The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast 217. Talking with Russians | Mikhail Avdeev
Recommended Authors
- Neumann's work is impactful and provides a good summary of Jung's thinking.
- Eliade's History of Religious Ideas offers a readable overview of world religions and is deeply psychological.
Solzhenitsyn's Reception in Russia
- Russians view Solzhenitsyn with mixed feelings, acknowledging his talent but criticizing his portrayal of the Soviet Union.
- After the fall of communism, his work was used to justify the painful transition, leading to economic hardship and suicides.
Historical Guilt
- Guilt over historical events is a universal human problem.
- We must understand these past events to avoid repeating them, recognizing our shared guilt and responsibility.
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Mikhail Avdeev interviews Jordan Peterson in this episode.
Jordan Peterson has as strong of an international following as ever with his lectures translated into fourteen languages. On his last speaking tour, he visited thirty+ countries speaking on the Twelve Rules all the while continuing to foster relationships and connections with thinkers, speakers, and fans from around the globe.
Shownotes:
[00:00] Jordan Petersons is interviewed in this episode by Mikhail Avdeev, a member of his foreign translations team. The interview focuses on the impact of Petersons work beyond the western world on the international community as a whole. They begin the discussion by talking about the forming of the international translation teams.
[02:00] The healing effect of Jordan's lectures on people's personal life. The outcry for new material from jordans catalog of books, lectures, and podcasts has been overwhelming.
[05:20] Peterson comments on another personal favorite author of his Mircea Eliade and his history of Religious Ideas. It’s an anthropological and sociological assessment of religion but it’s also deeply psychological.
[06:40] How do Russian views respond to Jordan's affinity for Alexander Solzhenitsyn? Mikail details the feelings of the Russian people by their portrayal after the fall of communism.
[10:00] How we deal with the guilt of the things our ancestors or society has done is a very difficult question because as humans we are very historical creatures. The best thing for us is to try to understand what happened and therefore try not to do it again in the future because all of us are living with this to some degree.
[13:30] examining the trope that all white people are racist or white supremacist and this stems from the existential guilt of history.
[20:00] Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett seem to equate that religious belief is a set of propositions about the material world, in a way a direct competitor to scientific theory, and that’s just not fully accurate. There is something outside of strictly rationality in the human experience.
[34:20] Fragmentation of the value structure necessarily leads to an increased level of constant anxiety in all experience
[36:30] What parts of modern society are contributing to the integrity of consciousness, and what things are degrading that. A hatred for real success and striving for personal gain will tear us apart if it continues unchecked.
[43:30] There is no doubt that economic exploitation occurs and that some wealth is gained in an unethical manner, but that is not the rule.
[45:45] - Asking about the importance of beauty in all of our personal experiences as well as our collective experience as humans.
[51:00] interesting to consider the differences in Fyodor Dostoevsky and Friedrich Nietzsche closeness to the ideal of beauty
[56:30] The complexity of the language of Beyond Order:12 More Rules for Life. What is Jordan's process for increasing the precision of his speech and writing?
[1:03:30] The divinity of the true word and the way this has been translated through Jordan’s book Beyond Order. Peterson's philosophy behind good writing and text structure of a truly complete work.
[1:13:40] Mikhaila Peterson has had to choose to be strong because she has had so much suffering to overcome in her life. It’s wonderful to see her succeeding in her personal endeavors like her weekly podcast.
[1:20:15] How do we best teach our children in a way that fosters their individual growth and a love of learning.