Review: "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos"

            Jordan B. Peterson’s videos came up as recommended for me on YouTube, so I listened to him – and I really liked what I heard.  One thing that he puts out blatantly in his videos – largely from his psychology classes – is that he is Jungian in his understanding and practice.  I first read Jung in high school and have read a few of his books and think highly of his way of interpreting the world.

From this, I saw recommendations of what is actually his second book, 12 Rules for Life:  An Antidote to Chaos. I have now read it.

One thing to say up front – as I watched his videos, I wondered if he is a Christian.  He speaks of the Christian Scriptures frequently and talks about the stories of the Old and New Testament as being myth to make a point regarding Being.  I don’t know what he actually believes religiously, but don’t expect him to affirm the stories he used as historical.

As you can tell from the title, Peterson will present twelve rules.  Peterson explains that this book began as a post he wrote on Quora answering the question, “What makes life meaningful?” (xxv).

Rule 1: “Stand up straight with your shoulders back.”

Peterson writes a lot about our similarities to lobsters – so be prepared.

“Standing up physically also implies and invokes and demands standing up metaphysically.  Standing up means voluntarily accepting the burden of Being.” “To stand up straight with your shoulders back is to accept the terrible responsibility of life, with eyes wide open” (27).

To confront the world and all that it throws at us, we must physically stand up with our shoulders back, and our Being will follow.

Rule 2: “Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping.”

We don’t belong to ourselves – we did not bring ourselves into Being.  Thus, we owe it to the world to care for ourselves in such a way that we bring order out of chaos – for all our sakes (60-61).

Rule 3: “Make friends with people who want the best for you.”

“You should choose people who want things to be better, not worse.  It’s a good thing, not a selfish thing, to choose people who are good for you” (82).

Rule 4: “Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.”

“…set up the following goal: by the end of the day, I want things in my life to be a tiny bit better than they were this morning.” And also set a small reward for yourself when you achieve it (95-96).

Rule 5: “Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them.”

“Children must be shaped and informed, or they cannot thrive” (122).

            Rule 6: “Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.”

            Begin by stop doing what you know to be wrong (157).

            Rule 7: “Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient).”

            The pursuit of what is meaningful encourages our growth, redemption, and reconciliation (201).

Rule 8: “Tell the truth – or, at least, don’t lie.”

“Untruth corrupts the soul and the state alike, and one form of corruption feeds the other” (215).

“In Paradise, everyone speaks the truth.  That’s what makes it Paradise” (230).

Rule 9: “Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t.”

Thinking is a dialogue between two people (241).  You need to listen and be able to summarize the other person’s view (246).

Rule 10: “Be precise in your speech.”

Without precision, you don’t know if you are going towards chaos or where you want to be (282-283).

Rule 11: “Don’t bother children when they are skateboarding.”

The removal of risk is detrimental to the growth of humans – especially boys.  And it makes people much less willing to take responsibility (331).

Rule 12: “Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street.”

Cats are a manifestation of Being “in an almost pure form” and can give us joy in the midst of suffering – if but for a moment (353).

Next follows a “Coda” in which Peterson takes his twelve rules and answers primary questions about what one should do with their life … and so forth.

The book ends with acknowledgements, endnotes, and an extensive index.

Do I totally agree with Peterson?  Absolutely not.  There are a number of times when he gives a Jungian interpretation of something from the Bible and he is way off – and I find it annoying.  Nevertheless, the book as a whole, and his rules, are excellent guidance for anyone who wants to lead a meaningful, worthwhile life that tends to avoid chaos and suffering, which is why I highly recommend it.

            [This review appears on my blog, my YouTube channel, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com.]