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What are the most valuable things that everyone should know?
Acclaimed clinical psychologist Jordan B Peterson has influenced the modern understanding of personality, and now he has become one of the world's most popular public thinkers, with his lectures on topics from the Bible to romantic relationships to mythology drawing tens of millions of viewers. In an era of unprecedented change and polarizing politics, his frank and refreshing message about the value of individual responsibility and ancient wisdom has resonated around the world.
In this book, he provides twelve profound and practical principles for how to live a meaningful life, from setting your house in order before criticising others to comparing yourself to who you were yesterday, not someone else today. Happiness is a pointless goal, he shows us. Instead we must search for meaning, not for its own sake, but as a defence against the suffering that is intrinsic to our existence.
Drawing on vivid examples from the author's clinical practice and personal life, cutting-edge psychology and philosophy, and lessons from humanity's oldest myths and stories, 12 Rules for Life offers a deeply rewarding antidote to the chaos in our lives: eternal truths applied to our modern problems.
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"This is my first Dr. Peterson book to listen to and it had soooo much insight and thoughtful information, I am sure I will listen several more times. Dr. Petersons descriptions of recognizing and understanding some of the less than perfect things we do in our lives showed no nonsense, yet compassion and understanding. "
— GmasGood reads (5 out of 5 stars)
Like the best intellectual polymaths, Peterson invites his readers to embark on their own intellectual, spiritual and ideological journeys into the many topics and disciplines he touches on. It’s a counter-intuitive strategy for a population hooked on the instant gratification of ideological conformity and social media ‘likes,’ but if Peterson is right, you have nothing to lose but your own misery.
— Toronto StarIn a different intellectual league. . . . Peterson can take the most difficult ideas and make them entertaining. This may be why his YouTube videos have had 35 million views. He is fast becoming the closest that academia has to a rock star.
— The ObserverGrow up and man up is the message from this rock-star psychologist. . . . [A] hardline self-help manual of self-reliance, good behaviour, self-betterment and individualism that probably reflects his childhood in rural Canada in the 1960s. As with all self-help manuals, there’s always a kernel of truth. Formerly a Harvard professor, now at the University of Toronto, Peterson retains that whiff of cowboy philosophy—one essay is a homily on doing one thing every day to improve yourself. Another, on bringing up little children to behave, is excellent…. [Peterson] twirls ideas around like a magician.
— Melanie Reid, The TimesYou don’t have to agree with [Peterson’s politics] to like this book for, once you discard the self-help label, it becomes fascinating. Peterson is brilliant on many subjects. . . . So what we have here is a baggy, aggressive, in-your-face, get-real book that, ultimately, is an attempt to lead us back to what Peterson sees as the true, the beautiful and the good—i.e. God. In the highest possible sense of the term, I suppose it is a self-help book. . . . Either way, it’s a rocky read, but nobody ever said God was easy.
— Bryan Appleyard, The TimesOne of the most eclectic and stimulating public intellectuals at large today, fearless and impassioned.
— The GuardianSomeone with not only humanity and humour, but serious depth and substance. . . . Peterson has a truly cosmopolitan and omnivorous intellect, but one that recognizes that things need grounding in a home if they are ever going to be meaningfully grasped. . . . As well as being funny, there is a burning sincerity to the man which only the most withered cynic could suspect.
— The Spectator“Peterson has become a kind of secular prophet who, in an era of lobotomized conformism, thinks out of the box. . . . His message is overwhelmingly vital.
— Melanie Philips, The Times#1 NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
Jordan Peterson, has become one of the best-known Canadians of this generation. In the intellectual category, he’s easily the largest international phenomenon since Marshall McLuhan. . . . By combining knowledge of the past with a full-hearted optimism and a generous attitude toward his readers and listeners, Peterson generates an impressive level of intellectual firepower.
— Robert Fulford, National Post" This book had a profound impact on my life. It echoed the questions I had and answered them in a way which felt genuine. "
— bh, 10/26/2023" This is my first Dr. Peterson book to listen to and it had soooo much insight and thoughtful information, I am sure I will listen several more times. Dr. Petersons descriptions of recognizing and understanding some of the less than perfect things we do in our lives showed no nonsense, yet compassion and understanding. "
— GmasGood reads, 10/29/2021" Dr. Peterson does well at detailing the various rules for life. They are seemingly simple at first glance however, the author dives deeply into the meaning behind all of them. Hail Lobster... "
— Chris, 10/1/2021" Excellent "
— Ben Kirby , 12/7/2020Jordan B. Peterson is a Canadian clinical psychologist, self-help writer, cultural critic, and professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. He earned a BA degree in political science in 1982 and a degree in psychology in 1984, both from the University of Alberta, and a PhD in clinical psychology from McGill University. He has taught mythology to lawyers, doctors ,and business people, consulted for the UN Secretary General, helped his clinical clients manage depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anxiety, and lectured extensively in North America and Europe. With his students and colleagues, he has published over a hundred scientific papers, and his book Maps of Meaning revolutionized the psychology of religion. Formerly a professor at Harvard University, he was nominated for its prestigious Levenson Teaching Prize.