12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos

Jordan B. Peterson grew up in rural Alberta, Canada. He attended the University of Alberta to earn bachelor’s degrees in psychology and political science and continued on to McGill University in Montreal for a PhD in clinical psychology. He has worked as a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, a clinical psychologist, and a full-time author. He is a well-known Internet personality, especially on YouTube, where his lectures have accumulated millions of views.

Although Peterson published his first book, Maps of Meaning: The Architect of Belief, in 1999, his second book, 12 Rules for Life, met much greater success, becoming an international bestseller. Capitalizing on the book’s success, Peterson wrote and published a third book, Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life.

He has been at the center of social controversy for his remarks on diversity initiatives and other cultural and political topics. In 2016, he openly criticized Canada’s “Bill C-16,” or the Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code. The act aimed to include “gender identity and expression” in the standing list of prohibited categories for discrimination. Peterson’s critique, which he disseminated on YouTube and which spread in other social media, refuted political correctness,