left a bitter taste in my mouth, because even though he was all over the place, his ideas were almost never discussed. It was always about either self-help or politics. And that's a shame, because what I valued so much about him, his particular system of psychology, philosophy, and religion, was never addressed. This always made me want to write a book about his ideas so that people could learn and engage with them without all the drama. However, that would be a gigantic project that I was never able to justify spending time on.
Lo and behold, I found this book. Precisely what I had wanted to do ages, and ordered it immediately. It is written by Marc Champagne, with 2 different PhDs, one in philosophy of mind and another in philosophy of signs. The academic rigor is clear makes me glad that I did not write the book.
It is divided into 2 parts. The first he calls "exposition" and deals with explaining Peterson's ideas across 9 chapters, like facing ignorance, the phenomenological map of the known and the unknown, meaning, morality, personality, speech, and individualism. They are well written, and I was happy to see direct JBP quotes. I didn't read this part very much. I already know his ideas and didn't want to invest too much time on it. I mostly wanted to see if this was a good resource for his thought. Overall I think he made a fair characterization, although I felt it was pulled too hard towards individualism. I found that some important aspects of cognitive science and religion should have been better emphasized.
The second part is called "evaluation", where he criticizes some of his ideas. This what I was interested in the most. First I immediately realized why religion was lacking in the first place, as the author didn't seem too sympathetic towards it. Nevertheless, I did enjoy his criticism. I disagree with most of it, but I think in general they are well argued for. And most importantly, they are criticisms of his ideas, in a fair manner, and not to his popularity, politics, or anything else. This is what I was looking for, and I was glad to see it happen.
Overall it's a very solid book. Both in the summary of his ideas and some criticisms towards it. I would have approached it differently in some ways, but that might just be my specific bias of course. If you want either a summary of Peterson's thought or a fair take at his ideas, it's worth buying. And I congratulate Champagne for written this book which was more than necessary.
August 22, 2020
This is an example where the title is better than the book. I was looking forward to an analysis of 'antifragile individualism.' Even some revisioning of myth and meaning would have been welcome.
What we have - sadly - is another apologist for Jordan Peterson. Marc Champagne is a considered scholar, but his lens turns to individualism, mostly male, most white, and how this individual gains a sense of agency and purpose.
Champagne renders Peterson's argument much more significant and important than they actually are. A shame, and a waste of Champagne's abilities.
What we have - sadly - is another apologist for Jordan Peterson. Marc Champagne is a considered scholar, but his lens turns to individualism, mostly male, most white, and how this individual gains a sense of agency and purpose.
Champagne renders Peterson's argument much more significant and important than they actually are. A shame, and a waste of Champagne's abilities.
August 19, 2021
Very comprehensive and accessible description of Peterson’s views, even including (in a limited way) his academic work & not just his popular.
I can’t give it 5 stars because I disagree with his privileged view of atheism. At one point in a discussion about Peterson stating that “Catholicism is as sane as it gets”, he says it’s an interesting coincidence that out of all the possible world views, the one he was born into seems best.
To which I want to say “do you feel the same suspicion about individual liberty because you were born in the West?” If there’s a Darwinian struggle of the gods and you question “why not the east over the west” or “what about Islam?” Then you should first say “well, who’s been the dominant force in the thought of the world for the last 2 millennia, West or East?”
Okay great, so they’ve evidently got more overall influence and staying power, good or bad, than the other guys. So if I regard Peterson as a self-help guru rather than metaphysicist, I’ve got every reason to focus on the religion that got us to where such values as individual liberty are exalted and preserved constitutionally.
Moreover, “the story isn’t over,” as he ends the book with, so the battle of world views hasn’t ended. If I’ve got to attach myself to the guy I think is gonna win, then 99% of the time I’ll go with the general who has single handedly made us the dominant fighting force in the war, rather than the upstart (in this analogy, new atheism) who has a lot of promise and energy.
I can’t give it 5 stars because I disagree with his privileged view of atheism. At one point in a discussion about Peterson stating that “Catholicism is as sane as it gets”, he says it’s an interesting coincidence that out of all the possible world views, the one he was born into seems best.
To which I want to say “do you feel the same suspicion about individual liberty because you were born in the West?” If there’s a Darwinian struggle of the gods and you question “why not the east over the west” or “what about Islam?” Then you should first say “well, who’s been the dominant force in the thought of the world for the last 2 millennia, West or East?”
Okay great, so they’ve evidently got more overall influence and staying power, good or bad, than the other guys. So if I regard Peterson as a self-help guru rather than metaphysicist, I’ve got every reason to focus on the religion that got us to where such values as individual liberty are exalted and preserved constitutionally.
Moreover, “the story isn’t over,” as he ends the book with, so the battle of world views hasn’t ended. If I’ve got to attach myself to the guy I think is gonna win, then 99% of the time I’ll go with the general who has single handedly made us the dominant fighting force in the war, rather than the upstart (in this analogy, new atheism) who has a lot of promise and energy.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews