Ben Burgis Conrad Bongard Hamilton Matthew McManus Marion Trejo Myth and Mayhem A Leftist Critique of Jordan Peterson Zero Books 2020

"Jordan Peterson rocketed to fame in the 2010s and has preached on everything from the evils of postmodern neo-Marxism to the mating habits of lobsters ever since then. The Left has since leveled many criticisms about the Canadian psychologist, characterizing him as everything from an apologist for the alt-right to simply not being interesting or profound. Myth and Mayhem: A Leftist Critique of Jordan Peterson is intended as a comprehensive critical look at all aspects of his thought, from the philosophical depths to the mundane heights. Written by four authors who each look at a different element of his thought, it shows why taking Peterson seriously doesn't mean embracing him. Includes an introduction by Slavoj Zizek." --From publisher's description Half Title Title Copyright Contents Dedication Acknowledgements Jordan Peterson as a Symptom...of What?: By Slavoj Žižek Introduction Part I—Peterson, Classical Liberalism and Post-Modernism: By Matthew McManus Chapter One: Intellectual Roots Peterson and the Inner Life Man’s Search for Meaning The Emptiness of Post-Modernity Chapter Two: The Generation of Meaning The Structure of Maps of Meaning The Idealist Dialectic Between Order and Chaos Part One: Theoretical Overview The Idealist Dialectical Between Order and Chaos Part Two: The Divine Father and the Great Mother The Return to Good and Evil Concluding Thoughts and the Turn to Justice Chapter Three: Jordan Peterson, Classical Liberalism and Conservatism The Individual and Society On Lobsters and Labour: The Social Necessity of Hierarchy Cleaning One’s Room Before Putting the World in Order Concluding Thoughts on Petersonian Politics Chapter Four: The Critique of the Left Comrade Marx, Post-Modern Neo-Marxism and Saint Peterson Part I Comrade Marx, Post-Modern Neo-Marxism and Saint Peterson Part II Chapter Five: Conclusion The Reactionary Impulse and Post-Modernity What Can the Left Take Away from Jordan Peterson? Part II—Peterson’s Reckoning with the Left: By Conrad Hamilton Introduction Chapter Six: Peterson’s Showbiz Roots, OR from the Lecture Hall to Hollywood The Unbearable Heaviness of Being Peterson Myth, Mayhem and Biology Peterson’s Primordial Patriarchy Maps of Public Funding The Birth of Controversy Conclusion: Political Correctness, Prejudiced Directness Chapter Seven: Exoteric and Esoteric, OR the Terrible Intensity of Peterson Janus-Faced Fascisms Peterson’s Illiberal Liberalism The Psychoanalytic Structure of Disavowal The All-Devouring Archetype Conclusion: Peterson’s Forsworn Shadow Chapter Eight: The Spectre of Post-Modern Neo-Marxism Marx’s Steady Haunting The Rhetorical Figure of Communism When in Need, Invent a Neologism Peterson’s (Non-) Reading of Derrida Différance and DNA Derrida Contra the Althusserian Apparatus Ghastly Evaluations Peterson, Derrida and Big ‘B’ Being Chapter Nine: The Rebate of the Century, OR How Žižek Could’ve DESTROYED Peterson The Great Debate: Origin and Structure Proposition 1: History is to be viewed primarily as an economic class struggle Proposition 2: Marx believes that all hierarchical structures exist because of capitalism Proposition 3: Marx doesn’t acknowledge the existence of nature Proposition 4: Marx believes history can be conceived as a binary class struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie Proposition 5: Marx assumes that all good is on the side of the proletariat and all the evil is on the side of the bourgeoisie Proposition 6: That the dictatorship of the proletariat must be brought about as the first stage of communist revolution Proposition 7: Nothing that capitalists do constitutes valid labour Proposition 8: Profit is theft Proposition 9: The dictatorship of the proletariat will become magically productive Proposition 10: Marx and Engels admit that capitalism is the most productive system of production ever, yet still wish to overthrow it Conclusion: Buying and Selling Ideology Part III—Peterson on Feminism and Reason: By Marion Trejo and Ben Burgis On Peterson’s Anti-Feminism: By Marion Trejo The Use of Radical Feminism as a Synecdoche for Feminism The Mischaracterization of Patriarchy as Tyranny The Misrepresentation of Gender Equality and the Use of Natural Order to Justify Gender Differences The Recourse to a Male Victimization Narrative to Displace Women’s Issues On Lobsters, Logic and the Pitfalls of Good Rhetoric: By Ben Burgis Endnotes Jordan Peterson rocketed to fame in the 2010s and has preached on everything from the evils of postmodern neo-Marxism to the mating habits of lobsters ever since then. The Left has since leveled many criticisms about the Canadian psychologist, characterizing him as everything from an apologist for the alt-right to simply not being interesting or profound. Myth and Mayhem: A Leftist Critique of Jordan Peterson is intended as a comprehensive critical look at all aspects of his thought, from the philosophical depths to the mundane heights. Written by four authors who each look at a different element of his thought, it shows why taking Peterson seriously doesn't mean embracing him. Includes an introduction by Slavoj Žižek Myth And Mayhem Takes Jordan Peterson's Work Seriously While Criticizing It From A Leftist Perspective; Offering The Most Sustained Theoretical And Political Critique Thus Far.