What to DO in life

You've quite succinctly summed up my issue with Peterson. You've again said a lot of words covering a vast range of complicated topics which you've pretty much skimmed over but within that still haven't actually made one clear argument, or provided any real clear evidential backing to anything.

This is Peterson's thing, he says a series of vague and disconnected descriptive claims but never follows it up with any normative conclusions or supports it with anything substantial because if he attempted to do that his arguments would fall apart.

there is some deeper reason

What is this reason?

"tools" and "objects."

The subject of human tool use and is an interesting one in anthropology but neither you or Peterson seem to be actually talking about it on any indepth level, what is your conclusion here? What point is being made?

meaning that your systems to detect what's meaningful is inherited genetically].

Do you have any scientific evidence to support the idea that what we genetically inherit what we derive meaning for? Doesn't society play a pretty huge factor in to what we deem as meaningful in any particular epoch of humanity? Or did I evolve to find meaning in say reading a book by Alan Watts?

we don't see the world as pure information. We see the world as 'potential' or 'meaning'.

We see the world in myriad number of ways based on our upbringing, situation in life, biochemistry, society, culture, genetics, education, family and so on. People with anhedonia don't see any potential or meaning in anything.

atheistic rationalist ever says that life has no meaning

Well, in that sense life has whatever meaning we give it. We are the authority. Whether some deeper meaning exists beyond that I couldn't tell you and even if I could it would only be on my own authority, or yours to believe me.

You get the point

You keep saying phrases like this instead of actually providing evidence or making a conclusion.

fundamental philosophy of post-modernists is that anything and everything is infinitely interpretable

Can you name one post modernist and where they make this argument?

Ironically Peterson's rejection of rationalism, a modernist concept, is in of itself post modernist.

biological human system that has its hierarchy of values

So this is the appeal to nature fallacy which Peterson makes over and over again. Something is not 'good' or 'right' because it's 'natural.' Something is not shielded from criticism because it is 'natural' or just 'evolution.' Mallard Ducks mate frequently via rape, this doesn't make rape okay.

Hierarchies existing in some form we can recognise in nature doesn't make them right, or mean we can't point out the flaws and failings in human created hierarchies or point out that perhaps we can have societies without the power structures of hierarchies.

You really can't make any comparisons between human created systems like capitalism and the power structures and hierarchies within that system and lobster mating rituals or whatever other natural example of a hierarchy forming exists. It's really an absurd comparison point because humans have the ability to build and change the societies and structures they live in unlike any other animal.

we all have our hierarchy of values

To a degree, as set by society, genetics, our biological needs, our upbringing, our education and so on.

It actually exists biologically.

Evidence and argument needed.

Meaning itself is a complicated thing

I agree it is a complicated thing which at a basic level is what post-modernism is pointing out.

And of course the type of people like you

Thanks for the ad-hominem attack!

Jordan Peterson doesn't have anything valuable to say

That depends on what you value, but I've yet to see him say anything that I'd consider valuable to say myself.

I think he speaks primarily to a demographic of white, western men who currently feel alienated because of a complex mixture of factors including being raised in a period of economic collapse, the economic weakening of western powers in the world in general, being sold the ideas that turned out to be lies such as that a college education would result in a good job, the alienation inherent in capitalism and heavily individualistic ideologies, the complete lack of funding for mental health help in our societies, technological factors such as social media exacerbating those issues and peoples mental loads, the voice of marginalized groups such as women, minorities and trans people actually being heard and the growth in power, even though relatively speaking tiny of those groups making the dominant group feel threatened. Hence why his audience, who historically have been at the top of the power hierarchies within our society like hearing that hierarchies are naturally correct and those pointing out the structural inequalities in them are therefore a threat.

He provides simple, self help style answers to those problems which just reiterate the same individualistic, pro-capitalist rhetoric that ironically is in part responsible for the alienation his audience feels but he sells a lot of books and talks as a result. He's not the first salesmen to sell self-help to vulnerable people and wont be the last.

/r/AlanWatts Thread Parent