12 Rules for Life
★★☆☆☆
back 12 Rules for Life is a 2018 self-help book by the Canadian clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson. It provides life advice through essays in abstract ethical principles, psychology, mythology, religion, and personal anecdotes. The book topped bestseller lists in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, and had sold over ten million copies worldwide, as of May 2023. The book is written in a more accessible style than his previous academic book, Maps of Meaning The Architecture of Belief.
Rewiew
After having followed his web lectures of his Maps of Meaning course, I found this book unsatisfying. Hard to divide politics from a genuine assessment in the case of Peterson, but I believe I can say his lectures were a lot more interesting for me. The book takes some parts of the lectures and distills them into self-help tips. Sometimes great, and sometimes a bit awkwardly. I do find the broader questions he wrestles with in the lectures more entertaining, and also much more honest. Would recommend the lectures warmly and the book not so much.
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