[Rant] Rules for Life from Jordan Peterson and a Jerk

Up until a few weeks ago I had never heard of Jordan Peterson. Then all of sudden he was everywhere, being declared one the most influential thinkers of our time which either thrilled people or made them froth at the mouth in anger. All I could do was furrow my brow and say, "Who?"

I am avowedly opposed to following the latest deep thinkers in ethics because in my experience 99% of the time they amount to little more than a passing fashion and they turn out to mostly be repackaging concepts that have been around since Aristotle. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Everybody needs a doorway into thinking deeply and if Jordan Peterson is yours, more power to you.

And that is, I think, exactly what he is. I have read a couple of interviews with him and read reviews of his books and it seems he has synthesized and very reasonable and constructive worldview that counters the pop culture-centric, eyeball-maximizing, transient mythologies that dominate contemporary life. Instead he offers a view where "likes" don't matter; where following your dream is not the ultimate joy; where identity doesn't come from your race or political tribe; where happiness is not promised; and most of all where your humanity is not unique to your generation. In other words he's telling you there is something more than the existence you get spoon fed to you from all quarters. You should accept that as truth even if you don't buy his depiction of it.

So in my time-honored tradition of expounding on things I know nothing about. Let's walk through his 12 rules for life and see what we have:

Rule 1 - Stand up straight with your shoulders back

No harm in good posture. Still, I think the point here is to be open and alert, to actively engage the world and ready to accept what comes.

Rule 2 - Treat yourself like you would someone you are responsible for helping

Notice it is not someone you like, but someone you are responsible for. Taking care of yourself is an obligation. That is to say, save yourself from the self-destruction that can come from your bad habits. Good thought, but depends on you recognizing your own faults.

Rule 3 - Make friends with people who want the best for you

Absolutely. Your peer group has enormous effect on the quality of your life. How are you evaluating your friendships, by how they treat you individually or by what level of status they give you?

Rule 4 - Compare yourself with who you were yesterday, not with who someone else is today

To do otherwise leads to resentment, which contemporary culture turns into moral outrage, which leads to righteous hostility, which is responsible for more harm than anything in human history. As they say in yoga, "Stay on your own mat."

Rule 5 - Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them

Setting boundaries for kids is more important than their test scores. Amen. (Not that I would know.)

Rule 6 - Set your house in perfect order before you criticise the world

...he replied when Harvey Weinstein applauded feminism.

Rule 7 - Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)

Yes, of course. It's harder and less fun, but you still have to do it.

Rule 8 - Tell the truth - or, at least, don't lie

Of all these this is the one I struggle with most. Humans lie. Humans have to lie. Without lies there would be no civilization. I would alter it to Do not lie out of self-interest or cowardice.

Rule 9 - Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don't

To actually listen, you HAVE TO do this. I would link this up with Rule 3 and suggest this is closely allied with positive friendships

Rule 10 - Be precise in your speech

Please do. And writing. And listening. And reading.

Rule 11 - Do not bother children when they are skateboarding

Children need to learn how to cope with failure and evaluate risk. And they need to do it on their own, through experience, not through beneficent instruction.

Rule 12 - Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street

Having not read the book, I'm not sure where he went with this one. It's a fine sentiment, although I am personally acquainted with a cat that will shred your flesh should you try this.

On the whole these are excellent, although perhaps further from groundbreaking than I had supposed. From interviews it's clear that Peterson is deeply conservative and anti-postmodern progressive, but not in a negative way. It's hard for me to imagine a reasonable person, however liberal, who would think young men in general would be worse off by taking this advice to heart. Many folks philosophically invested in the common precepts the-culture-of-now, to the exclusion of all else, are shocked that anyone might disagree with them. One of my personal advantages in having no idea what is going on in the world is not being particularly inflamed at either side.

Contemporary cultural values aside, at his philosophical core, despite an affinity for the Western tradition, he seems to have a streak of Buddhism in him. His message indicates that life is a never-ending struggle, but must be engaged forthrightly and positively: the joyful engagement of suffering, and so forth -- straight out of Gautama. In any event, were I a man of the left, I might secretly be glad for such a reasonable opponent.

Nassim Taleb is a jerk. Well, that's what everyone says anyway. He would describe it as not suffering fools. It makes sense that people in public life would think he's a jerk, because most people in public life are fools. He has taken to calling out book reviewers for their poorly reasoned critiques which has caused them to gripe, but in private I am sure there are many who are delighted by it. He has picked a fight with Steven Pinker over his latest book, but public slap fights among authors are more farce than hostility. He's also very sharp and thoughtful and holds the conventions of the-culture-of-now in contempt, which would qualify even the kindest soul for derision from said culture. None of this is here or there, I just find it interesting.

I have not read his latest book, but I've been following the chatter. And although not expressly trying to mold youth, he, like Jordan Peterson, offers some advice on how to live virtuously.

Finally, when young people who "want to help mankind" come to me, asking: "What should I do? I want to reduce poverty, save the world" and similar noble aspirations at the macro-level, my suggestion is:

1. Never engage in virtue signaling
2. Never engage in rent seeking
3. You must start a business. Take risks, start a business.

I should explain these a bit.

Virtue Signalling is when you perform actions with the intent of showing others your nobility rather than actually doing good for good's sake. I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest this is the bulk of good acts you hear about through the media, just by virtue of the fact that you heard about them through the media. Ask yourself if a thing actually causes change. That "Coexist" bumper sticker -- has such a bumper sticker ever actually changed anyone or anything or are you just advertising you goodness, signalling your virtue? Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with Virtue Signalling. It's essentially just an announcement of your identity to an audience. The problem comes when you delude yourself that your virtue signalling counts as "doing something". It does not. It is useful in certain circumstances, but can't really be called virtuous. That includes that meme you just posted on facebook.

Rent-Seeking is a term in economics that effectively means gaining advantage by changing the rules. It is most often used in a political sense, especially with respect to lobbying. If firm or institution lobbies the government for a change in laws that gives it an advantage, it has profited but not by getting better at its job. This advantage has added (probably temporarily) to their bottom line, but it has done nothing for the world. In fact, it probably encourages inefficiency with respect to the performance of the organization.

Start a Business is a handy shorthand for take a risk with your own well-being or, as his book is titled, put Skin in the Game. Don't think critiques and opinions get you anywhere. Those are zero cost. Start a business and make a fortune, then you can actually do actual good beyond adopting the proper pose.

Taleb and Peterson have provided wonderful advice; no "do what you love" or "follow your dreams" or clouds and unicorns. This is the hard stuff, there will be sacrifice, loss, and no guarantees. Good to know there is this truth out there, however unappealing you may find the messengers.

...said the guy who hasn't read the books and is just speculating on hearsay, something they would both decry, I'm sure. But hell, I'm older than both of them so they can get off my lawn. You young'uns, on the other hand, should do as they say, not as I do.

Tangential: Clayton Christensen, most famous for The Innovator's Dilemma and other books on business, once noted that if a young person asked him what was the best way to do good in the world he would suggest go into corporate management. Don't laugh. A manager has tremendous influence over 1/3 of the life of every employee he supervises. He has to balance all sorts of demands -- financial, functional, personal, political -- and if he can do that while seeing that the people who work for you are getting fair treatment and an opportunity for growth he has done inestimable good. The specific quote: "Management is the opportunity to help people become better people. Practiced that way, it's a magnificent profession." This is what I hope I have been able to do in my 20+ years of management.