12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
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- Author：Jordan B. Peterson
- ISBN：0735278512
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Summary
What does everyone in the modern world need to know？ Renowned psychologist Jordan B。 Peterson's answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines the hard-won truths of ancient tradition with the stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research。
Humorous， surprising， and informative， Dr。 Peterson tells us why skateboarding boys and girls must be left alone， what terrible fate awaits those who criticize too easily， and why you should always pet a cat when you meet one on the street。
What does the nervous system of the lowly lobster have to tell us about standing up straight （with our shoulders back） and about success in life？ Why did ancient Egyptians worship the capacity to pay careful attention as the highest of gods？ What dreadful paths do people tread when they become resentful， arrogant， and vengeful？ Dr。 Peterson journeys broadly， discussing discipline， freedom， adventure， and responsibility， distilling the world's wisdom into 12 practical and profound rules for life。 12 Rules for Life shatters the modern commonplaces of science， faith， and human nature while transforming and ennobling the mind and spirit of its listeners。
Humorous， surprising， and informative， Dr。 Peterson tells us why skateboarding boys and girls must be left alone， what terrible fate awaits those who criticize too easily， and why you should always pet a cat when you meet one on the street。
What does the nervous system of the lowly lobster have to tell us about standing up straight （with our shoulders back） and about success in life？ Why did ancient Egyptians worship the capacity to pay careful attention as the highest of gods？ What dreadful paths do people tread when they become resentful， arrogant， and vengeful？ Dr。 Peterson journeys broadly， discussing discipline， freedom， adventure， and responsibility， distilling the world's wisdom into 12 practical and profound rules for life。 12 Rules for Life shatters the modern commonplaces of science， faith， and human nature while transforming and ennobling the mind and spirit of its listeners。
Reviews
Alan
，
His 12 rules are pretty good and the basis for the second star。 But the writing is mostly useless chaos。
Chow
，
I couldn't finish this。 The premise is that masculine brings order and feminine is chaos。 This is offensive， disgusting， insulting and terrible。 I am sorry so many have read this and let these ideas float around in their minds。 Let this one go friends。 We are more than these stereotypes。 Probably the worse garbage I've ever tried to read。 I couldn't finish this。 The premise is that masculine brings order and feminine is chaos。 This is offensive， disgusting， insulting and terrible。 I am sorry so many have read this and let these ideas float around in their minds。 Let this one go friends。 We are more than these stereotypes。 Probably the worse garbage I've ever tried to read。 。。。more
Matthew Gurteen
，
I am generally not one for self-help books， but '12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos' by Jordan B。 Peterson was a thorough psychological delve into religion and fiction， which I think most people would benefit from reading。 Regardless of personal opinion on Peterson's online presence， it is clear that he is trying to help people in this book。 Even if I do not agree with everything he says elsewhere - or even in this book， for that matter - it is easy to admire his style and wit。 Just like hi I am generally not one for self-help books， but '12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos' by Jordan B。 Peterson was a thorough psychological delve into religion and fiction， which I think most people would benefit from reading。 Regardless of personal opinion on Peterson's online presence， it is clear that he is trying to help people in this book。 Even if I do not agree with everything he says elsewhere - or even in this book， for that matter - it is easy to admire his style and wit。 Just like his lectures， Peterson's writing is engaging and informative for every reader， regardless of educational background。 There are some complex ideas in this book， but Peterson displays them straightforwardly and in a way that does not seem too formal。 Fortunately， however， I do agree with most of what Peterson says in this book and will definitely take some of its advice to implement in my own life。 He is clearly well and widely read and manages to fit so much in just a few pages。All that being said， I did have a few issues which need addressing。 Firstly， readers should absolutely take Peterson's advice with a grain - or barrel - of salt。 Although I would recommend this for all reading， it is especially true of self-help books。 It is unwise to accept anything anyone tells you at face value， and Peterson is no exception。 He even says this in the book， but I think many people fall into the trap of treating Peterson's word like God when really he is just a good orator。 He is also not often the most politically conscientious of individuals。 This point is partly what makes him so popular， but it also leads to some less than progressive views of gender and race， which will turn readers away。 I still think most of Peterson's points are correct， but how he phrases them could help him reach a wider audience。 There are also large segments of this book that I felt went on much longer than they needed to。 Ultimately， however， I understand why， as Peterson is trying to make sure the reader remembers his points through repetition and， as suggested， there are often more complex ideas。 I also was not a massive fan of the introduction by Norman Doidge。 It was a stark contrast to Peterson's writing （which is ultimately what I am rating） and came across as pointless and self-congratulatory。I still enjoyed the majority of this book， however， and can comfortably give it five stars。 I would recommend it to all readers providing they can approach it objectively。 If nothing else， it provides an insight into the modern world and contemporary gender relations， which readers will look back on in years to come。 。。。more
Zoffix Znet
，
Peterson is a curious phenomenon: many either idolize him or， worse， hate his guts。 I just don't get all of the attention。 In every interview of his I've seen， he's a one trick pony， recounting how "they didn't find anything"， when internet mobs descended upon his YouTube channel， looking for dirt。I've tried to read his book twice how （second time， based on positive word on it from an acquaintance）。 Both times I gave up around page 90。 The book is just not for me。To say that Peterson is verbose Peterson is a curious phenomenon: many either idolize him or， worse， hate his guts。 I just don't get all of the attention。 In every interview of his I've seen， he's a one trick pony， recounting how "they didn't find anything"， when internet mobs descended upon his YouTube channel， looking for dirt。I've tried to read his book twice how （second time， based on positive word on it from an acquaintance）。 Both times I gave up around page 90。 The book is just not for me。To say that Peterson is verbose would be a colossal understatement。 The guy rambles within his rambles。 On multiple occasions， I was so lost in the rambling， I had forgotten what the topic at hand even was。 At multiple places， after a thorough ramble， Peterson simply jumps to a conclusion。 It feels almost a style of communication: fatigue the reader with a 20-page ramble， so that they're in no condition to challenge an unrelated fact。 Chaos。 Order。 Order。 Order。 Chaos。 Chaos。 Chaos。 Chaos。 Order。 Chaos is feminine， as you can see。What lost me both times is when Peterson starts dissecting an origins story from the bible。 I just don't get what it's about。 The chapter is called "Treat yourself like you are someone you are responsible for helping"。 It starts by pointing out that ironically， many people take better medical care for their pets than for themselves。 Great！ Good rule。 Good story。 But that's only 3 pages long。 What is that never-ending waffle that follows afterwards， with Genesis， snakes， Yaweh， Mary， and fruits。 At one point， Peterson reiterates his claim that "Chaos is female" by pointing out that the snake gave the fruit to Eve， not Adam。 He defends it， by saying every word in Genesis matters， because if it didn't it'd be lost to history by now。 I just don't get what relevance any of this tripe has to anything。 He has this weird Order/Chaos/Male/Female theory he's carrying around from chapter to chapter， but I don't get what it's all about。 Why is the majority of the book being spent entertaining this construct Peterson invented， given the arguments for its natural existence are flimsy at best。If you read through the table of contents， the 12 Rules are fairly sound。 At the opening of the book， the author states it all began with a bunch of Quora posts。 I believe it！ The book should've been a meaty Quora post。 A lengthy blog post at best。 I've no idea what the rest of the 441-page book is。 All I know is it's giving me a headache。Don't read it。 。。。more
Joe
，
Stand up straight with your shoulders backCorrecting posture boosts confidence and self-esteem， which others notice as well。Treat yourself like someone you’re responsible for helpingYou would do anything for the people you love the most， and that should include you。Make friends with those who want the best for youFriends who truly support you will demand the best from you and tell you the truth， while toxic friends will just damage you。Compare yourself to who you were yesterday and not someone e Stand up straight with your shoulders backCorrecting posture boosts confidence and self-esteem， which others notice as well。Treat yourself like someone you’re responsible for helpingYou would do anything for the people you love the most， and that should include you。Make friends with those who want the best for youFriends who truly support you will demand the best from you and tell you the truth， while toxic friends will just damage you。Compare yourself to who you were yesterday and not someone else todayComparing yourself to others damages your sense of self while working to improve on your past self will fulfill you。Don’t let your children do anything to make others dislike themIf you allow your children to engage in behaviors you dislike， you’re setting them up for failure by becoming dislikeable adults。Put your house in perfect order before you start to criticize the worldFind fulfillment by remedying your own faults and improving yourself daily。Do what is meaningful and not most expedientOur brains are wired to find meaning in life no matter how hard the road to get there is， which will give us the most fulfillment。Tell the truth， or at least don’t lieCorrupting your own perceptions with lies leads directly to a world of chaos where you cannot rely on yourself or your judgments。Assume the person you’re listening to knows something you don’tLiving life constantly searching for knowledge from others can only help you achieve a life of meaning。Be precise in your speechThe more exact you are about who you want to be and what you want， the more likely you are to be successful because you can visualize it with absolute clarity。Don’t bother children when they’re skateboardingEncourage your children to take measured risks as a way to practice confronting the chaos of life instead of overprotecting them and hiding from the chaos。Pet a cat when you encounter one on the streetWhen chaos in your life is unavoidable， such as personal tragedy， focus on what’s right in front of you for as long as you need to until you have the strength to begin looking farther ahead again。 。。。more
Viktoria Kindler
，
4，5
Peta
，
I really really tried to push myself through this book， but it is honestly the worst and most offensive piece of writing I have ever read in my life… The classism in this book is absolutely appalling and rampant。 Naming lower socioeconomic groups as “low ranking human beings” and the fact that jobs such as lawn mowing and landscaping are “fine for a part time uni student or for someone who could not do better but which was wretchedly low-end as a career for an intelligent person”… BUT do not wor I really really tried to push myself through this book， but it is honestly the worst and most offensive piece of writing I have ever read in my life… The classism in this book is absolutely appalling and rampant。 Naming lower socioeconomic groups as “low ranking human beings” and the fact that jobs such as lawn mowing and landscaping are “fine for a part time uni student or for someone who could not do better but which was wretchedly low-end as a career for an intelligent person”… BUT do not worry apparently you can fix all of this by improving your posture， because posture is the reason that people struggle with safe housing， finances and drug addiction according to Jordan Peterson。 And do not even let me begin on the sexism in this book。。 it is incredible to even imagine that people can still think this way。。 there is constant suggestions in the book to the fact that males “have preferential access to food， places to live and can have sex with whoever they want”， referring to chaos as being “symbolically associated with the feminine” and the fact that all other power imbalances normalise with age “except that of women and men” I mean， come on。 If you seriously read this book and thought it was anything but offensive， misogynistic and discriminatory I do not think I could ever consider you a friend， or even acquaintance。 I cannot wait to burn this book。 I refuse to put myself through anymore of its pages。 。。。more
Kaisha Bogdanic
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The book was well written but there are so many reference to the bible。 It was hard to get through。 I wouldn't recommend reading it。 The book was well written but there are so many reference to the bible。 It was hard to get through。 I wouldn't recommend reading it。 。。。more
Tracey Agnew
，
I read this book as part of a challenge to myself to read books by authors I wouldn't necessarily agree with。 I hadn't heard any of Mr Peterson's podcasts/seen him on YouTube， but I'd heard about him; he is a big noise in Conservative culture。The 12 Rules themselves are OK。 The basic rationale makes sense:1。 Stand up straight with your shoulders back2。 Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping3。 Make friends with people who want the best for you4。 Compare yourself to who you we I read this book as part of a challenge to myself to read books by authors I wouldn't necessarily agree with。 I hadn't heard any of Mr Peterson's podcasts/seen him on YouTube， but I'd heard about him; he is a big noise in Conservative culture。The 12 Rules themselves are OK。 The basic rationale makes sense:1。 Stand up straight with your shoulders back2。 Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping3。 Make friends with people who want the best for you4。 Compare yourself to who you were yesterday， not to who someone else is today5。 Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them6。 Set your house in perfect order before you criticise the world7。 Pursue what is meaningful （not what is expedient）8。 Tell the truth - or at least， don't lie9。 Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don't10。 Be precise in your speech11。 Do not bother children when they are skateboarding12。 Pet a cat when you encounter one on the streetPotentially this was a great pamphlet/short book。 The problem is， Peterson does not take his own advice （particularly Rule 10）。 This is a man who loves the sound of his own voice （at least in print！）。 He never uses one word where 10 will do。 The book comes across as preachy （there are whole tracts from the bible and countless examples using Christ， Moses， Adam and Eve etc） with the occasional bit of Jewish， Buddhist or Taoist theology tossed in。 This preachiness hits a crescendo in the final part of the book， the Coda， where he writes with his 'pen of light'！ There are some good， ordinary self-help bits of the book - 'what could I do， that I would do， to make life a little better' （p109） 'What have I done wrong， and what can I do now to set things a little more right' （P357） 'To suffer terribly and know yourself as the cause: that is Hell' （P367） This might be a useful book for someone looking to take better care of themselves by taking responsibility for creating some order in their lives， but for me - I leave this book as I started it， sceptical of the Conservative world order and the simplistic motherhood and apple pie approach to life's big questions 。。。more
Jeremy
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Excellent book。 Read it。
Laticia
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2。5/5
Emanpasha
，
ive nots still read it but a good expectation ' ive nots still read it but a good expectation ' 。。。more
I。 Madreia S。
，
Longer review to come！
VíctorM10
，
It’s undeniable how much Jordan Peterson has contributed to so many youngsters who have felt lost and misunderstood in life （especially for those only children who have grown up without a father）。 His second book traces a line between the dissertation （he talks about the difference between order and chaos， lobsters and how applicable they can be to men， the role of a parent， agreeableness， or religion） and the self-help genre that I am a bit fed up with。 Personally， I admire his way of communica It’s undeniable how much Jordan Peterson has contributed to so many youngsters who have felt lost and misunderstood in life （especially for those only children who have grown up without a father）。 His second book traces a line between the dissertation （he talks about the difference between order and chaos， lobsters and how applicable they can be to men， the role of a parent， agreeableness， or religion） and the self-help genre that I am a bit fed up with。 Personally， I admire his way of communicating， discussing， and giving tips to young people， hence his book is also an approach to his work。 。。。more
Ben
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At times， this book was fascinating and thought-provoking， and at other times it was boring and seemed to go nowhere。 I did enjoy Peterson’s insight and wisdom on a variety of topics， but it often felt like he would chase a rabbit hole so far that it no longer connected with anything he said before， which made it frustrating to read。 I also appreciated Peterson’s use of theology as well as modern philosophy to help establish his rules for life， but as I said before， it often came across as a jum At times， this book was fascinating and thought-provoking， and at other times it was boring and seemed to go nowhere。 I did enjoy Peterson’s insight and wisdom on a variety of topics， but it often felt like he would chase a rabbit hole so far that it no longer connected with anything he said before， which made it frustrating to read。 I also appreciated Peterson’s use of theology as well as modern philosophy to help establish his rules for life， but as I said before， it often came across as a jumbled mess。I think this book would be most enjoyed by philosophy students or psychologists， but as someone who is neither I would admit that I had a difficult time following his train of thought enough to truly benefit from it。 。。。more
Gaurav Arora
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The most influential book I have ever came across。 Not only the ideas are described beautifully but they makes you think and ponder on the principles you are governing on。 As a non religious person from a different continent， It was a bit hard to relate to the stories of Bible depicted in the book but the core truths and teachings in those stories were abundantly clear。 My favourite rule was to always speak the truth or at least not lie。 One of the stories I loved the most was of betrayal where The most influential book I have ever came across。 Not only the ideas are described beautifully but they makes you think and ponder on the principles you are governing on。 As a non religious person from a different continent， It was a bit hard to relate to the stories of Bible depicted in the book but the core truths and teachings in those stories were abundantly clear。 My favourite rule was to always speak the truth or at least not lie。 One of the stories I loved the most was of betrayal where the professor describes that the past that you have lived could also shatter and change in the present when someone betrays you。 。。。more
Chris Ffelan
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Gave up about ¾ of the way through。There's only so my biblical fire & brimstone I can take。Don't agree with anything I'd read in it， but 90% is just commons sense wrapped up in old testament analogies。 Gave up about ¾ of the way through。There's only so my biblical fire & brimstone I can take。Don't agree with anything I'd read in it， but 90% is just commons sense wrapped up in old testament analogies。 。。。more
Ciprian Prohozescu
，
Fantastic book that transcends the genre of "self-help"， diving deep into sociology， psychology and philosophy。 If nothing else， it gave me a new perspective on history， religion and stories in general and why they are written。As for the self-help part， it is a tough read。 It will make you question whether you are living a worthy life， whether the problems you face every day are real or self-perpetuated。 Whether you are a victim or just a pathetic self-abuser。 It's not always easy to tell。 Fantastic book that transcends the genre of "self-help"， diving deep into sociology， psychology and philosophy。 If nothing else， it gave me a new perspective on history， religion and stories in general and why they are written。As for the self-help part， it is a tough read。 It will make you question whether you are living a worthy life， whether the problems you face every day are real or self-perpetuated。 Whether you are a victim or just a pathetic self-abuser。 It's not always easy to tell。 。。。more
Diego
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Great book， auto-biographic， dogmatic at times， other times Peterson goes deep into thematic rabbit holes that seem not to have anything to do with the main ideas。 However it doesn’t come across at superfluous ranting but rather as the thought stream of a deep thinker。 When Peterson is on point he soars and the ideas come across clearly and naturally， providing a personal ethics devoid from any religious background but rather underpinned by rationalism， and the sense of responsibility for our li Great book， auto-biographic， dogmatic at times， other times Peterson goes deep into thematic rabbit holes that seem not to have anything to do with the main ideas。 However it doesn’t come across at superfluous ranting but rather as the thought stream of a deep thinker。 When Peterson is on point he soars and the ideas come across clearly and naturally， providing a personal ethics devoid from any religious background but rather underpinned by rationalism， and the sense of responsibility for our lives。 。。。more
Connie Cheng
，
I think this work is generally mislabeled as a self-help book。 Though many have changed their lives from these 12 rules， I see this title as more of a philosophy discussion than a manual for life。 Jordan ties his rules to big abstractions and makes compelling cases for just how important these 12 principles are。 His ideas are really interesting and well thought out， and certainly would expand the mind of someone like me who isn't nearly as well read。 Still， it's not really a self-help book， the I think this work is generally mislabeled as a self-help book。 Though many have changed their lives from these 12 rules， I see this title as more of a philosophy discussion than a manual for life。 Jordan ties his rules to big abstractions and makes compelling cases for just how important these 12 principles are。 His ideas are really interesting and well thought out， and certainly would expand the mind of someone like me who isn't nearly as well read。 Still， it's not really a self-help book， the 12 rules can apply to one's personal life but the discussion seems to be predominantly about human life throughout history and its pitfalls。 。。。more
Asseel AL-AMERI
，
This book literally changed my life
Giuseppe
，
Libro molto interessante anche se da una prospettiva troppo poco laica alle regole descritte。 Interessante punto di vista dell'autore e ottimi consigli da applicare nella vita di tutti i giorni。 Libro molto interessante anche se da una prospettiva troppo poco laica alle regole descritte。 Interessante punto di vista dell'autore e ottimi consigli da applicare nella vita di tutti i giorni。 。。。more
Giedrius
，
6
Stockton Denos
，
I’m a big fan of Jordan Peterson which perhaps made my expectations for this book too high。 I found it to be all over the place and going down tangents that didn’t seem warranted to me。 Maybe I just didn’t fully understand what he was going for in some stories。 I do know that he is intellectually superior to me by a long shot so maybe I just wasn’t able to hang with him。
AndreaT
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Some thoughts in this book are deliberately controversial I think。 Some thoughts were very helpful。 Sometimes I didn't agree and sometimes I did。 All in all， it is a book that I would recommend to read。 3。5* Some thoughts in this book are deliberately controversial I think。 Some thoughts were very helpful。 Sometimes I didn't agree and sometimes I did。 All in all， it is a book that I would recommend to read。 3。5* 。。。more
Viktoriia Topalo
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Enjoyed reading this book。 It truly revealed things I knew that I didn’t know I knew。
C S
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I am not a fan of self-help books， but this was a life-changing one for me。 It gives a psychological explanation rather than just giving motivating stories。 If any men or women suffer in life and wanting to get back on track again this is a must-read。
Razvan Matei
，
Simple， common sense， good， but dogmatic advice。 In short， Jordan Peterson believes that there is a huge body of knowledge about human nature and how to have success， generally speaking， in the Bible stories。 And these stories are unpacked in this book。 And the lobsters teach us that we have hierarchies :）。I'll take from this book the following actionable advice:1） Make sacrifices for what it's important to you （that's delay gratification， if "sacrifice" is too religious for you）。2） If you see a Simple， common sense， good， but dogmatic advice。 In short， Jordan Peterson believes that there is a huge body of knowledge about human nature and how to have success， generally speaking， in the Bible stories。 And these stories are unpacked in this book。 And the lobsters teach us that we have hierarchies :）。I'll take from this book the following actionable advice:1） Make sacrifices for what it's important to you （that's delay gratification， if "sacrifice" is too religious for you）。2） If you see a problem coming， tackle it immediately （he says "if there's a dragon in your neighbourhood， don't wait for it to grow larger and let it come and kill you during your sleep - but take your sword and go kill him"）。 3） Fortify yourself during the good times， for the bad times that are certainly coming （that's where he argues that the story of the flood is so widespread， because it represents a universal truth）。 This advice is in the same line with Ben Franklin's "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" one。I am a young man that naturally have some warrior， survivor tendencies， so this book， and Jordan Peterson in general， resonates well with me。 But this book is certainly not for everyone。 And that's ok， as you can find the same advice， just packed differently， in a multitude of other places。I'm looking for opposing views， so I don't make a guru out of Peterson， and I already see some contradictions in his work （e。g。 I really think Jordan Peterson is avoiding the truth， is avoiding to say what he really believes， when asked "did Jesus really resurrect？"）。 。。。more
Hannah
，
I love how well Jordan explains concepts of academia in a way that laymen （like myself） can understand。
mahesh
，