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>Peterson isn't making many scientific claims, or even claims as such. My first encounter with Peterson was hearing his "lobster theory", which struck me as su
by rainingmonkey 9y ago
>Peterson isn't making many scientific claims, or even claims as such.
My first encounter with Peterson was hearing his "lobster theory", which struck me as such pseudoscientific piffle that I've tried to pay him as little attention as possible ever since.
I imagine the reason Peterson elicits such strong reactions is because he presents differently for different audiences. As suggested elsewhere in the comments, "he's built his own persona into this gigantic strawman that looks like an ogre to everybody", luring them into attacking a position he never held so that he can appear calm, wise and reasonable in his rebuttal, and take the role of the poor attacked underdog.
He speaks of "postmodern curtural marxism", yet by his own admission, has never debated a marxist. Like the best controversialists, he picks his fights very carefully, preferring to "debate" with campus teenagers than other "intellectuals".
For those who haven't heard it, his "lobster theory" goes:
1. Lobsters are animals with a hierarchical society
2. Lobsters have a "seratonin based nervous system". Humans also have a "seratonin based nervous system".
3. Therefore, a hierarchical society is natural (and therefore best) for humans.
- psyc 9y agoThis is most unfair. You may take issue with specific aspects of how Peterson, specifically, articulates the evolutionary origin of social hierarchy. You may even take issue with evolutionary psychology at large, which is a separate argument. To call the idea that there is an evolutionary origin, or that it is ancient, 'psudoscientific' seems to be just name-calling, unless you have a basis for this you aren't presenting here. Peterson is far from the first to think or write about it.