Review of Jordan B. Peterson's "12 Rules for Life"

A love-hate relationship: that is the overall sentiment underpinning how one feels when faced with the task of reviewing Jordan B. Peterson's book, "12 Rules for Life" (2018). That dichotomy and the strong views one may have about the book are not unlike those that generally characterize public attitudes towards the author himself. Yet, it must be noted that the book, though quite inconsistent in the relative quality of each individual chapter, is overall much better grounded and much less polarizing than the author's highly-viewed and often controversial YouTube videos. Prior to reviewing the book's relative strengths and shortcomings, one thing must be established: Jordan B. Peterson is an extraordinary intellectual. Indeed, he is one of a rare kind nowadays, one who seeks to generate knowledge holistically from a wide array of fields in which he has acquired expertise (clinical psychology, philosophy, theology). Such an interdisciplinary approach to uncovering the truth or "truths" recalls the theoretical and practical curiosity of ancient Greece and Enlightenment philosophers. Peterson also distinguishes himself in his laudable attempts to turn knowledge into accessible and actionnable insights for the masses, a practice that is often regrettably looked down upon by segments of the scientific community. Among the many fascinating insights that "12 Rules for Life" provides, some must be highlighted as particularly thought-provoking. First, the notion that people tend to fail to treat themselves as they would care for someone they are responsible for helping (Rule 2, pp. 31-66) connects the dots about counter-intuitive behaviors. The how and why associated with such a phenomenon provide for a particularly powerful explanation in terms of what it says about self-worth, self-discipline and the impact these aspects may have on our lives and surroundings. A second set of related insights includes the author's points and own personal anecdotes about how we choose friends (Rule 3) and what this also says about our feelings of self-worth. Third, I appreciated Peterson's overall approach to learning and winning/succeeding (Rule 4 pp. 85-112: "Compare Yourself to who your were yesterday, not to who someone else is today"). It must be noted that the conclusion of that chapter is a little disappointing because it brings it all down to the overused maxim that the journey matters more than the destination (or in his words, "to journey happily may well be better than to arrive successfully," p. 111). Still, the core of the chapter offers many intriguing observations: Indeed, the author warns the reader against deliberately and constantly choosing tasks and challenges in which he/she is likely to succeed or do well. Peterson rightly observes, somewhat provocatively, "winning at everything may mean you're not doing anything new or difficult" and that "growing might be the most important form of winning" (p. 88). Moreover, he touches upon the notion of hedonic treadmill (without explicitly naming it as such) by pointing out that "we live within a framework that defines the present as eternally lacking and the future as eternally better" (p. 93). The latter could not resonate more with contemporary challenges associated with the negative consequences of social media & the attention economy, constant social comparison and a fast-paced professional and social environment that lead individuals to forget themselves, fail to prioritize the people that matter most to them, and prevent them from living mindfully in the present moment. Among the book's shortcomings, it comes across quite clearly that some chapters were more carefully edited than others. In fact, several sections read as though some of the author's You Tube videos were simply transcribed, thus leading to considerable rambling. This includes the author's tendency to go on digressions and mix personal anecdotes with religious and clinical explanations, which, when not edited and structured properly, lead to rather unconvincing points (see for example Rule 6, which is rather disappointing given how interesting the theme "Set your house in perfect order before criticizing the world" is). The author uses way too many categorical, binary expressions such as "this is good" and "this is not good", which make him come across as self-righteous and preaching. This feeling is exacerbated by the fact that the author overuses the "you" and the more distanced "people" when offering practical wisdom and making observations about common practices or mistakes. These aspects, combined with his tendency in several parts of the book to selectively pick those segments of scholarships that best fit his views while not engaging with alternative explanations is quite disappointing from a scholar's viewpoint. In fact, such practices are at odds with the author's evident capacity for nuance and his ability to unpack complex issues to arrive at equally complex, rich, and yet accessible explanations. Overall, the identified shortcomings echo this review's initial observations in terms of the love-hate relationship one may have with this book. Ultimately and despite its disappointing facets, "12 Rules for Life" remains a thought-provoking and mind-expanding book worth reading.