During the holidays, I've had the good fortune to visit with many people.
I was often asked what my last column would be about, a hard question, particularly in a year as full as 2017. But when someone said to me, "Have you heard
(professor) Jordan B. Peterson? I really like his ideas," a light went on. We're all aware of the good doctor's war with "bloody neo-Marxists," but what bears further analysis is his position in Canada at 150: he is our first popular philosopher.
There are obvious objections to this statement. The more erudite amongst us would cite several eminent artists, writers and critics who have weighed into touchy subjects affecting our society in the post-war period.
The less erudite amongst us might quote our most beloved actors as having properly capitulated the best ideals and culture. And those most unwoken amongst us would point to the personalities on CBC or recipients of the Order of Canada as if they mattered.
But what the Logos has seen fit to bless our nation with 150 years after its birth is a man of principle and boundless energy, preaching responsibility, self-discipline, and goal-setting in a world where evermore creedence is given to victimhood. Furthermore, he has charted a path for both personal and social betterment where before eminent thinkers like Grant and Taylor saw only resignation to the inalterable tragedy of post-Diefenbaker and Quiet Revolution Canada.
Lo these many years Canada has indeed suffered from this pathetic shift to secularism, relativism and nihilism.
Even our prime minister said at the beginning of 2017 that Canada is on course to be "the first postnational state," a land of no worthy history and therefore no worthy end. Into this vacuum, thanks to our state broadcaster and public universities, the chaos and nullities of Marxism have become supreme, growing in its radical agenda and devouring all.
But like all other totalitarian ideologies, it took one man saying no to check the onslaught - Peterson said he would not be compelled to use gender-neutral pronouns for people in his class regardless of their self-identification. That was late 2016, and ever since then he has been on the warpath, using statistics, Socratic logic, clinical psychology, wisdom literature, Patreon, Twitter, memes and dry Albertan humour to drive his enemies mad. He's a 21st century gadfly.
If there is any place to properly criticize this one man wrecking ball, it certainly isn't on any of his attacking points: every entity he is targeting is absolutely worthy of humiliation. But with reference to his personal revelations and interpretations of Biblical ideas, there is the possibility that Peterson, like the younger St. Augustine, might be a closet neo-platonist.
Such an observation sounds like the penultimate splitting of hairs, and in an age where rabid secularism has begotten a fanatical adherence to relativism, I am certainly happy to have Peterson as an ally against the forces of chaos both within and around me. But I mention it because for all his use of the Christian Mystery's heaven and hell, Peterson often bookends these ideas in psychological terms; yet the Creed states their existence, not just their effects.
Belief is dynamic, and so I eagerly look forward to more observations from the good doctor on these points as he himself continues to wrestle with the matter at hand. It is also especially important that in the midst of his battle with the darkness of our times, he is helping synthesize Biblical and wisdom themes with modern psychology; that feat alone is sure to place him among Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant, Nietzsche and others - each century needs an anthologist.
Yes, 2017 has been a busy year for all of us, our country, and our resident philosopher on Youtube.
As we crest yet another New Year, I sincerely wish you success on all your many resolutions. May you see clearly, speak carefully, and sort yourself out by cleaning your room.
