Twelve Rules for Life- An Antidot for Chaos is a new self-help book by Jordan Peterson. A clinical psychologist, Peterson uses essays to deliver life advice. The book straddles two polarities: order and chaos. While order is the singular form of an ethical principle, chaos is the opposite, or its opposite. The author fudges this by talking about the yin and yang or straddling dualities, but this does not change the fact that his goal is to suppress chaos.
The book begins with an introduction from Peterson, who teaches psychology at the University of California. He spends most of his time counseling individuals. His books have a heavy Christian slant, and many pages of the book are devoted to exegesis of the Bible. He also talks about Goebbels and the devil as the “father of lies,” and wonders whether Eric Harris is not a incarnation of Satan.
While the book is full of biblical references and philosophical reflection, Peterson is not a Christian, and the book’s central concepts are not satisfactorily defined. Although Peterson uses analogies, these ideas remain unanswered. He also claims to be a secularist, which makes them sound even more unorthodox. However, the author’s claims about religion aren’t based on religious belief, which is not what he claims.