12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
- Downloads：1806
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-03-11 03:18:54
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Jordan B. Peterson
- ISBN：0141988517
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
The #1 Sunday Times bestseller from 'the most influential public intellectual in the Western world right now' （New York Times） - now in paperback。
How should we live properly in a world of chaos and uncertainty？
Jordan Peterson has helped millions of people， young and old， men and women， aim at a life of responsibility and meaning。 Now he can help you。
Drawing on his own work as a clinical psychologist and on lessons from humanity's oldest myths and stories， Peterson offers twelve profound and realistic principles to live by。 After all， as he reminds us， we each have a vital role to play in the unfolding destiny of the world。
Deep， rewarding and enlightening， 12 Rules for Life is a lifeboat built solidly for stormy seas: ancient wisdom applied to our contemporary problems。
How should we live properly in a world of chaos and uncertainty？
Jordan Peterson has helped millions of people， young and old， men and women， aim at a life of responsibility and meaning。 Now he can help you。
Drawing on his own work as a clinical psychologist and on lessons from humanity's oldest myths and stories， Peterson offers twelve profound and realistic principles to live by。 After all， as he reminds us， we each have a vital role to play in the unfolding destiny of the world。
Deep， rewarding and enlightening， 12 Rules for Life is a lifeboat built solidly for stormy seas: ancient wisdom applied to our contemporary problems。
Reviews
Aiden Hyun
，
0。5 star。 Basically some random boring theories from the redneck u of T prof。
Kardia Jankowitz
，
This took me months to finish， but it was worth digesting。 Definitely gave me a lot to chew on。 Would recommend。
vy tran
，
Generally enjoyable book， however if you're a post-modern neo-Marxist， chances are this isn't the deal for you。 Jordan Peterson's certainly a wise man， who does base his findings and ideologies on established sciences and statistics; this doesn't mean some of the things he says are particularly pleasant to the ear。And wise as he is， it's a shame he never gets straight to the point。 This book could've been synthesised into a good old 200-page mass market edition， there's a bunch of inessential an Generally enjoyable book， however if you're a post-modern neo-Marxist， chances are this isn't the deal for you。 Jordan Peterson's certainly a wise man， who does base his findings and ideologies on established sciences and statistics; this doesn't mean some of the things he says are particularly pleasant to the ear。And wise as he is， it's a shame he never gets straight to the point。 This book could've been synthesised into a good old 200-page mass market edition， there's a bunch of inessential analyses of biblical extracts， psychological theories， moral projects and philosophical dialogues that could've been done away with in the final draft。This being said， in a society where virtually everything is plagued with the need to be politically correct， democratically liberally left-leaning at the correct degree， who doesn't want to hear or read refreshing viewpoints？ 。。。more
Jeremy
，
Such an awful book。 The first few chapters were hard to get through。 I thought it would get better。 It doesn't。 Such an awful book。 The first few chapters were hard to get through。 I thought it would get better。 It doesn't。 。。。more
Charlie Moynahan
，
Well， most definitely not a beach read， that's for sure。 I was introduced to Dr。 Peterson through。。。 YouTube？ Not sure。 Anyway， watching a couple of his videos will confirm something - the guy is stocked full of knowledge that he keenly believes is true and the way， and boy does he do a great job of having you believe it， too。 I can't imagine someone reading this book for fun， and actually had quite a difficult time getting through it， but that was probably because he has such heightened angles Well， most definitely not a beach read， that's for sure。 I was introduced to Dr。 Peterson through。。。 YouTube？ Not sure。 Anyway， watching a couple of his videos will confirm something - the guy is stocked full of knowledge that he keenly believes is true and the way， and boy does he do a great job of having you believe it， too。 I can't imagine someone reading this book for fun， and actually had quite a difficult time getting through it， but that was probably because he has such heightened angles to his points that it takes me a couple of breaths just to understand where he's coming from （I mean， come on， the very first rule is about how lobsters interact with each other。。。 what？！） However， I found myself completely mystified with the journey （hence the 5 stars）。 Excited to dive into the follow up （12 more rules for life） but will make sure to take it nice and easy。 You know， for my mind's sake。 。。。more
J。D。 Stone
，
Separating the man from his work， the brou-ha-ha and the scandal， I give "12 Rules for Life" four stars。It has good information， ultimately simple information sure， but good stuff。 The information is also backed by solid science。 Peterson is， or maybe now was， a prolific researcher based out of the University of Toronto。 His harshest critics agree that his research papers， which number over a hundred， are objectively solid。 He was also a practicing clinical psychologist at the time he wrote this Separating the man from his work， the brou-ha-ha and the scandal， I give "12 Rules for Life" four stars。It has good information， ultimately simple information sure， but good stuff。 The information is also backed by solid science。 Peterson is， or maybe now was， a prolific researcher based out of the University of Toronto。 His harshest critics agree that his research papers， which number over a hundred， are objectively solid。 He was also a practicing clinical psychologist at the time he wrote this， so he's grounded in practical application。 Tens of thousands of people have been profoundly impacted in a positive way by conscientiously applying these 12 rules。 I don't know of any better recommendation for that。So why not the fifth star？ Because justifications for the rules weave around quite a bit。 It's not concise。 Interesting， perhaps entertaining， but not concise and if you're not entertained by the validation of your preexisting， classically liberal but socially conservative views from the unlikely source of a Canadian academic， I can see how that would be irritating。 The book also seems Christian but isn't， at least it wouldn't be considered as such by any Church or denomination that still values core theology。 It affirms the social and psychological validity， even celebrates Christian worldview， while implying God， Heaven， and Hell are necessary constructs that aren't literally extant。 Many Christians consider this to be a dangerous heresy， so I would warn everyone but especially Christians to read critically。 You might like what it says about the religion， you might not， but ultimately you can follow the 12 rules without giving up your faith， regardless of which religion you ascribe to。But what about the benzos？ Peterson had a massive health crisis， and is reportedly STILL on that weird all-meat diet。 Doesn't all of this invalidate his book and disqualify him from handing out life advice？ That's a fair question。 I would say his book is not about avoiding chaos or neutralizing it， but enduring it and finding meaning in all of it。 It's certain the man has experienced his share of chaos， more than most in my estimation， and the most severe manifestations of it has not been self imposed。 The negative media attention， one could cogently argue， is his own doing。 His history of depression， his autoimmune disorder， his child's battle with RA， his wife's cancer， even his own drug dependence and consequent adverse reaction to said drugs， cannot be blamed on him or his rules。 It's possible his rules significantly contributed to his survival through it all， and why we're talking about his book now。It's a good read， I recommend it。 。。。more
Jonathan Northcote
，
An interesting book with a number of good points made but it is FAR too long-winded。 The points that the author makes could be made in a book about a third of its actual length
Shefali
，
These 2 months were journey。 This would be the book which changed my perspective towards polarity and opinions， gave me reasons to be grateful towards our culture & humanity， and make my belief in books stronger。 You might not agree to what author presents to you and maybe you shouldn't be but Jordan has a way to reach you。 The combination of his articulation， amazing writing skills and his persuasion is exhilarating。 Every chapter has anecdotes， historical references， and his analysis imbib These 2 months were journey。 This would be the book which changed my perspective towards polarity and opinions， gave me reasons to be grateful towards our culture & humanity， and make my belief in books stronger。 You might not agree to what author presents to you and maybe you shouldn't be but Jordan has a way to reach you。 The combination of his articulation， amazing writing skills and his persuasion is exhilarating。 Every chapter has anecdotes， historical references， and his analysis imbibed in them。This is going in my favourites list and maybe re-reads too！ 。。。more
Arturas
，
Pros: Amazing book for anyone in their early 20's， provides some basic guidelines for good decision making。Cons: Relies a bit to heavily on religious texts to make its points， may not speak to everyone。 Pros: Amazing book for anyone in their early 20's， provides some basic guidelines for good decision making。Cons: Relies a bit to heavily on religious texts to make its points， may not speak to everyone。 。。。more
Kirsten
，
The rules are great， some of his explanations are too verbose。
Y
，
Too much histories for simple philosophy。
Eli Skinner
，
Always find myself turning back to this book during times where I feel lost and unmotivated。 Jordan has a wonderful set of ideas and its a shame many will write this book off due to how Jordan gets painted in the media。Dr Peterson， I hope one day I get to hear you talk about lobsters in person。Thank you for the influence you've had on my life-Eli Always find myself turning back to this book during times where I feel lost and unmotivated。 Jordan has a wonderful set of ideas and its a shame many will write this book off due to how Jordan gets painted in the media。Dr Peterson， I hope one day I get to hear you talk about lobsters in person。Thank you for the influence you've had on my life-Eli 。。。more
Da
，
DNF@22%
Luke
，
This book is obvious drivel and its author an absolute idiot。
Travis
，
I loved this book。 It holds wonderful insights to analyze and implement into personal character。 The writing itself was easy and engaging from cover to cover。 The 12 rules provided great suggestions to test and establish better living。
Tim
，
Not much I can add that hasn't already been said。 I got the feeling that large parts of this book were taken almost verbatim from his lectures， like the lectures were run through a voice-to-text system。 The chapters have the same feel as his lectures， in which he commonly riffs on a theme， like a jazz musician。 The lectures are better than the book， because they add the element of performance。 But the book is very much worth reading。 One of his main points is that ancient religious texts， like t Not much I can add that hasn't already been said。 I got the feeling that large parts of this book were taken almost verbatim from his lectures， like the lectures were run through a voice-to-text system。 The chapters have the same feel as his lectures， in which he commonly riffs on a theme， like a jazz musician。 The lectures are better than the book， because they add the element of performance。 But the book is very much worth reading。 One of his main points is that ancient religious texts， like the Bible， are themselves distillations of ancient wisdom， in the form of stories told over countless generations， that served the purpose of demonstrating how to survive in a hostile world。 The way to survive is not to whine about how tough you have it， and it's not to moan about how other people are to blame for your unhappiness， or that the world is unfair。 A lot of people apparently hate that message。 The way to survive is to realize that the world does not exist for the purpose of coddling you。 The world is brutal， and always has been。 In some parts of the world， the 20th century was the most brutal of them all。 The best way to fix a broken world is to start by fixing yourself。 Each of the 12 rules build upon this theme。 Virtually every page has at least one or two pearls of wisdom that are worth quoting。 I thought the chapter on "Rule 8 / Tell the truth -- or， at least， don't lie" was particularly strong。 One of my favorite bits， though， was actually in the coda: We are dividing， and polarizing， and drifting toward chaos。 It is necessary， under such conditions， if we are to avoid catastrophe， for each of us to bring forward the truth， as we see it: not the arguments that justify our ideologies， not the machinations that further our ambitions， but the stark pure facts of our existence， revealed for others to see and contemplate， so that we can find common ground and proceed together。 Hard to argue with that！ If you take the 12 rules at face value， there's not a lot there that hasn't been said before。 But that's sort of the point he's making。 This stuff isn't new。 It's our legacy as human beings， bequeathed to us from our ancestors over thousands of years。 But our postmodern world is willfully turning a blind eye to this wisdom for reasons that are hard to fathom。 It's almost like arrested adolescence on a massive scale。 Clean your room， indeed。 。。。more
Jaclyn
，
I’ve seen a lot of videos of Dr Peterson’s lectures and talks and enjoyed them。 The book was very hard to get through， which was disappointing。 This was more of an issue of editing I think。 He just goes on tangents and takes forever to get to the point and many times I found myself asking how the heck is what he’s talking about have anything to do with the rule for that chapter。
Julia
，
https://youtu。be/qOJ0lUSBI14 https://youtu。be/qOJ0lUSBI14 。。。more
Ruben Bettens
，
Heel conservatief en kort door de bocht。 Onnodig complex taalgebruik en/ of vertaling
Mohamed Eisa
，
I wish I read that book in my 20s。 The rules， though obvious， put a framework for a successful way of living。 Might not make you happy， but may make you content。 The numerous biblical quotes were spot on。 The Russian literature influence is undeniable and the deep psychological practice and experience made things really meaningful。Will read it again and again and will share it among my ones。
Ricky Delgado-Martinez
，
Great read。 So many highlights and sticky notes。
Daniel Gavril
，
A book that acts as a map through life: engaging， practical， emotional。 12 rules for life that can help you identify the chaos around and within you， understand what is the chaos and how you should go through it so that you become a little bit better in this challenging world！
Aditya
，
While most of this book made compelling arguments， I think there were far too many examples throughout that the author gives to drive home some key lesson that are either way too verbose or don't really need to be there。 A quick internet search yielded this link that astutely summarizes this ~350 page book using less than 1/5th the number of words。 While most of this book made compelling arguments， I think there were far too many examples throughout that the author gives to drive home some key lesson that are either way too verbose or don't really need to be there。 A quick internet search yielded this link that astutely summarizes this ~350 page book using less than 1/5th the number of words。 。。。more
Haley
，
Powerful to hear this audiobook read by the author。I appreciate the challenge to think， and to think through influences， complications， and results。 I don't agree with him entirely; but I am grateful to have been prompted to THINK。 Powerful to hear this audiobook read by the author。I appreciate the challenge to think， and to think through influences， complications， and results。 I don't agree with him entirely; but I am grateful to have been prompted to THINK。 。。。more
Jamison Moore
，
I had to know what everybody was on about with the lobster thing。 I like the pop theology， and feel those bits work better than the pop psych。 Heck， the autobiographical elements are great， but the book is bogged down by repeating itself over and over and over。。。
John Nustad
，
Modern classic。 Should read annually with Think and Grow Rich。
Chet Morgan
，
Jordan B。 Peterson 12 Rules for Life is a book that everyone should read。 As the book mentions， you are going to learn 12 separate rules for daily life。 What I love so much about the book is the depth you get on each rule。 You will get a historic and religious meaning behind each rule， which I found very notable。 The book has real life examples as well has personal accounts that Peterson has experienced。 The vocabulary in the book is very expansive but with determination anyone can read it。
Raquel Felino
，
I dropped this book after 5 chapters。 It's so misogynistic and self entitled。 The chapter about children made me sick and it is not even well written。 The first book I drop in years。 I dropped this book after 5 chapters。 It's so misogynistic and self entitled。 The chapter about children made me sick and it is not even well written。 The first book I drop in years。 。。。more
Phelim Peter Kennedy
，
In general I am in support of what Jordan Peterson represents in the current state of the world and I appreciate all the good he has done for individuals in making effective positive change in their lives。 With this in mind， I have tried and failed to finish this book a handful of times， reaching the ninth rule。 I finally thought， with his new book on its way， now would be the right time to share my thoughts on this one。Off the bat， I acknowledge that all of the rules， in of themselves are good。 In general I am in support of what Jordan Peterson represents in the current state of the world and I appreciate all the good he has done for individuals in making effective positive change in their lives。 With this in mind， I have tried and failed to finish this book a handful of times， reaching the ninth rule。 I finally thought， with his new book on its way， now would be the right time to share my thoughts on this one。Off the bat， I acknowledge that all of the rules， in of themselves are good。 Some more than others need to be unpacked， but in general if you were to follow the rules as written you would end up in a better place than if you didn't。 I believe that this is where Peterson excels。 He is able to give life to the idea of taking responsibility and seeing beyond the immediate。However。。。I found increasingly through the book， that he would often start by making a fairly innocuous point which I didn't have any issue with， then change the meaning of words until the original statement was either transformed， or rendered meaningless。As an example， Peterson has famously made the assertion "There are no atheists。 There are only people who know， and don't know， what God they serve。" On the face of it， this is merely arguing that everyone has something in their lives which they value above all else。 One can see what he is getting at there。 But when we put it into context and realise he believes that there really is no such thing as an atheist， it stops being a useful idea and becomes an unhelpful restriction of vocabulary。 Even if it were true that atheists do indeed have a God， it isn't helpful to render the term atheist meaningless， if you then just have to replace it with another equivalent term （especially if the labelled party does not agree with the premise）。Furthermore， the capitalisation of God in this context displays Petersons ignorance to the intricacies of the positions of believers and non-believers alike。 It emphasises that when he insists he does believe in God， or at least acts like God exists， there is no distinction to him if God is a person or if it is merely a god， be that power， success， health etc。 He presents this theology through a loose Christian lens， using language familiar to western tradition， which makes him trustworthy as if he is building on the shoulders of our culture。 But again， much like you would find in the LDS Church or modern non-denominational branches of Christianity， the phrases mean something very different to what it has historically meant。This issue came back time and time again， to the point I started to annotate with a pair of pens， one blue one red， because too often he would make a profound statement and then either redefine the terms into mundanity or draw out of this an unusual， even contradictory conclusion。The contradictions aren't even always so subtle。 For the first two chapters he establishes Christ as the "perfect man" and tells us how we should strive to be like Christ， even if we would never be able to reach his perfection。 This premise seems to be well established by the time we reach the rule about friendships。 Here Peterson suggests we be discerning about our friendships， and not surround ourselves with people who will bring us down。 There is nothing wrong with the rule， but having spent so much time putting the rules to a religious backdrop Peterson realises it would be amis to ignore the Christ figure on this topic。 "But Christ himself， you might object， befriended tax-collectors and prostitutes。 How dare I cast aspersions on the motives of those who are trying to help？ But Christ was the archetypal perfect man。 And you're you"Peterson undermines his whole thesis in this line。 In other chapters we are told to strive for that which is out of our reach， because to strive is the important thing。 But you're only you so don't strive for this specific thing you can't reach。 To emphasise， there is nothing wrong with the rule。 It is good advice， but in the explanation it reveals the contradiction and confusion in Petersons worldview。Moving on， an element of Peterson's writing， and perhaps more so his public speaking and teaching， that draws people in is his storytelling。 This book is filled with references to nature， myths， scripture and anecdote， which fleshes out the picture he is presenting us。 Even here I was irritated。 In his anecdotes， of which there are many， Peterson was never presented in a bad light。 Many times， Peterson tells stories of how good a parent he is， or how other peers went to him to seek advice， or why he is a better psychiatrist than others because they are so ideologically driven。 Time after time he saves the day by following the rule， whilst others waste away and perish because they didn't。 My final issue is with how the book has been edited。 The first paragraph of rule 1 ends with a joke and an annotated "ha ha"。 Page 1 of rule 2 has a :） emoji。 This might suggest that the book was going to be a light read， or that the book is aimed at a broad audience。 On the other hand， mere pages later， he talks about how religious symbols rely in a large part on "this underlying fundamentally bipartisan conceptual subdivision" for their power。 Many of Petersons critics accuse him of "word salad"， in this case one would have to agree。 Fundamentally， I wanted to appreciate this book， but all it succeeded in was irritating me and exposing many of Petersons faults。 。。。more
Jack Lawlor
，