As a teenager I naively rushed into the realm of politics, exhilarated by the opportunity to jump out of the academic training pool and into the arena. The deepest lessons to be learned in life come from actually living it, the deepest betrayals and sorrows as well as the most profound loves, loyalty and beauty.
Of course, the consequence of jumping into the arena too soon though, is you learn the most painful lessons through your own mistakes rather than by the parables of others. A theme both Jordan Peterson and Ron Dart give much weight to; the value of mythology and stories in guiding our deeper purpose and meaning in this lifetime.
We look at foolish missteps of innocent yet naive characters like Pinocchio or the deep sacrificial meaning in the story of Christ. What do these themes mean in our own life? How do we avoid the naivety of Pinocchio and the consequences of falling for swindlers and liars, how do we have the same forgiveness and love as Christ?
Questions I unfortunately never got much time to ponder as I was busy living my own adventure and making my own mistakes. On that adventure, I was, however, lucky enough to come across some sages and Gandalf or Dumbledore style mentors in my life, who almost certainly sent me on wiser and more considered routes on my journey.
I recall vividly the first time I saw Peterson standing on the steps of Sidney Smith Hall. I was there to rile up some debate with the more hysterical of students spitting curses and slander at him. Perhaps even to have a laugh at their expense and show the world the ridiculousness of those hoping to silence this professor over a simple philosophical disagreement.
In contrast to my enthusiasm when met with dramatics; Peterson had a deep sorrow in his eyes, a pain to the core of his soul that could hardly be conveyed properly by any second-hand medium. I have no doubt it came from his dedicated study of authoritarian regimes, his love of philosophy and how undeniably lost these youth appeared to be. Students who should be on those steps to expand their minds and soak in the thoughts and ideas of other scholars with love and curiosity. Students who should be learning the stories, parables, and history of men who foolishly fall into the traps of mob mentality picking up pitchforks rather than books. Learning of the consequences of demanding the death of critics rather than debate. Yet instead, these students so blessed with the gift of freedom and a voice had used it to fall into those very same traps once again.
Not long after this encounter, Peterson began to rise to prominence in a deliberate effort to oppose the chaos his campus had descended into. Not just to oppose chaos in the institutions but the chaos which also had seeped into most of our culture and individual lives. He gave lectures across the world regarding great myths and maps of meaning, even writing a book which he designated “an antidote to chaos” itself.
I, like many others, consumed Peterson's work with a great curiosity and longing for more; more stories that spoke to something deeper in our souls. Not just the ten-second guides to happiness or wealth, but the guides to the meaning of our being.
The soul and words such as “meaning” and “purpose” are imprecise things. They cannot be defined or calculated using the same academic methods when analyzing other subjects. Yet Peterson was able to resurrect a somewhat lost practice of reaching our soul through tale and parable. In his recent absence, it seems few if any have been able to replicate this in popular culture. Yet of course, like any man, he is broken and imperfect himself. He has his limits and his shortcomings as well as intellectual blunders and missteps.
One fascinating question often asked of Peterson, is how he can give so much value to the myths of the Bible and yet not go one step further? How can he acknowledge so much depth and value, and perhaps even place the Bible at the highest level of importance within cultural mythology and not explore a more eternal realm of truth rather than just temporal?
In my own journey, Peterson was a sage who brought the deeper meanings of mythology to my mind, but Ron Dart was one who brought the eternal back into the stories.
In the new book “Myth and Meaning in Jordan Peterson: A Christian Perspective” Ron Dart along with various other scholars profoundly analyze the consequential discussions brought about by Peterson. How Peterson reintroduced an entire culture and generation to mythology, morality and the value of religion and Christianity.
Dart laments within his chapter “Myth and Memoricide” that “it is this tension between longing for meaning and purpose and the clearing away of all the landmarks that once offered such meaning of purpose that has created what Charles Taylor calls the “malaise of modernity,” or George Grant “intimations of deprival," a spiritual disorientation as postmodernism deconstructs our traditions whilst replacing them with no new guides for life. Dart continues “Peterson has chosen to retell ancient tales as myth in order to reclaim, in some ways, virtue ethics and the older understanding of the formation of character (both traditions that were once held near and dear by a more historic notion of education in the humanities).”
Chapters such as Hunter Baker's “The Judeo-Christian and Marxist Accounts of Suffering” and Laurence Brown’s “Interpreting the Bible between Rationalism and Nihilism” go further in analyzing what Peterson would deem the greatest myths. Each chapter highlights Peterson’s interpretation of man's beginnings within and when cast out of the Garden. A fascinating analysis proposed by Peterson and highlighted by Baker is that unlike Adam and Eve who experienced paradise, Cain and Abel were truly the first “human beings as we know them.” Capable of great evil, bitterness, vulnerability, jealousy and resentment with no taste of heaven.
Today man continually attempts to recreate this utopia Adam and Eve were cast out of, despite being of a species like Cain who has never known such a place. Therefore in our great aspirations for utopia; Marxist, Fascist, Liberal or otherwise we never cease to repeat the story of Cain's great sin. Mass oppression, murder and even genocide; a grave consequence of broken human ambition and power which Peterson ceaselessly warns about. Baker observes Peterson’s criticisms of Marxism today and his use of myth, offering masterful analysis of such utopia chasing and its impact on the human soul.
Laurence Brown highlights that Peterson believes the story of the first murder “is the most profound story in the Bible because it speaks to the fundamental division between good and evil that runs down in the center of every human heart.” These great choices between right and wrong continue through Biblical myth of Noah, Abraham and then of course Christ himself. Brown and the other essayists explore questions of why Peterson places such a great significance on these biblical myths over secular. How Peterson can exist within this tension of rationalism and religion is fascinating as modern man only speaks the language of science and has forgotten that of tradition. Brown points out “part of Peterson's appeal is his willingness to sail out from the modern paradigm to explore the truth embedded within tradition without losing sight of the shoreline.”
It seems many who were too afraid to set sail into such contemplative and spiritual realms have overcome their seasickness with Peterson as their captain on the rocky waters of modernity.
Still, for some, conversation of spirituality, virtue, myth and religion or even common themes within our journeys may appear too irrational for our age of science. T.S. Wilson within his chapter “Socrates, Meno, And the Birth of Innate Ideas” demonstrates the value and reality of this knowledge within ourselves. Wilson describes a great debate between Socrates and Meno, where Meno cannot understand where or how we would even begin to search for virtue with no clear facts in front of us. Socrates then takes one of his slave boys and teaches him complex arithmetic he did not know beforehand simply by asking him the correct questions. Of course, this small tale demonstrates that we have some level of understanding within us all and with great teachers, we can draw it out. Questions of spirituality and morality almost exclusively require this method to understand.
Wilson notes “Plato claims that the general form of big ideas like love, justice, and equity exists in the collective psyche of all of us prior to the existence of any single one of us.” Tying these themes together he completes his essay in defense of Peterson exploring these less “rational” pursuits. It is only natural for man to crave things beyond science, stories of good and evil, spirituality and great emotion, how could Peterson as a psychologist not explore these themes. More importantly, how could he not explore them using the books which describe the deepest loves and greatest acts of sacrifice, good and evil such as the Bible?
Each essayist in this book compliments Peterson on his great breakthroughs in a time that does not wish to highlight these existential questions. However, “Myth and Meaning in Jordan Peterson” is ultimately a Christian perspective on the issue, one that takes a step beyond a rational approach to the Bible. A step into truly believing the words written and the promise of Eternal life through acceptance of Christ into one's heart.
Peterson’s solution to our current moral and spiritual turmoil is to live “as if” God exists and as if there is an ultimate truth and virtue. Peterson offers what he calls “an antidote to chaos”; but is such a worldview enough to truly bring order? Or will the chaos return when we realize there is nothing but pillars of salt and sand upholding our moral principles? Bruce Riley Ashford makes clear that from a Christian perspective “as Scripture teaches, if Christ has not really risen, then our as if is futile (1 Corinthians 15:17).” We will forever be caught and enslaved by our sins and human evil, there is no utopia without forgiveness and redemption. There is no forgiveness and redemption without Christ's resurrection.
The scholars who contribute to this tome “Myth and Meaning in Jordan Peterson” grapple with Peterson’s journey and worldview with great purpose. Careful not to fall into the traps of progressive disgust and dismissal of Peterson’s words, or cult-like worship of someone who is but a man. It’s a joy to read something so close to my own story and adventures with such a profound and existential angle, one often lost in the pandemonium of the culture wars. I would highly recommend this book for Christians, and non-Christians alike who enjoy Peterson for his grappling with our soul; and yet long for more exploration into the realm of the eternal.
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