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00:00:00
[Music]00:00:35
thank you thank you so I've been00:00:38
thinking about things that I'm happy00:00:40
about and what I'm most happy about so00:00:43
far is that I haven't spilled my my00:00:45
bubbly water into my computer so far00:00:48
while I've been doing these lectures00:00:49
that's always I'll probably do it00:00:51
tonight now that I'm bragging about00:00:52
having avoided it so thank you all for00:00:55
coming this is the last lecture in this00:00:58
12 part series I did mention that I have00:01:01
made arrangements with the theatre at00:01:03
least to do this once a month for the00:01:04
next four months and we'll see we'll00:01:06
play it by ear past end I want to00:01:07
continue and I'll find another venue and00:01:09
perhaps to do it every two weeks but00:01:11
certainly once a month and maybe I can00:01:13
even get deeper into the material if00:01:15
it's only once a month so that would be00:01:16
then and then we'll really slow down to00:01:18
a snail's crawl yeah so this is a tough00:01:22
one tonight you know it's something a00:01:24
story that everyone with any sense00:01:26
should approach with a substantial00:01:27
degree of trepidation I've been working00:01:30
on my book this week on Chapter 7 which00:01:34
is called do what is meaningful not00:01:36
what's expedient and it's really it's00:01:39
been a very difficult chapter because00:01:41
I'm coming to I'm trying to to extend my00:01:46
understanding of sacrifice which is of00:01:48
course what we're going to talk about00:01:49
tonight in great detail and and I've00:01:54
been wrestling with exactly how to do00:01:55
that and I'm going to read you some of00:01:57
that I think today don't generally read00:01:59
when I do my lectures but this is so00:02:00
complicated that I'm not confident of my00:02:03
ability to just spin it off you know00:02:05
sort of what would you call it00:02:08
spontaneously that's the word and so and00:02:12
it'll also give me a chance to test out00:02:14
whether what I've written which I've00:02:15
been struggling with has the kind of00:02:17
poetic flow that I'd like to have if00:02:19
you're writing it's really good to read00:02:20
things aloud you know because you can00:02:22
tell if you've got the rhythmic cadence00:02:24
right then so so anyways thank you all00:02:27
for coming many of you have I believe00:02:30
attended all 12 lectures and that's00:02:32
really remarkable it's amazing that you00:02:35
know this place has been full every00:02:36
single lecture it's completely00:02:38
unbelievable that would be the case and00:02:40
you know about more than two million00:02:42
views of this is being watched more than00:02:44
two million views it's not 2 million00:02:46
people because it would be the same00:02:47
people I would suspect many times but00:02:50
that's also crazy but it's a crazy world00:02:52
and it seems to keep me getting crazier00:02:54
so hopefully this is some addition to00:02:57
stabilizing it and making it slightly00:02:59
more sane that's the hope anyways so00:03:03
we've got a couple of stories to deal00:03:06
with tonight complex complex stories not00:03:11
really easy to comprehend in any sense00:03:13
of the in sense of the word I mean with00:03:15
the story of Isaac God calls on his his00:03:19
chosen individual Abraham the person00:03:22
who's made this contract with to00:03:23
sacrifice his son and it's how in the00:03:26
world are you supposed to make sensible00:03:27
any sort of sensible sense out of that00:03:30
it's exactly that sort of story that00:03:31
makes modern people who are convinced00:03:35
that the faster we put the biblical00:03:37
stories behind us the better it's it's00:03:38
grist for their mill you know because it00:03:40
seems like such a incomprehensible and00:03:43
even barbaric act on the part of God and00:03:45
so you know I hesitate to even approach00:03:48
it because well because there's so many00:03:52
ways that the an interpretation of that00:03:54
sort can go wrong but we'll see how it00:03:56
goes and so let's walk through it and00:03:58
see what happens so we start with the00:04:00
story of Sarah and Isaac and the Lord00:04:04
visited Sarah as he had said you00:04:06
remember when Abraham was in the midst00:04:09
of his appropriate sacrificial routines00:04:12
which we've characterized as his return00:04:14
to the contract he made with the idea of00:04:16
the good the contract with God he was00:04:19
informed by God that he would get what00:04:21
he most wanted which was an error and it00:04:24
despite his advanced old age and of00:04:26
course Sarah was very skeptical about00:04:28
that as she had every reason to be but00:04:30
this story opens with with the00:04:32
fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham00:04:35
and the Lord visited Sarah as he had00:04:37
said and the Lord did unto Sarah as he00:04:40
had spoken for Sarah conceived and bore00:04:42
Abraham a son in his old age at the set00:04:45
time of which God had spoken to him and00:04:48
Abraham called the name of his son that00:04:50
was born unto Him whom Sarah bear to him00:04:52
Isaac and Abraham circumcised his son00:04:55
Isaac being eight days old as God00:04:58
commanded him had commanded him00:04:59
and Abraham was a hundred years old when00:05:01
his son Isaac was born unto him and00:05:04
Sarah said goth had made God had God00:05:08
have made me to laugh so that all that00:05:11
here will laugh with me and she said who00:05:13
would have said unto Abraham that Sarah00:05:15
should have given children suck for I've00:05:17
borne him a son in his old age and the00:05:20
child grew and was weaned and Abraham00:05:21
made a great feast the same day that00:05:23
Isaac was weaned I suppose one of the00:05:26
one of the purposes let's say perhaps00:05:29
the literary purposes of this story is00:05:31
to exaggerate for dramatic purposes the00:05:37
importance of a child you know when00:05:41
people are young and I think this is00:05:43
particularly true in the modern world00:05:44
they seem to often regard the00:05:49
possibility of having a child as an00:05:52
impediment to their lifestyle you know00:05:54
and of course in some ways I suppose00:05:56
that's true although you have to have00:05:59
quite a lifestyle before a child00:06:01
actually constitutes an impediment00:06:02
because having a child in your life is00:06:05
actually something that's remarkable00:06:07
almost beyond belief you know you can00:06:09
have a relationship with a child that is00:06:11
better than any relationship you've ever00:06:12
had with anyone in your life if you're00:06:14
careful and if you're fortunate00:06:17
fortunate being fortunate helps you know00:06:20
I've seen many people delay having00:06:23
children and for understandable reasons00:06:25
it's no simple decision to have a child00:06:27
and of course now we can make the00:06:28
decision to have a child which of course00:06:30
people couldn't in in past ages really00:06:32
but sometimes you see people delay and00:06:34
they delay too long and then they don't00:06:36
get to have a child and then they're00:06:37
desperate and you know they spend a00:06:39
decade doing fertility treatments or00:06:41
that sort of thing and immersing00:06:42
themselves in one disappointment after00:06:44
another and it's just at that point you00:06:46
see exactly how catastrophic it is it00:06:50
can be how catastrophic it can be for00:06:53
people not to have one of the not to be00:06:57
able to undergo one of the great00:06:58
adventures of life let's say and one of00:07:01
the things this story does by by00:07:03
delaying the arrival of Isaac and00:07:06
delaying the arrival of Isaac00:07:07
continually is to exaggerate the the00:07:10
important significance of the child00:07:12
because it is00:07:13
until you're deprived of something it's00:07:16
truly not until you're deprived of00:07:17
something that you have any sense of00:07:19
what its value is and Isaac was waiting00:07:21
or Abraham was waiting a very long time00:07:23
a hundred years a very long time00:07:25
and the same with Sarah and so they're00:07:26
unbelievably excited and of course this00:07:28
also heightens the drama that's inherent00:07:31
in the entire sacrificial story because00:07:33
it's not only that eventually that00:07:35
Abraham is called upon to sacrifice00:07:37
Isaac which would be bad enough under00:07:39
any other any circumstances whatsoever00:07:41
self-evidently but the fact that he's00:07:44
been waiting a century for the arrival00:07:46
of this child desperately and made all00:07:49
the proper sacrifices and lived in the00:07:51
appropriate manner to allow this to00:07:53
occur dramatically heightens the00:07:57
literary tension now you remember Hagar00:08:05
this is the next part of the story Hagar00:08:08
was is was Sarah's handmaid and when00:08:12
Sarah was unable to bear abraham a child00:08:14
she sent him Hagar and Hagar immediately00:08:19
got pregnant and and gave birth to00:08:21
Ishmael and the story picks up from that00:08:25
point here and if this is quite00:08:27
interesting I mentioned the other week00:08:28
when I was talking to you guys a couple00:08:30
of weeks in a row just how interesting00:08:32
it has been to scour the internet for00:08:34
the for the paintings that are00:08:36
associated with these stories there's00:08:37
just a there's an amazing wealth of00:08:40
great paintings that illustrate every00:08:42
single bit of the of every single00:08:44
biblical story and it's it's it's a it's00:08:47
really been enlightening to me to find00:08:49
out just exactly how poorly educated I00:08:51
am you know like I I'm a what would you00:08:55
say I'm I'm a great admirer of artistic00:08:58
talent and of artistic endeavor but00:09:01
there's so much I don't know about the00:09:03
history of art that it's just absolutely00:09:05
beyond belief and to see this treasure00:09:07
trove of images that I really had no00:09:09
idea that existed of course they're00:09:11
spread all over the world and it's only00:09:13
been in recent years that you could have00:09:15
access to them and in this way just it's00:09:18
just it's a it's a it's a constant00:09:20
revelation of the depth to which these00:09:23
stories have absolutely permeated our00:09:25
culture and the loss that it would be00:09:27
if we didn't know them properly and and00:09:30
take them with a degree of seriousness00:09:31
that they deserve so anyways this is one00:09:35
of those great images and Sarah saw the00:09:37
son of Hagar the Egyptian which she had00:09:40
born unto Abraham mocking wherefore she00:09:44
said unto Abraham cast out this00:09:45
bondwoman and her son for the son of00:09:48
this bondwoman shall not be heir with my00:09:49
son even with Isaac and the thing was00:09:52
very Grievous in Abraham's sight because00:09:54
of his son was being quite a bit of00:09:56
tension between Abraham or between Sarah00:09:58
and Hagar as you could imagine there00:10:01
might be why wouldn't there be I mean00:10:02
first of all Hagar had the first child00:10:04
and and that elevated her status and she00:10:06
was Sarah's made handmaiden so that's00:10:09
obviously going to be quite awkward and00:10:11
then she she lorded it over Sarah00:10:15
because of the fact that she got00:10:17
pregnant so easily and now we see this00:10:19
situation where Ishmael is doing the00:10:21
same thing with regards to Isaac and00:10:25
that causes a substantial amount of00:10:27
trouble the family is a familial00:10:30
division occurring here God said unto00:10:32
Abraham let it not be Grievous in thy00:10:35
sight because of the lad and because of00:10:37
the bondwoman in all that Sarah hath00:10:39
said unto thee hearken unto her voice00:10:41
for in Isaac shall thy seed be called00:10:43
and but also of the son of the bondwoman00:10:46
will I make a nation because he is thy00:10:48
seed that's so that's it that's an00:10:50
interesting outcome to you know we we00:10:53
pointed out before we discussed before00:10:55
the fact that because Abraham has made00:10:57
has lived his life properly and has kept00:11:00
the contract with God there's every00:11:02
evidence in the story that no matter00:11:03
what the vicissitudes of Abraham's life00:11:06
you know how the Great Serpent that he00:11:09
sits on in some sense weaves back and00:11:11
forth there's always the promise that00:11:14
things will work out positively and you00:11:16
know you could read that as naive00:11:18
optimism but I think it has a lot more00:11:20
to do with the actual power of keeping00:11:23
the contractual agreement because I00:11:26
really do believe and I've spent a00:11:28
tremendous amount of time thinking about00:11:29
this over the last couple of weeks in00:11:31
addition to the decades before that is00:11:32
that it and all that's happened since00:11:35
I've been doing these biblical lectures00:11:37
is that my conviction in this is being00:11:38
strengthened which is quite interesting00:11:39
is that00:11:40
if you if you do what it is that you're00:11:44
called upon to do which is to lift your00:11:46
eyes up above the mundane daily selfish00:11:50
impulsive issues that might be set you00:11:53
an attempt to enter into a contractual00:11:55
relationship with that which you might00:11:57
hold in the highest regard whatever that00:11:59
might be to aim high and to and to and00:12:02
to make that important above all else in00:12:05
your life that that fortifies you00:12:07
against the vicissitudes of existence00:12:09
like nothing else can and I truly00:12:11
believe that that's the most practical00:12:13
advice that you can possibly that you00:12:17
could possibly receive you know I00:12:19
received I was answering questions last00:12:22
night I did this Q&A which I do about00:12:24
once a month for for the people who are00:12:27
supporting me on patreon which I also00:12:29
release on YouTube and somebody asked00:12:31
you know they were struggling with their00:12:33
religious faith and they asked what they00:12:35
could do about that and I'd also been00:12:37
thinking about the the difference00:12:40
between Nietzsche and Dostoevsky which00:12:41
I'll discuss in a minute and I was00:12:44
trying to answer this question with00:12:46
regards to religious faith because this00:12:49
person was shaky in his faith in life00:12:51
let's say which is a better way of00:12:53
thinking about it and and it seems to me00:12:55
that the way that you fortify your faith00:12:57
in being and in life and your own00:12:59
existence isn't to try to convince00:13:01
yourself of the existence of a00:13:03
transcendent power that you could00:13:06
believe in the same way that you believe00:13:07
in a set of empirical fact I don't I00:13:09
don't think that's the right approach I00:13:11
think it's a weak approach actually I00:13:13
don't think that the cognitive00:13:15
technology that I don't think that's the00:13:17
right cognitive technology for that set00:13:19
of problems you know that's more00:13:22
technology that you'd use if you're00:13:23
trying to solve a scientific problem00:13:25
it's more like it's more something that00:13:29
needs to be embedded in action rather00:13:31
than in stainable belief and the way00:13:33
that you fortify your faith in life is00:13:35
to assume the best something like that00:13:37
and then to act courageously in00:13:39
relationship to that and and that's00:13:41
that's tantamount to expressing your00:13:44
faith in the highest possible good it's00:13:46
tantamount to expressing your faith in00:13:47
God and it's not a matter of stating00:13:49
well I believe in the existence of a00:13:51
transcendent deity because in some sense00:13:53
who care00:13:54
who cares what you believe I mean you00:13:57
might and all that but but that's not00:13:59
the issue it's not the issue the issue00:14:01
it seems to me is how you act and I was00:14:04
thinking about this intensely when I was00:14:06
thinking about Nietzsche and Dostoyevsky00:14:08
because of course you know that Nietzsche was the philosopher who00:14:11
announced the death of God right and who00:14:13
was a great great critic of Christianity00:14:14
at vicious critic of institutional00:14:17
Christianity in the best sense you know00:14:19
and he announced the death of God and he00:14:21
said that we'd never find enough water00:14:23
to wash away the blood it wasn't a00:14:25
triumphant proclamation even though it's00:14:27
often read that way and don't choose00:14:31
conclusion from that from the death of00:14:33
God the fact that our ethical systems00:14:35
were going to collapse when the00:14:36
foundation was pulled out from00:14:37
underneath them he believed that human00:14:39
beings would have to find their own00:14:40
values to create their own values and00:14:43
there's a problem with that because it00:14:44
doesn't seem that this is something Carl00:14:46
Jung was very thorough in investigating00:14:49
it doesn't really look like people are00:14:50
capable of creating their own values00:14:52
because you're not really capable of00:14:54
molding yourself just any old way you00:14:56
want to be like you have a nature that00:14:58
you have to contend with and so it isn't00:15:01
a matter of creating our own values00:15:03
because we don't have that capacity it00:15:05
might be a matter of rediscovering those00:15:07
values which is what human was00:15:09
attempting to do now and and and so I00:15:12
think Nietzsche was actually profoundly00:15:14
wrong in that in that recommendation I00:15:16
think he was psychologically wrong now00:15:18
you know Dostoevsky wrote in many ways00:15:22
in parallel to Nietzsche was a great00:15:24
influence on Nietzsche their lives00:15:26
parallel each other to a degree that's00:15:27
somewhat miraculous in some sense it's00:15:29
it's quite uncanny Dorothea Eskie was00:15:32
obviously a literary figure whereas00:15:34
nature was a philosopher a literary00:15:36
philosopher but still a philosopher and00:15:38
Dostoyevsky wrestled with exactly the00:15:41
same problems that that Nietzsche00:15:43
wrestled with and but he did it in a00:15:45
different way he didn't literary matter00:15:47
and he has this great book and The00:15:50
Brothers Karamazov and in that book00:15:52
there's a hero of the book is really a00:15:54
lyosha who's a monastic novitiate a very00:15:57
good guy kind of not an intellect not an00:15:59
intellect but a person of great00:16:02
character you know and but he has a00:16:03
brother Ivan who's his older brother00:16:05
who's a great intellect and and a very00:16:07
handsome so00:16:08
a brave man and like Dostoyevsky's00:16:10
villains Ivan isn't exactly a villain00:16:12
but that's close enough00:16:13
Ivan our Dostoevsky makes his villains00:16:16
extraordinarily powerful so if dusty00:16:18
esti is trying to work out an argument00:16:19
he he closed the argument in the in the00:16:23
flesh of one of his characters and if00:16:25
it's an argument he doesn't agree with00:16:27
and he makes that character as strong as00:16:28
he possibly can as strong and as00:16:30
attractive and intelligent as he00:16:32
possibly can and then he lets him just00:16:33
have at her and so Ivan is constantly00:16:37
attacking Elly OSHA and from every00:16:39
direction trying to knock him off his00:16:41
perch of faith let's say and and elosha00:16:43
Alyosha can't address a single one of00:16:46
Ivan's criticisms and and he doesn't00:16:49
have the intellect for it and and and00:16:51
Ivan has a devastating intellect it's00:16:53
devastating to him himself as well what00:16:56
happens in the brothers karamazov00:16:57
essentially is that Alyosha continues to00:17:00
act out his commitment to the good let's00:17:03
say and in that manner he's triumphant00:17:05
it doesn't matter that he loses the00:17:07
arguments because the arguments aren't00:17:08
exactly the point the arguments in some00:17:10
sense are a side issue because the issue00:17:12
is and this is the existential issue the00:17:14
issue is not what you believe as if it's00:17:17
a set of facts but how you conduct00:17:19
yourself in the world and so Dostoyevsky00:17:21
he grasped that and it's one of the00:17:23
things that makes him such a amazing00:17:25
amazing literary figure an amazing00:17:28
genius because he was smart enough to to00:17:31
formulate the arguments in a manner that00:17:34
no one else really could with the00:17:35
possible exception of Nietzsche and00:17:36
that's quite an exception and yet he00:17:38
could still using his dramatic00:17:40
embodiment he could still lay out00:17:42
solutions to the problems that he was00:17:45
describing that are extremely compelling00:17:47
and both crime and punishment which is00:17:50
an amazing thrilling engrossing book and00:17:54
The Brothers Karamazov all of dusty-ass00:17:56
Keys great books really circulate around00:17:58
around those profound moral issues and00:18:01
so I've learned a tremendous amount from00:18:03
reading him so and God said unto Abraham00:18:07
let it not be Grievous in thy sight00:18:09
because of the lad and because of thy00:18:10
bondwoman and all that Sarah hath said00:18:12
unto thee hearken unto her voice for in00:18:14
Isaac for in Isaiah Excel shall thy seed00:18:17
be called and also of the son of the00:18:20
bondwoman will I make a nation because00:18:21
it00:18:22
as I seed alright so I commented that00:18:24
Abraham is being blessed in multiple00:18:26
directions even when things are going00:18:28
wrong and this is pretty bad because his00:18:29
family in some sense is breaking up the00:18:31
there's this emphasis in the text that00:18:34
because he's kept this contractual00:18:36
relationship with God that that he's in00:18:39
an arc we could say at that we could put00:18:40
it that way and that the that he'll00:18:43
he'll triumph through the vicissitudes00:18:45
of life which is the best you can hope00:18:46
for and it's quite interesting again one00:18:49
of the things that's so powerful about00:18:50
the Abrahamic stories is that it's not00:18:51
like Abraham even though he's chosen by00:18:53
God it's not like he has an easy time of00:18:55
it he has a rough life I mean it's a00:18:56
successful life and all that but it's00:18:58
not it's not it's not it's not without00:19:01
its troubles that's for sure it's got00:19:03
every sort of trouble you could possibly00:19:05
imagine pretty much and and that's one00:19:07
of the things that makes the story so00:19:08
realistic as far as I'm concerned and00:19:11
Abraham rose up early in the morning and00:19:13
took bread and a bottle of water and00:19:15
gave it unto Hagar putting it on her00:19:17
shoulder and the child and sent her away00:19:19
and she departed and wandered in the00:19:23
wilderness of Beersheba I found the00:19:27
funny I guess this had more of an00:19:29
emotional impact on me this week than it00:19:31
might have because my daughter just had00:19:32
a baby a week ago and so I've been00:19:34
thinking about this sort of thing know00:19:37
was so happy that that's happened and I00:19:39
was trying to put myself and uh what00:19:42
would you say the conceptual space of00:19:44
the people about who these stories or00:19:46
people who these stories are about and00:19:48
trying to you know notice that the00:19:51
catastrophe that this sort of breakup00:19:53
would actually constitute and you know00:19:55
and the visual images really helped with00:19:57
that because they're they're so00:19:58
carefully crafted and and they hid the00:20:01
story from so many different directions00:20:03
that you know they add that an00:20:05
additional layer of ocean meaning to it00:20:08
which I found very very significant and00:20:10
the water was spent in the bottle and00:20:13
she cast the child under one of the00:20:15
shrubs and she sent to wander in the00:20:17
desert you know so it's not just that00:20:18
she has to leave00:20:19
Abraham's household it's that where she00:20:22
goes is not really amenable to life and00:20:25
so it's it's an extraordinarily dramatic00:20:28
and terrible tale and she went and sat00:20:32
her down over against him a good way off00:20:34
as00:20:35
were a bow shot for she said let me not00:20:38
see the death of the child and she sat00:20:40
over against him and lift up her voice00:20:42
and wept and God heard the voice of the00:20:47
loud and the angel of God called to00:20:49
Hagar out of heaven and said unto her00:20:51
what aileth thee Hagar fear not for God00:20:56
have heard the voice of the lad where he00:20:58
is rise lift up the loud and hold him in00:21:02
9 hand for I will make him a great00:21:04
nation and God opened her eyes and she00:21:08
saw a well of water and she went and00:21:10
filled the bog with water and gave the00:21:14
lad drink and God was with the lad and00:21:19
he grew and dwelt in the wilderness and00:21:21
became an archer that's actually a00:21:23
relevant detail to the fact that he00:21:25
became an archer because I think I00:21:28
mentioned to you at one point that the00:21:29
word sin is derived from a Greek word00:21:31
amar kiya even though it sounds nothing00:21:32
like that word and Hammar kiya is00:21:34
actually a an archery term and it means00:21:38
- it means to miss the bullseye and00:21:41
that's a that's a lovely metaphor for00:21:43
sin I think because it's associated so00:21:46
tightly with the idea of of goal00:21:48
direction and and aim you know because00:21:51
there's an emetic Oracle idea that's00:21:53
embedded in that in that image and that00:21:56
is that you know a human being is00:21:57
something that specifies a target which00:22:00
we do all the time with their eyes by00:22:02
the way I mean our eyes our target00:22:03
specifying mechanisms you know we have00:22:05
very precise central focal vision and we00:22:08
use our focal vision to target the aim00:22:10
of our behavior and so we are aiming00:22:12
creatures there's our it's built right00:22:15
into our Plouffe or body or we're built00:22:17
on a hunting platform or aiming00:22:19
creatures and we do that cognitively as00:22:21
well as behaviorally and so as hunters00:22:24
we take aim at things that we take aim00:22:25
at moving targets and we're very good at00:22:27
bringing them down and we've been doing00:22:28
that for who knows how long millions of00:22:31
years really even chimpanzees are00:22:33
carnivorous by the way at least but from00:22:34
them about 6 million years ago so we've00:22:36
been hunting and aiming for a very very00:22:39
long period of time and we still have00:22:41
aims in our life right and that's how we00:22:43
describe them what are you aiming at or00:22:44
what are your aims what are your goals00:22:45
what's your target it's all based on00:22:49
not hunting metaphor and the fact that00:22:52
Ishmael becomes an archer means that00:22:54
he's someone who can take him at the00:22:56
center of the bullseye and hit it00:22:58
precisely and so that's an indication00:23:00
that he's a good man right so and and I00:23:06
suppose also part of the part of it00:23:09
carries part of the narrative weight of00:23:10
the story because of course he's00:23:11
Abraham's son and you'd expect Abraham's00:23:13
son to be someone who's very good at00:23:15
taking aim and he dwelt in the00:23:17
wilderness of paran and he could live00:23:18
there and survive which is no trivial00:23:20
thing and his mother took him a wife out00:23:23
of the land of Egypt okay so that's the00:23:26
story of Hagar and it's a fairly00:23:28
straightforward story it's complex00:23:29
emotionally but it doesn't and it and it00:23:32
brings up the terrible theme of familial00:23:35
catastrophe and the complications of00:23:38
romantic and familial relationships and00:23:40
all of that but it's really serves as a00:23:43
pro drama to the next story which is the00:23:45
one that's so complex and so difficult00:23:48
to understand and it came to pass after00:23:52
these things that God did tempt Abraham00:23:57
which is a funny thing for God to do I00:23:59
suppose and said unto Him Abraham and he00:24:03
said behold Here I am and God said take00:24:09
now thy son thine only son Isaac who the00:24:13
lovest and at the end of the land of00:24:15
Moriah and offer him there for a burnt00:24:17
offering upon one of the mountains which00:24:20
I will tell thee up00:24:28
and Abraham rose up early in the morning00:24:30
and saddled his ass and took two of his00:24:32
young men with him and Isaac his son and00:24:34
clave the wood for the burnt offering it00:24:36
rose up and went unto the place of which00:24:38
God had told him then on the third day00:24:41
of journeying Abraham lifted up his eyes00:24:43
and saw the place afar off the neighbor00:24:46
hem said unto his young men abide ye ye00:24:49
here with the ass and I and the lad will00:24:51
go yonder and worship and come again to00:24:54
you it's really one of the first times00:25:00
that we've come across the word worship00:25:02
if I remember correctly and that's a00:25:04
very difficult word to contend with to00:25:06
know is he if you like me or if you're00:25:10
like me when I was a kid because I00:25:11
haven't thought about this for a long00:25:12
time it was never really obvious to me00:25:14
why God would want to be worshipped you00:25:16
know as to go to church and you offer up00:25:18
your praise and thanks to God and you00:25:20
say well really does that make a lot of00:25:22
sense it's like why in the world is that00:25:24
what he wants it's like it's almost like00:25:26
you're you're you're you're kneeling00:25:29
down in front of an ancient Middle00:25:32
Eastern you know tyrannical Emperor and and00:25:35
vowing your submission and that never00:25:39
sat well with me and I suppose it00:25:41
doesn't sit well with many people and I00:25:42
think that's because it's it's not the00:25:44
proper way of conceptualizing it like00:25:46
what happens when you see what Abraham00:25:48
does continually and this seems to be00:25:50
implicit in the use of the word worship00:25:53
in this particular situation is that you00:25:56
know he as we discussed he has an00:25:58
adventure in his life that comes to an00:26:00
end so there's an episode in this life00:26:02
it comes to an end and then there's a00:26:03
period of you might consider it re where00:26:06
he reconstitutes himself to some degree00:26:08
and it's that's when he makes the00:26:10
sacrifices and it seems to me that it's00:26:12
that reconstitution that constitutes the00:26:14
worship the worship is something like00:26:15
you know this is alluding back to my00:26:18
original proposition that it's how you00:26:19
act that's the issue and the worship is00:26:22
the decision to enact the good in00:26:25
whatever form it is that you can00:26:26
conceptualize it as well as trying to00:26:28
continually reconceptualize the good in00:26:30
a manner that makes the good that you're00:26:32
conceptualizing even that much better00:26:34
right because when you start aiming the00:26:36
probability that you're going to be00:26:38
aiming in the right direction is very00:26:39
low but00:26:40
hypothetically as you aim and as you00:26:43
practice and as you learn the target is00:26:45
going to shift in front of your eyes and00:26:48
you're going to be able to follow whatever more clearly and so and that00:26:50
seems to me and especially given the00:26:53
context that this word is used in this00:26:55
particular story is much more00:26:57
appropriate interpretation of what00:26:59
constitutes proper worship and I suppose00:27:00
it's akin to the later Christian idea00:27:03
that it's the imitation of Christ that's00:27:05
the sacred duty of every Christian of00:27:08
every Christian and every human being I00:27:11
suppose insofar as that's an archetypal00:27:13
idea an idea is something like well it's00:27:16
the embodiment of the good that's the00:27:19
issue and it's not your stated belief in00:27:22
the good and you know when nature was00:27:24
criticizing Christianity this is00:27:25
actually one of the things that he00:27:27
brought up as a major issue he said that00:27:29
he believed Christianity had lost its00:27:30
way because it had introduced a00:27:33
confusion between stated belief which is00:27:35
say your belief in the divinity of00:27:37
Christ whatever it means if you state00:27:39
that it isn't obvious what it means that00:27:41
when you state that because it isn't00:27:42
obvious what it would mean that you00:27:44
believe it or even what it is that00:27:45
you're believing in as far as Nietzsche00:27:48
was concerned in some sense not only was00:27:49
that beside the point it was dangerously00:27:51
beside the point because it actually00:27:53
allowed the Christian believer not to00:27:58
adopt the moral burden that was actually00:28:00
appropriate to the faith which was - and00:28:03
this is I'm using a kind of a Union00:28:05
concept here to manifest the archetype00:28:08
within the confines of your own life00:28:10
and that's to make the divine that your00:28:13
relationship with the divine your00:28:14
relationship with the transcendent an00:28:15
infinite into something that's actually00:28:18
realizable in the context of your own00:28:20
life which is to say well you know00:28:22
you're supposed to you're supposed to00:28:24
again to act out the highest good of00:28:26
which you're capable now that will00:28:27
transform your life to some degree into00:28:29
an archetypal adventure there's no way00:28:31
around that because as you attempt to00:28:33
climb a higher mountain let's say or to00:28:36
aim at a higher target or something like00:28:37
that then the things around you will00:28:39
become increasingly dramatic and of00:28:42
import that happens by necessity00:28:44
obviously because if you're aiming at00:28:46
something difficult and profound and00:28:49
you're really working at it then your00:28:50
life is going to become perhaps00:28:52
increasingly difficult and profound but00:28:54
that might be okay you might that might be00:28:56
exactly what you need as an antidote to00:28:58
the implicit limitations that face you00:29:01
as a human being so and I am the lad00:29:14
will go yonder and worship and come00:29:15
again to you now there's an implication00:29:17
here too that it's a foreshadowing that00:29:20
that Abraham offering up his son is00:29:22
actually a form of worship and that's00:29:24
that it's continuous with what he's00:29:26
already done and well now I'm going to00:29:28
read you some of the things that I've00:29:30
written and then all return to this and00:29:32
we'll see how that goes so life is00:29:38
suffering that's clear there's no more00:29:43
basic irrefutable truth it's basically00:29:46
as we've seen what God tells out of and00:29:49
Eve immediately before he kicks them out00:29:51
of paradise quote unto the woman he said00:29:55
I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and00:29:57
thy conception in sorrow thou shalt00:30:00
bring forth children and thy desire00:30:02
shall be to thy husband and he shall00:30:04
rule over thee and unto Adam he said00:30:07
because you have hearkened unto the00:30:09
voice of thy wife and hast eaten of the00:30:11
tree which I commanded thee saying thou00:30:13
shalt not eat of it cursed is the ground00:30:15
for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eat of00:30:19
it all the days of thy life thorns also00:30:21
and thistles shall it bring forth to00:30:23
thee and thou shalt eat the herb of the00:30:26
field by the sweat of your brow you will00:30:28
eat your food until you return to the00:30:30
ground since from it you were taken for00:30:32
dust you are and to dust you will return00:30:34
rough you know and we've associated that00:30:38
with with Adam and Eve's eyes opening00:30:41
and then becoming self conscious and00:30:44
discovering the future and becoming00:30:46
fully aware and falling into history and00:30:48
it seems to me to be a very realistic00:30:50
existential portrayal of the predicament00:30:52
of humankind what in the world should be00:30:56
done about that the simplest most00:30:59
obvious and most direct answer pursue00:31:03
pleasure to follow your impulses live00:31:06
for the moment do00:31:08
expedient lie cheat steal deceive00:31:11
manipulate but don't get caught in an00:31:15
ultimately meaningless universe what00:31:17
possible difference could it make and00:31:18
this is by no means a new idea the fact00:31:22
of life's tragedy in the suffering that00:31:23
is part of it has been used to justify00:31:25
the pursuit of immediate selfish00:31:27
gratification for a very long time00:31:30
now even reading young he often writes00:31:34
as if before the rise of the conflict00:31:38
between religion and science and which00:31:40
culminated saying each his pronouncement00:31:41
about the death of God that people lived00:31:44
ensconce quite safely within a religious00:31:47
conceptualization that have you´d their00:31:48
life with meaning and that that was and00:31:50
that was just the state of reality you00:31:52
know but there's ancient writings that00:31:53
makes it quite clear that the crisis of00:31:55
faith that characterizes a modern people00:31:57
were certainly far from unknown in the00:31:59
past and here's one of those writings00:32:02
this is from wisdom - the Revised00:32:06
Standard Version short and sorrowful is00:32:09
our life and there is no remedy when a00:32:12
man comes to his end and no one has been00:32:15
known to return from Hades because we00:32:18
were born by mere chance and hereafter00:32:21
we shall be as though we had never been00:32:24
because the breath in our nostrils is00:32:26
smoke and reason is just a spark kindled00:32:30
by the beating of our hearts when it is00:32:32
extinguished our body will turn to ashes00:32:34
their spirit will dissolve like empty00:32:37
air our name will be forgotten in time00:32:41
and no one will remember our works our00:32:43
life will pass away like the traces of a00:32:46
cloud and be scattered like mist that is00:32:48
chased by the Rays of the Sun and00:32:49
overcome by its heat for our allotted00:32:52
time is but the passing of a shadow and00:32:55
there is no return from our death00:32:57
because it is sealed up and no one turns00:33:01
back come therefore let us enjoy the00:33:04
good things that exist and make use of00:33:06
the creation to the full as in youth let00:33:10
us take our fill of costly wines and00:33:12
perfumes and let no flower of spring00:33:15
passes by let us crown ourselves with00:33:18
rosebuds before they wither let none of00:33:21
us fail to share in our revelry everywhere let00:33:24
us leave signs of enjoyment because this00:33:26
is our portion and this is our Lord let00:33:29
us oppress the righteous poor man00:33:31
let us not spare the widow nor regard00:33:34
the gray hairs of the agent but letter00:33:37
might be our right for what is weak00:33:39
proves itself to be useless it's an00:33:44
amazing piece of writing you know it00:33:48
starts with an announcement of the00:33:50
rationale for nihilism and ends with the00:33:52
justification for a fascist tyranny you00:33:55
know and it's it's thousands of years00:33:57
old it's it's a remarkable thing to see00:33:59
and to be laid out so concisely the00:34:03
pleasure of expediency may be fleeting00:34:05
but it's pleasure nonetheless and that's00:34:08
something to stack up against the terror00:34:10
and pain of existence every man for00:34:13
himself and the devil take the hindmost00:34:15
as the old proverb has it why not simply00:34:20
take everything you can get whenever the00:34:21
opportunity arises why not determine to00:34:24
live in that manner what's the00:34:28
alternative and why should we bother00:34:30
with it00:34:31
our ancestors worked out very00:34:33
sophisticated answers to such questions00:34:35
but we still don't understand them very00:34:37
well this is because they are in large00:34:40
part still implicit manifest primarily00:34:43
in ritual and myth and as of yet00:34:45
incompletely articulated we act them out00:34:49
represent them in stories but we're not00:34:51
wise enough yet to formulate them00:34:54
explicitly was still chimps in a troop00:34:57
or wolves in a pack we know how to00:34:59
behave we know who's who and why we've00:35:02
learned that through experience our00:35:05
knowledge has been shaped by our00:35:07
interaction with others we've00:35:08
established predictable routines and00:35:10
patterns of behavior but we don't really00:35:11
understand them or know where they00:35:14
origin ated they've evolved over great00:35:18
expanses of time no one was formulating00:35:22
them explicitly at least not in the00:35:24
dimmest reaches of the past even though00:35:27
we've been telling each other how to act00:35:29
forever one day however not so long ago00:35:32
we woke up we were already doing00:35:36
but we started noticing what we were00:35:38
doing we started using our bodies as00:35:40
devices to represent their own actions00:35:42
we started imitating and dramatizing we00:35:46
invented ritual we started acting out00:35:48
our own experiences then we started to00:35:51
tell stories we coated our observations00:35:55
of our own drama in those stories in00:35:58
this manner the information that was00:36:01
first only embedded in our behavior00:36:03
became represented in our stories but we00:36:05
didn't and we still don't understand00:36:07
what it all meant the biblical narrative00:36:10
of paradise in the fall is one such00:36:12
story fabricated by our collective00:36:14
imagination working over the centuries00:36:17
it provides a profound account of the00:36:20
nature of being and points the way to a00:36:24
mode of conceptualization and action00:36:26
well matched to that nature in the00:36:28
Garden of Eden prior to the dawn of00:36:30
self-consciousness so goes the story00:36:32
human beings were sinless our primordial00:36:41
parents Adam and Eve walked with God00:36:44
then tempted by the snake the first00:36:48
couple ate from the tree of the00:36:50
knowledge of good and evil discovered00:36:52
death and vulnerability and turned away00:36:54
from God mankind was exiled from00:36:58
paradise and began its effortful mortal00:37:00
existence the idea of sacrifice enter00:37:03
soon afterwards beginning with the00:37:05
account of Cain and Abel and developing00:37:07
as we've seen through the Abrahamic00:37:09
stories after much contemplation00:37:12
struggling humanity learns that God's00:37:14
favor could be gained and his wrath00:37:16
averted through proper sacrifice and00:37:19
also that bloody murder might be00:37:21
motivated among those unwilling or00:37:23
unable to succeed in this manner when00:37:28
engaging in sacrifice our forefathers00:37:30
began to act out what would be00:37:31
considered a proposition if it were00:37:33
stated in words that something better00:37:36
might be attained in the future by00:37:38
giving up something of value in the00:37:40
present recall if you will that the00:37:43
necessity for work is one of the curses00:37:44
placed by God upon Adam and his00:37:47
descendants in consequence of00:37:49
original sin Adams waking to the00:37:54
fundamental constraints of his being his00:37:56
vulnerability his eventual death that's00:38:00
equivalent to the discovery of the00:38:02
future the future that's where you go to00:38:06
die00:38:08
hopefully not too soon your demise might00:38:11
be staved off through work through the00:38:14
sacrifice of the now to benefit later it00:38:19
is for this reason among others no doubt00:38:21
that the concept of sacrifice is00:38:23
introduced in the biblical chapter00:38:24
immediately following the drama of the00:38:26
fall there's little difference between00:38:28
sacrifice and work they're also both00:38:31
uniquely human sometimes animals act as00:38:35
if they're working but they're really00:38:37
only following the dictates of their00:38:39
natures beavers build dams they do so00:38:42
because their beavers and beavers build00:38:44
dams they don't think yeah but I'd00:38:47
rather be on a beach in Mexico with my00:38:49
girlfriend while they're doing it00:38:56
prosaically such sacrifice work is delay00:39:01
of gratification but that's a very00:39:02
mundane phrase to describe something of00:39:05
soul-shattering significance the00:39:08
discovery that gratification could be00:39:09
delayed was simultaneously the discovery00:39:12
of time and with it causality long ago00:39:16
in the dim mists of time we began to00:39:18
realize that reality was structured as00:39:20
if it could be bargained with00:39:22
we learned that behaving properly now in00:39:25
the present regulating our impulses00:39:27
considering the plight of others could00:39:29
bring rewards in the future in a time00:39:31
and place that did not yet exist we00:39:34
began to inhibit control and organize00:39:36
our immediate impulses so that we could00:39:39
stop interfering with other people and00:39:41
our future selves doing so was00:39:44
indistinguishable from organizing00:39:46
society the discovery of the causal00:39:50
relationship between our efforts today00:39:52
and the quality of tomorrow motivated00:39:55
the social contract the organization00:39:57
that enables today's work to be stored00:39:59
reliably mostly in the form of promises00:40:02
from others00:40:04
understanding is something that's often00:40:06
acted out before it can be articulated00:40:10
just as a child acts out what it means00:40:13
to be mother or father before being able00:40:15
to give a spoken account of what those00:40:17
roles mean the idea the act of making a00:40:20
ritual sacrifice to God was an early and00:40:23
sophisticated enactment of the idea of00:40:26
the usefulness of delay there's a long00:40:29
conceptual journey between merely00:40:31
feasting hungrily and learning to set00:40:33
aside some extra meat smoked by the fire00:40:36
for the end of the day or for someone00:40:37
who isn't present it takes a long time00:40:39
to learn to keep anything later for00:40:42
yourself or to share it with someone00:40:44
else and those are very much the same00:40:46
thing as in the former case you're00:40:48
sharing with your future self it's much00:40:52
easier and far more likely to selfishly00:40:54
it immediately Wolf's down everything in00:40:56
sight there are similar long journeys00:40:58
between every leap and sophistication00:41:00
with regards to delay and its00:41:02
conceptualization short term sharing00:41:05
storing away from the for the future00:41:08
representation of that storage in the00:41:10
form of Records and later in the form of00:41:12
currency and ultimately the saving of00:41:14
money in a bank or other institution00:41:16
some conceptualizations had to serve as00:41:19
intermediaries or the full range of our00:41:21
practices and ideas surrounding00:41:23
sacrifice and work and their00:41:24
representation could have never emerged00:41:26
our ancestors acted out a drama a00:41:30
literary fiction they personified the00:41:34
force that governs fate as a spirit that00:41:37
can be bargained with traded with as if00:41:40
it were another human being and the00:41:41
amazing thing is that it worked this was00:41:45
in part because the future is largely00:41:47
composed of other human beings often00:41:49
precisely those who have watched and00:41:51
evaluated and appraised the tiniest00:41:53
details of your past behavior it's not00:41:56
very far from that to God sitting above00:41:58
on high tracking your every move and00:42:01
writing it down for further reference in00:42:03
a big book here's a productive symbolic00:42:06
idea the future is a judgmental father00:42:12
that's a good start00:42:15
but two additional archetypal00:42:18
foundational questions arose because of00:42:21
the discovery of sacrifice of work both00:42:23
have to do with the ultimate extension00:42:25
of the logic of work which is sacrifice00:42:29
now to gain later first question what00:42:36
must be sacrificed small sacrifices00:42:41
might be sufficient to small to solve00:42:43
small singular problems but it's00:42:46
possible that larger more comprehensive00:42:49
sacrifices might solve an array of large00:42:52
and complex problems all at the same00:42:53
time that's harder but it might be00:42:57
better adapting to the necessary00:42:59
discipline of medical school for example00:43:02
will fatally interfere with the licensee00:43:04
estoppel giving that up as a sacrifice00:43:09
but a physician can to quote George w00:43:13
really put food on his family that's a00:43:21
lot of trouble dispensed with over a00:43:23
very long period of time so sacrifices00:43:27
are necessary to improve the future and00:43:30
larger sacrifices can be better second00:43:34
question introduction we've already00:43:36
established the basic principle00:43:38
sacrifice will improve the future but00:43:41
what's implied by that in the most00:43:44
extreme and final of cases where does00:43:47
that basic principle find its limits we00:43:50
must ask to begin with what would be the00:43:53
largest most effective most pleasing of00:43:56
all possible sacrifices and then how00:44:00
good might the best possible future be00:44:02
if the most effective possible sacrifice00:44:05
could be made the biblical story of Cain00:44:10
and Abel Adam and Eve's sons immediately00:44:13
follows the story of the expulsion from00:44:15
paradise00:44:16
as mentioned previously Cain and Abel00:44:22
are really the first humans since their00:44:25
parents were made directly by God and00:44:27
not born in the standard manner Cain and00:44:29
Abel live in history not in Eden they00:44:32
must work they must make sacrifices to00:44:35
please God and they do so with altar and00:44:37
proper ritual but things get complicated00:44:39
Abel's offerings please God but Cain's00:44:42
do not Abel is rewarded many times over00:44:45
but Cain is not it's not precisely clear00:44:48
why although the text strongly hints00:44:50
that Cain's heart is just not in it00:44:51
maybe the quality of what Cain put00:44:53
forward was low00:44:54
maybe his spirit was begrudging or maybe00:44:57
God was just feeling crabby and all of00:45:00
this is realistic including the texts00:45:02
vagueness of explanation not all00:45:04
sacrifices are of equal quality00:45:07
furthermore it often appears that00:45:09
sacrifices of apparently high quality00:45:11
are sometimes not rewarded with a better00:45:13
future and it's not clear why why isn't00:45:16
God happy what would have to change to00:45:19
make him so these are difficult00:45:21
questions and everyone asks them all the00:45:24
time even if they don't notice asking00:45:27
such questions is indistinguishable from00:45:29
thinking the realization that pleasure00:45:33
could be usefully forestalled dawned00:45:34
with a difficulty that's almost00:45:36
impossible to overstate such a00:45:39
realization runs absolutely contrary to00:45:42
our ancient fundamental animal instincts00:45:45
which demand immediate satisfaction00:45:47
particularly under conditions of00:45:49
deprivation which are both inevitable00:45:51
and commonplace and to complicate the00:45:53
matter such delay only becomes useful00:45:56
when civilization has stabilized itself00:45:58
enough to guarantee the existence of the00:46:00
delayed reward if everything you say00:46:03
will be destroyed or worse stolen00:46:05
there's no point saving it's for this00:46:08
reason that a wolf will down 20 pounds00:46:10
of raw meat in a single meal he isn't00:46:12
thinking man I hate it when I binge I00:46:14
should save some of this for next week00:46:18
there's a developmental progression from00:46:20
animal to human it's wrong no doubt in00:46:23
the details but it's sufficiently00:46:24
correct for our purposes and theme first00:46:27
there's excess food large carcasses00:46:30
mammoths or other massive herbivores00:46:32
might provide that way a lot of mammoths00:46:35
maybe all of the00:46:36
with a large animal there's some left00:46:39
for later after a kill00:46:41
that's accidental at first but00:46:44
eventually the utility of for later00:46:47
starts to be appreciated some00:46:50
provisional notion of sacrifice develops00:46:52
at the same time if I leave some now00:46:55
even if I want it now I won't have to be00:46:58
hungry later that provisional notion00:47:02
then develops to the next level if I00:47:04
leave some for later I won't have to go00:47:06
hungry and neither will those I care for00:47:08
and then to the next level I can't00:47:11
possibly eat all this mammoth but I00:47:13
can't store the rest for too long either00:47:16
maybe I should feed some to other people00:47:18
maybe they'll remember and feed me some00:47:21
of their mammoths when they have some00:47:23
and I have none then I'll get some00:47:25
mammoths now and some mammoths later00:47:27
that's a good deal and maybe those I'm00:47:31
sharing with will come to trust me more00:47:33
generally maybe then we could trade00:47:35
forever in such a manner00:47:38
mammoth becomes future mammoth and00:47:41
future mammoth becomes personal00:47:43
reputation that's the emergence of the00:47:47
social contract to share does not mean00:47:50
to give away something you value and get00:47:52
nothing back that's only instead what00:47:54
every child who refuses to share is00:47:57
afraid that it means to share means00:47:59
properly to initiate the process of00:48:01
trade a child who can't share who can't00:48:06
trade can't have any friends because00:48:09
having friends is a form of trade00:48:11
Benjamin Franklin once suggested that a00:48:13
newcomer to a neighbourhood asked a new00:48:15
neighbor to do him or her a favor00:48:18
citing an old maxim he that has once00:48:21
done you a kindness will be more ready00:48:23
to do you another than he whom you00:48:26
yourself have obliged in Franklin's00:48:28
opinion asking something for someone00:48:30
asking someone for something not too00:48:33
extreme obviously was the most useful00:48:36
and immediate invitation to social00:48:38
interaction such asking allowed the00:48:40
neighbor to show him or herself as a00:48:41
good person at first encounter it also00:48:44
meant the neighbor could now ask the00:48:46
newcomer for a favor in return because00:48:48
of the debt incurred00:48:49
in that manner both parties could00:48:51
overcome their natural hesitancy and00:48:53
mutual fear of the stranger it's better00:48:58
to have something rather than nothing00:49:01
it's better yet to generously share the00:49:05
something you have it's even better than00:49:07
that however to become widely known for00:49:10
generous sharing that's something that00:49:12
lasts that's something that's reliable00:49:15
and at this point in abstraction we can00:49:17
observe how the groundwork for the00:49:19
conceptions of reliable honest and00:49:21
generous have been laid the basis for an00:49:24
articulated morality has been put in00:49:26
place the productive truthful sharer is00:49:29
the prototype for the good citizen and00:49:31
the good man we can see in this manner00:49:34
how from the simple notion that00:49:37
leftovers are a good idea the highest00:49:40
moral principles might emerge it's as if00:49:44
something like this happened as humanity00:49:46
developed first were the endless tens or00:49:53
hundreds of thousands of years prior to00:49:54
the emergence of written history and00:49:56
drama during this time the twin00:49:59
practices of delay and exchange began to00:50:02
emerge slowly and painfully then they00:50:06
became represented in metaphorical00:50:07
abstraction as rituals and tales of00:50:10
sacrifice told in a manner such as this00:50:14
it's as if there's a powerful figure in00:50:18
the sky who sees all and is judging you00:50:22
giving up something you value seems to00:50:25
make them happy and you want to make00:50:27
them happy because all hell breaks loose00:50:29
if you don't so practice sacrificing and00:50:34
sharing until you become expert at it00:50:37
and things will go well for you00:50:40
no one said any of this at least not so00:50:43
plainly and directly but it was implicit00:50:45
in the practice and then in the stories00:50:46
action came first as it had to as the00:50:51
animals we once were could act but could00:50:54
not think implicit unrecognized value00:50:57
came first as the actions that preceded00:51:01
thought00:51:03
bodied value but did not make that value00:51:06
explicit people watched the successful00:51:09
succeed and the unsuccessful fail for00:51:12
thousands and thousands of years we00:51:15
thought it over and we drew a conclusion00:51:18
the successful among us delay00:51:21
gratification the successful among us00:51:24
bargained with the future a great idea00:51:26
began to emerge taking ever more clearly00:51:28
articulated form and ever more clearly00:51:31
articulated stories what's the00:51:34
difference between the successful and00:51:36
the unsuccessful for the successful00:51:39
sacrifice things get better as the00:51:42
successful practice their sacrifices the00:51:46
questions become increasingly precise00:51:48
and simultaneously broader what's the00:51:51
greatest possible sacrifice for the00:51:53
greatest possible good and the answer00:51:56
has become increasingly deeper and00:51:57
profound the god of Western tradition00:52:01
like so many gods requires sacrifice00:52:03
we've already examined why but sometimes00:52:05
he goes even further he demands not only00:52:08
sacrifice but the sacrifice of precisely00:52:11
what is loved best this is most starkly00:52:14
portrayed and most confusingly evident00:52:17
in the story of Abraham and Isaac00:52:20
Abraham beloved of God long wanted the00:52:22
son and God promised him exactly that00:52:24
after many delays and under the00:52:26
imperative possible conditions of old00:52:28
age and a long barren wife but not so00:52:34
long afterward when the miraculously00:52:36
born Isaac is still a child God turns00:52:39
around and in apparently barbaric00:52:41
fashion demands that his faithful00:52:43
servant offer his son as a sacrifice00:52:45
the story ends happily God sends an00:52:49
angel to stay Abraham's obedient hand00:52:52
and accepts a ram and Isaac stead that's00:52:55
a good thing it doesn't really address00:52:57
the issue at hand00:52:59
why was God's going further necessary00:53:01
why does he why his life impose such00:53:06
demands00:53:11
we'll start our analysis with the truism00:53:14
stark self-evident and understated00:53:20
sometimes things do not go well that00:53:24
seems to have much to do with the00:53:26
terrible nature of the world with its00:53:28
plagues and its famines and its00:53:29
tyrannies and its betrayals but here's00:53:32
the rub00:53:33
sometimes when things are not going well00:53:35
it's not the world that it's the cause00:53:36
the cause is instead that which is most00:53:39
valued why because the world is revealed00:53:44
to an in terment degree through the00:53:46
template of your values if the world you00:53:48
are seeing is not the world you want00:53:52
therefore it's time to examine your00:53:54
values it's time to rid yourself of your00:53:58
current presuppositions it's time to let00:54:01
go it might even be time to sacrifice00:54:04
what you love best so that you can00:54:07
become who you might become instead of00:54:11
staying who you are something valuable00:54:17
given up ensures fused future prosperity00:54:19
something valuable sacrifice pleases the00:54:22
Lord what is most valuable and best00:54:25
sacrificed or what is at least00:54:28
emblematic of that a choice cut of meat00:54:30
the best animal in a flock a most valued00:54:34
possession what's above even not00:54:38
something intensely personal and painful00:54:41
to give up that symbolized perhaps in00:54:43
God's insistence on circumcision as part00:54:46
of Abraham sacrificial routine what's00:54:48
beyond that what pertains more closely00:54:51
to the whole person rather than the part00:54:53
what constitutes the ultimate sacrifice00:54:55
for the gain of the ultimate prize it's00:55:00
a close race between child and self the00:55:05
sacrifice of the mother offered her00:55:08
child to the world is exemplified for00:55:11
example by Michelangelo's great00:55:12
sculpture the Pieta Michelangelo crafted00:55:16
Mary contemplating her son crucified in00:55:18
ruins so she's sitting most of you know00:55:21
the sculpture she's sitting and the body00:55:24
of her son is in her arms00:55:25
adults on and it's broken and he's been00:55:27
destroyed and it's a very beautiful but00:55:30
very tragic work of genius work of00:55:35
genius level representation00:55:38
Michelangelo crafted Mary contemplating00:55:41
her son crucified and rude it's her00:55:43
fault it was through her that he entered00:55:46
the world and it's great drama of being00:55:48
is it right to bring a baby into this00:55:51
terrible world every woman asks herself00:55:54
that question some say no they have00:55:57
their reasons Mary answers yes00:55:59
voluntarily knowing full well what's to00:56:01
come as do all mothers if they allow00:56:04
themselves to see it's an act of supreme00:56:06
courage when it's undertaken voluntarily00:56:08
in turn Mary's son Christ offers himself00:56:12
to God and the world to betrayal torture00:56:15
and death to the very point of despair00:56:18
on the cross where he cries out those00:56:20
terrible words my God my God why hast00:56:24
thou forsaken me that is the archetypal00:56:28
story of the man who gives his all for00:56:30
the sake of the better who offers up his00:56:32
life for the advancement of being who00:56:35
allows God's will to become manifest00:56:37
fully within the confines of a single00:56:39
mortal life that is the model for the00:56:41
Honorable man in Christ case however as00:56:45
he sacrifices himself God his father is00:56:49
simultaneously sacrificing his son it's00:56:53
for this reason that the Christian00:56:54
sacrificial drama of son and self is00:56:57
archetypal it's a story at the limit00:57:00
where nothing more extreme nothing00:57:02
greater can be imagined that's the very00:57:04
definition of archetypal that's the core00:57:07
of what constitutes religious pain and00:57:10
suffering define the world of that there00:57:14
can be no doubt sacrifice can hold pain00:57:18
and suffering in abeyance to a greater00:57:21
or lesser degree and greater sacrifices00:57:25
can do that more effectively than lesser00:57:27
of that two there can be no doubt00:57:30
everyone holds this knowledge in their00:57:32
soul thus the person who wishes to00:57:36
alleviate suffering who wishes to00:57:39
defy the flaws in being who wishes to00:57:42
bring about the best of all possible00:57:44
futures who wants to create heaven on00:57:47
earth will make the greatest of00:57:49
sacrifices of self and child of00:57:51
everything that is loved to live a life00:57:54
am dat the good he will forego00:57:57
expediency he will pursue the path of00:58:01
ultimate meaning and he will in that00:58:04
manner bring salvation to the ever00:58:07
desperate world on the third day Abraham00:58:29
lifted up his eyes and saw the place far00:58:32
off it's not an accident also that it's00:58:38
in a mountain right because a mountain00:58:40
is something you have to climb and you00:58:41
have to climb to the pinnacle of a00:58:43
mountain and the mountain is upright and00:58:45
the mountain stretches up to heaven and00:58:47
it's a long journey to specify the right00:58:49
place on the highest pinnacle and and00:58:52
that's symbolic because of course it's a00:58:54
pinnacle that you're always trying to00:58:56
reach just like you're always trying to00:58:58
aim you're always trying to climb upward00:59:00
at least that's the theory depends to00:59:02
some degree of course on your definition00:59:03
of upward and Abraham said to his young00:59:07
men abide here with the ass and I and00:59:10
the lad will go yonder and worship and00:59:12
come to you again and Abraham took the00:59:15
wood of the burnt offering and laid it00:59:18
upon Isaac his son and he took the fire00:59:20
in his hand and a knife and they went00:59:25
both of them together and Isaac spake00:59:30
unto Abraham his father and said My00:59:32
father and he said here am I my son and00:59:38
he said Behold the fire in the wood but00:59:44
where is the lamb for a burnt offering00:59:47
and Abraham said my son God will provide00:59:50
himself a lamb for a burnt offering00:59:53
so they went both of them together and00:59:57
they came to the place which God had00:59:59
told him of and Abraham built an altar01:00:01
there and laid the wood in order and01:00:03
bound Isaac his son and laid him on the01:00:05
altar upon the wood and Abraham01:00:11
stretched forth his hand and took the01:00:12
knife to slay his son and the angel of01:00:20
the Lord called unto him out of heaven01:00:23
and said Abraham and he said here am I01:00:28
an angel said lay not thine hand upon01:00:31
the lad neither do thou anything unto01:00:33
him for now I know that thou fearest God01:00:35
seeing thou hast not withheld thy son an01:00:38
only son from me01:00:49
when I was answering the questions last01:00:51
night at this Q&A this guy asked me this01:00:53
question he said that he had parents who01:00:55
were desperate anti-social alcoholic01:00:59
addicted friendless and that they didn't01:01:06
want him to leave their home he was the01:01:08
only relationship they had but that was01:01:13
of he was the only relationship they had01:01:16
and he asked what he should do and I01:01:20
told him that he should leave and the01:01:24
reason for that is that you have a moral01:01:30
obligation as a parent to encourage your01:01:34
child to go out into the world right and01:01:37
to be whoever they can be to be the best01:01:41
they can possibly be and in doing that01:01:45
you're offering you're encouraging them01:01:48
to pursue the good you're sacrificing01:01:51
them to the good you're not keeping them01:01:55
for yourself selfishly you're telling01:01:58
them that they can go out and live their01:02:00
life and live it properly and and that's01:02:06
the parallel to the idea of the01:02:08
sacrifice of Isaac as far as I can tell01:02:14
you don't want for your son what it is01:02:18
that you want for him you want for your01:02:21
son what would be best for him and for01:02:25
the world and you let go in precise01:02:30
proportion to your desire to have that01:02:32
happen you know the psychoanalyst the01:02:34
great psychoanalyst I say the01:02:36
psychoanalyst I think this is actually01:02:37
Freud's dictum but I'm not certain of01:02:39
that he said the good mother fails01:02:42
which is a bit a brilliant observation01:02:45
because when you have an infant do you01:02:49
do everything for the infant because the01:02:51
infant can do nothing for him or herself01:02:52
but as the infant matures and is01:02:55
increasingly capable of doing things for01:02:59
him or herself then you pull back right01:03:01
you pull01:03:02
back and everytime the child develops01:03:04
the ability to do something you allow01:03:06
them or encourage them to do it and you01:03:08
don't interfere you know so if your01:03:10
child is struggling getting dressed well01:03:12
obviously there's some times that you01:03:14
help them but mostly you let them learn01:03:15
so that they can know how to do it in01:03:17
the future that's better for you and01:03:19
it's certainly better for them there's a01:03:21
rule if you're working with the elderly01:03:23
in an old-age home and the rule is01:03:24
something like don't do anything for any01:03:27
of the for any of the guests let's say01:03:31
that they can do for themselves because01:03:33
you compromise their independence and so01:03:36
as a mother you pull back and you pull01:03:38
back and you let your child hit him or01:03:40
herself against the world and you fail01:03:42
to protect them but by failing to01:03:45
protect them you encourage and ennoble01:03:48
them to the point where you're no longer01:03:51
necessary now they may still want to see01:03:54
you and it would be wonderful if that01:03:55
was the case but the point is is that01:03:57
you're supposed to remove yourself from01:03:59
the equation by encouraging your child01:04:02
to be the best possible person that01:04:05
person can be and you sacrifice your01:04:08
desires all of your desires to that your01:04:12
personal desires even your desires for01:04:14
your child in relationship to you01:04:16
because you want them to move forward01:04:18
into the world as a light right as a01:04:20
light on a hill that's what you want if01:04:22
you have any sense and so you don't get01:04:25
to keep your children at home because01:04:27
you need them now I'm talking generally01:04:30
obviously and there are circumstances01:04:32
under which families make their own01:04:33
idiosyncratic decisions and I'm not01:04:36
trying to dam everyone with a with a01:04:38
casual gesture you know but the point is01:04:41
still strong that the good father is01:04:46
precisely someone who is willing to01:04:48
sacrifice his child to the ultimate good01:04:51
that's dramatized in this story you know01:04:54
and it's brutal but the world is a01:05:00
brutal place and much wisdom comes out01:05:02
of catastrophe and this is an indication01:05:05
of how much catastrophe our ancestors01:05:07
had to plow through had to work through01:05:10
in order to generate the sub structure01:05:13
for the conceptions of freedom even that01:05:15
we have to they for freedom and the good and that's01:05:17
how the story appears to me now I think01:05:20
there's more to it I think if there has01:05:22
to be more to it it lays the groundwork01:05:26
at least in the Christian context for01:05:28
the eventual emergence of Christ as I01:05:30
alluded to in my reading that story01:05:34
obviously has to be unpacked and01:05:35
unpacked and unpacked just like it has01:05:37
been for the last two thousand years01:05:38
it's also an indication here of well I01:05:45
would say the transmutation of sacrifice01:05:48
into an increasingly psychological form01:05:50
which is a development that we've01:05:51
tracked all the way through the Old01:05:53
Testament up to this particular point01:05:55
first acted out then represented in01:05:59
ritual those would be the rituals of01:06:00
sacrifice then laid out in story then01:06:03
turned into a psychological phenomena so01:06:06
that now we're capable of making01:06:08
sacrifices in abstraction right to01:06:12
conceptualize a future that we want to01:06:15
let go of the things that are stopping01:06:17
us from moving forward and to free01:06:19
ourselves from the chains of our01:06:20
original preconceptions and that's laid01:06:23
out in these old stories as the optimal01:06:27
path way of being and there's a01:06:29
philosopher of science named Karl Popper01:06:32
very sensible and down-to-earth person01:06:34
who was talking about thinking and its01:06:36
nature and he was thought about thinking01:06:38
in a Darwinian fashion he said the01:06:40
purpose of thinking is to let your01:06:42
thoughts die instead of you it's a01:06:44
brilliant notion and so the idea is01:06:47
something like you can conjure up a01:06:51
representation of yourself you can01:06:53
conjure up a variety of potential01:06:55
representations of yourself in the01:06:57
future you can lay out how those future01:07:00
representations of yourself are likely01:07:02
to prevail or fail you can call the01:07:05
potential use in the future that will01:07:07
fail and then you can embody the ones01:07:09
that will succeed you do that well01:07:13
simultaneously conjuring up a01:07:16
representation of your current state and01:07:18
determining for yourself because of your01:07:21
undue suffering which elements of your01:07:23
pathetic being need to be given up so01:07:26
that you can move forward into that01:07:27
future01:07:28
and the goal what is it that you're01:07:31
aiming at with that work and not01:07:32
sacrifice that's the ultimate question01:07:34
it's the question I was trying to01:07:35
address in that writing what is it that01:07:37
you're trying to do when you're trying01:07:38
to improve the future we believe that01:07:41
the future can be improved we believe01:07:43
that it can be improved as a consequence01:07:45
of our sacrificial work and so once01:07:47
again what are the limitations what are01:07:49
the limits to that what are the01:07:50
necessary limits to that I would say we01:07:52
don't know I would say as well that01:07:53
that's actually something that the01:07:55
entire corpus of biblical stories is01:07:57
trying desperately to articulate to01:07:59
figure out and articulate right we we01:08:03
conjured up this remarkable idea the01:08:05
future exists we can see it even though01:08:07
it's only potential we can adjust our01:08:10
behavior in the present in order to01:08:12
maximize our probability of success in01:08:14
the future how best to do that well the idea is01:08:18
something like don't hesitate to offer01:08:23
the ultimate sacrifice if you want the01:08:27
future to turn out ultimately well now01:08:31
obviously that idea is closed in01:08:34
metaphysical speculation and religious01:08:37
imagery but it still remains an01:08:39
intensely practical issue right what is01:08:45
it that you could contract for let's say01:08:50
if you were willing to give up01:08:53
everything about you that's weak and01:08:54
unworthy01:09:03
the there's a there's a continual hints01:09:10
of that in the Old Testament right01:09:12
because what happens with Noah01:09:13
of course is that he establishes the01:09:17
proper covenant with God the proper01:09:20
contract with being let's say and01:09:23
thrives as a consequence and the01:09:25
neighborhood does the same thing there's01:09:27
a strong intimation that that's how the01:09:29
world is set right now that idea01:09:31
develops and magnifies as the stories01:09:34
progress into something like into01:09:39
something like the concept of heaven on01:09:41
earth the notion being that the proper01:09:47
sacrificial attitude produces a01:09:51
psychological state and then the social01:09:54
state that's a manifestation of that01:09:56
attitude that decreases the probability01:10:01
that the world will Carine into hell and01:10:03
increases the probability that people01:10:06
will live high-quality meaningful01:10:09
private lives in a society that's01:10:12
balanced and capable of supporting that01:10:14
and none of that seems to me to be01:10:19
questionable really I also don't think01:10:23
it's anything that people don't actually01:10:24
know you know people have told me many01:10:28
times that when they listen to me talk01:10:31
they are hearing things that they01:10:33
already know knew but didn't know how to01:10:35
say it's something like that and this is01:10:37
one of those things that I think is01:10:39
exactly like that I mean I think it's at01:10:41
the very core of our moral knowledge and01:10:43
which is our behavioral knowledge and01:10:44
our perceptual knowledge I mean let's01:10:46
get this straight moral knowledge is no trivial matter01:10:48
it's knowledge about how it is that you01:10:50
orient yourself in the world there's no01:10:52
more profoundly necessary form of01:10:54
knowledge oh it's predicated on on something01:10:56
that's exactly like this we know that we01:10:58
have to make sacrifices we know that we01:11:00
have to omit what's good so then why01:11:02
isn't that we don't aim at what's best01:11:04
and make the sacrifices that are01:11:05
necessary in order to bring that into01:11:07
play I think it seems to me that in some01:11:11
sense that's self-evident the question01:11:13
is why we don't do it but there's01:11:15
answers to that too already in01:11:16
material that we've covered life is hard01:11:18
and it hurts people it's ripe with01:11:21
limitation and some of its arbitrary and01:11:24
it's no wonder and some of its unjust01:11:27
and some of it's worse some of its01:11:28
malevolent which is even worse than01:11:30
something I haven't talked about at all01:11:31
in this lecture it's not surprising that01:11:33
that combination of vicissitude can turn01:11:36
people against being but I think even01:11:38
when that happens and even when people01:11:39
have the kind of history that if they01:11:43
revealed to you you would say well it's01:11:47
no wonder you turned out that way the01:11:50
people who turn out that way still know01:11:52
that it's wrong they still know that01:11:54
however deep their own suffering however01:11:56
arbitrary their own suffering however01:11:58
much that's caused by the malevolence of01:12:00
others as well as the tragedy of01:12:02
existence that that does not in any way01:12:05
justify their turning away from the good01:12:07
and I believe everyone knows that I01:12:11
believe that they know it implicitly01:12:15
even if they don't allow themselves to01:12:17
know it explicitly and I believe that if01:12:19
they violate that idea then they violate01:12:21
themselves and that they end up in01:12:23
Kane's position which is the position of01:12:25
the man who's been given a punishment01:12:27
that is too great to bear an angel said01:12:33
[Applause]01:12:40
lay not thine hand upon the loud now to01:12:43
do without anything unto him for now I01:12:46
know that thou fearest God seeing thou01:12:51
hast not withheld thy son thine only son01:12:54
from me01:12:55
and Abraham lifted up his eyes and01:12:58
looked and behold behind him a ram01:13:02
caught in a thicket by his thorns by his01:13:04
horns and Abraham went and took the RAM01:13:07
and offered him up for a burnt offering01:13:09
instead of his son and Abraham called01:13:16
the name of that place Jehovah Jireh as01:13:19
it is said to this day in the mount of01:13:22
the Lord it shall be seen and the angel01:13:28
of the Lord called unto Abraham out of01:13:29
heaven the second time and said by01:13:33
myself have I sworn saith the Lord for01:13:36
because thou has done this thing and has01:13:38
not withheld thy son thine only son that01:13:42
in blessing I will bless thee and in01:13:45
multiplying I will multiply thy seed as01:13:48
the stars of the heaven and as the sand01:13:50
which is upon the sea shore and thy seed01:13:53
shall possess the gates of his gate of01:13:55
his enemies and in thy seed shall all01:13:57
the nations of the earth be blessed01:13:59
because thou hast obeyed my voice01:14:10
so Abraham returned unto his young men01:14:13
and they rose up and went together to01:14:14
Beersheba and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba01:14:17
and it came to pass after these things01:14:20
that it was told Abraham saying he hold01:14:25
Milka01:14:26
she has also borne children unto thy01:14:27
brother Nahor and Sarah was a hundred01:14:31
and seven and twenty years old those01:14:34
were the years of the life of Sarah and01:14:35
Sarah died in quor'toth Arba the same as01:14:39
Hebron in the land of Canaan and Abraham01:14:41
came to mourn for Sarah and a weeper01:15:17
well I don't exactly know what to do now01:15:24
because that01:15:31
[Applause]01:15:42
I'll review what we've what we've01:15:45
covered and then I'll bring this to a01:15:48
close we can have some more questions01:15:49
than would be usual tonight so what have01:15:57
we established by this point the stories01:16:03
that have been revealed so far are01:16:05
something like they contain the idea01:16:10
that there's something divine that's01:16:16
analogous to the human capacity for01:16:19
communication and attention that's at01:16:22
the it operates at the genesis of being01:16:26
itself that's the initial account in the01:16:30
Old Testament it's an account that01:16:34
places the role of Spirit centrally in01:16:39
the in the nature of being now I'm not01:16:43
exactly sure what to make of that01:16:45
because in some ways I'm is01:16:47
materialistically oriented as modern01:16:50
people typically are but the stories01:16:54
make sense to me in many ways the idea01:16:58
that there's something world creating01:17:01
about human consciousness and that01:17:04
that's akin in some sense to the divine01:17:07
force that called order out of chaos at01:17:10
the beginning of time01:17:11
seems to me to be a very powerful01:17:14
metaphysical idea and it also seems to01:17:16
me to be an idea that is immovable at01:17:20
the foundation of Western culture01:17:23
because our entire legal system our01:17:25
society our expect mutual expectations01:17:29
all of that are conditioned to the final01:17:33
degree by our presupposition that each01:17:38
of us has an intrinsic value that01:17:40
transcends the local conditions of our01:17:43
being and it's with that presupposition01:17:47
that we've been able to establish the01:17:50
society that functions a society that functions01:17:53
and functions well and it has its01:17:55
current characterization and that's a01:17:58
nun it's an unlikely occurrence and it's01:18:02
a non-trivial reality and I don't see01:18:05
any way out of that way out of that01:18:09
conclusion I don't see anything that01:18:10
that can easily be replaced with and so01:18:15
god calls being into order into being01:18:19
out of chaos at the beginning of time01:18:21
and the tributes to human beings the01:18:23
same essential capacity then we turn to01:18:25
Adam and Eve in the garden and they're01:18:27
unconscious by all appearances allied01:18:31
tightly with God but unconscious they01:18:33
don't seem aware of the future01:18:34
they don't seem aware of themselves they01:18:36
don't seem aware of their own01:18:37
vulnerability they make the fatal error01:18:41
of having their eyes open they discover01:18:44
their own vulnerability they also01:18:46
discover their capacity for evil we01:18:49
reviewed that to some degree01:18:51
what's the association because it's the01:18:53
tree of the knowledge of good and evil01:18:56
the fruit of which they eat what's the01:19:00
association between the discovery of01:19:01
vulnerability and the emergence of moral01:19:03
knowledge it's something like as far as01:19:06
I can tell that you actually don't know01:19:09
how to be evil or to be good until01:19:11
you're actually aware consciously of01:19:13
your own vulnerability because the01:19:15
essence of evil is the exploitation of01:19:17
vulnerability perhaps for the sake of01:19:20
that exploitation and I can't understand01:19:23
how to hurt someone until I know exactly01:19:26
how I can be hurt myself and I can't01:19:29
understand how I can be hurt myself01:19:31
until I become cognizant of my mortal01:19:34
limitations until I understand what01:19:36
brings me pain until I understand the01:19:38
suffering that goes along with my mortal01:19:40
limitations my my inevitable death and01:19:43
the suffering that goes along with that01:19:45
and with the with the accrual of the01:19:49
knowledge of mortality and good and evil01:19:51
Adam and Eve are cast out of paradise01:19:53
and history begins and that seems right01:19:56
to me because I don't think that history01:19:58
did begin before human beings became01:20:00
self conscious01:20:01
so there's something about that that's01:20:03
right if his01:20:04
three doesn't really begin until people01:20:05
become aware of the future history01:20:07
doesn't really begin until until people01:20:09
work and start to build right we still01:20:11
live we would still be ensconced in01:20:13
essentially an animal existence until01:20:15
we're aware of the future and start to01:20:18
buttress herself against it start to01:20:20
wear clothing start to build buildings01:20:22
start to make cities all in all in01:20:25
consequence of having become aware of01:20:27
the fact that we're fragile and that the01:20:29
future is a dangerous place so that01:20:31
seems to me to be existentially correct01:20:33
and then we have the story of Cain and01:20:34
Abel brilliantly placed immediately01:20:37
afterwards and so those are the two01:20:38
first two people in history essentially01:20:41
and they make sacrifices so that goes01:20:44
along with the idea of the discovery01:20:46
worked and necessity of work and the01:20:47
discovery of the future and then exactly01:20:50
what you'd expect would happen one01:20:53
segment of mankind let's say makes the01:20:57
sacrifices properly and prevails in the01:20:59
other segment makes the sacrifices01:21:01
improperly and fails and that's01:21:03
perfectly reasonable given what you see01:21:05
around you because that's what seems to01:21:07
happen all the time and then more01:21:09
interestingly I would say that the01:21:12
sacrificial failure produces01:21:15
embitterment right and that embedment01:21:19
produces a hatred for being and a desire01:21:23
for revenge that seems perfectly01:21:26
appropriate when I look at people who01:21:28
are bitter and who want revenge it's01:21:31
generally because their sacrificial01:21:32
efforts have failed now I'm loathe to01:21:35
say that that's a matter of their own01:21:37
doing although sometimes it clearly is01:21:39
the embittered and vengeful complained01:21:47
to God and blame him for the structure01:21:50
of existence you know I read about the01:21:55
Columbine massacre and the kids who01:21:57
undertook it that'll make your hair01:22:02
stand on end if you want to read01:22:03
something that will really disturb you01:22:06
reading Erich Harris's writings will01:22:08
really disturb you no matter how much01:22:10
you know about human beings reading01:22:12
Erich Harris's writings will disturb you01:22:14
and Harris's Kane you know01:22:17
he says it straightforwardly he hates01:22:20
human beings hates being itself he would01:22:23
destroy everything if it was within his01:22:25
power to do that and of course him and01:22:28
his colleague were motivated to produce01:22:31
far more carnage than they managed that01:22:33
day what was successful was only a01:22:36
fraction of what they had planned and01:22:38
and Harris said very straightforwardly01:22:41
that he was that he had set himself up01:22:42
as the judge of being and that it lacked01:22:44
all utility in his eyes human beings01:22:47
certainly should all be did all be01:22:50
removed from the face of existence01:22:52
because of their pathology and the01:22:55
fundamental horrors of being itself so01:23:00
there's nothing in the Cain and Abel01:23:01
story that isn't real it's real and Kane01:23:03
complains to God as people will when01:23:05
their dreams are dashed and then it's01:23:08
goes for people who don't believe in God01:23:09
- it doesn't really matter you know it's01:23:12
harder I suppose if you're atheistic to01:23:14
figure out who to blame but that doesn't01:23:16
mean that the sentiment well it doesn't01:23:20
mean that the sentiment is any different01:23:22
right the same drama is being enacted01:23:25
you shake your fist at the structure of01:23:27
being rather than at God himself but it01:23:29
doesn't make any difference except in01:23:32
the details so God responds to Cain and01:23:38
tells him that he's got no right to01:23:41
judge being before he gets his01:23:42
sacrificial house in order and even01:23:45
worse he says that Cain is the architect01:23:51
of his own downfall and the invited01:23:54
catastrophe in his own house into his01:23:56
own house willingly and entered into a01:23:59
creative union with it and therefore01:24:01
brought about his own demise and it's01:24:04
that additional self-knowledge and you01:24:06
can imagine to you know imagine that01:24:07
you're in you're facing your life you're01:24:09
facing the failures of your life and01:24:11
let's say that you've had a failed life01:24:13
and you're bitter about that and then01:24:16
you meditate upon it and you think why01:24:19
has this come about and then you think01:24:21
well perhaps I did something wrong you01:24:24
know when Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote01:24:26
The Gulag Archipelago which is the book01:24:28
that detailed the catastrophes of the01:24:31
Soviet you and help bring it down it is one part of01:24:35
that book that just struck me so so01:24:37
viciously when I read it he he was in01:24:40
the car in the GU leg and he was there01:24:42
for a very long time and he said that he01:24:46
observed a variety of people in the01:24:48
camps who he really admired they were01:24:50
rare they were usually religious believers in01:24:52
his in his experience who were not01:24:55
participating in the pathology of the01:24:57
camp's at all period no matter what he01:25:01
said he learned a lot from watching01:25:03
those people he had a hard time01:25:04
believing that they even existed that01:25:05
they could even exist but he said that01:25:07
one of the things that he was brought to01:25:10
as a consequence of watching those01:25:12
people live their contract with goodness01:25:16
out even under the most horrifying of01:25:18
conditions was that it was possible that01:25:22
he himself was responsible for his01:25:25
position in the camp now it's a very01:25:27
dangerous line of argumentation you know01:25:30
because who wants to be the one who01:25:33
blames the victim for the catastrophe01:25:35
you know you have to be very careful01:25:37
when you walk down that road but01:25:38
Solzhenitsyn was speaking about himself01:25:40
and he said well he was a communist you01:25:43
know and he arrogantly and forthrightly01:25:48
moved the movement out into the world01:25:51
and had not fully gone over his life01:25:55
with a fine-tooth comb to find out what01:25:57
mistakes he had made that brought him so01:26:00
low but his contention eventually was01:26:03
that part of the reason that he ended up01:26:05
where he ended up was because he and01:26:08
many others had completely forfeited01:26:10
their relationship with the truth and01:26:12
allowed their society to degenerate into01:26:14
deceit and tyrannical catastrophe01:26:17
without mounting sufficient opposition01:26:21
and so he decided when he was in the01:26:24
camps to straighten himself out bit by01:26:27
bit and that culminated in the01:26:30
production of the Gulag Archipelago in01:26:32
that book really demolished once and for01:26:35
all any moral credibility that the01:26:38
communist totalitarian systems had left01:26:40
and so one man in the depths of01:26:43
catastrophe01:26:44
who01:26:45
and through good example at least in01:26:47
part to stop lying produced a book01:26:50
eventually the demolished the foundation01:26:54
of the very system that had imprisoned01:26:55
him and that is really worth thinking01:26:57
about that's one example of the absolute01:27:01
grandeur of the human soul and the01:27:04
capacity for transformation that it has01:27:06
when let loose properly on the world so01:27:11
let's say you're conceptualizing your01:27:12
own failure you know and you meditated01:27:15
on it and you come to the conclusion01:27:16
that God forced Cain to pay not only01:27:19
have things not been going very well for01:27:21
you but it's actually your fault and not01:27:24
only that you brought it on yourself and01:27:27
not only that you knew it all the time01:27:29
well then you might think you'll wake up01:27:31
and fly right right you'll get your01:27:33
wings in order and fly right but there's01:27:34
no reason to assume that at all and01:27:36
that's not what happens to Cain that01:27:38
just makes him more bitter right and you01:27:40
can understand that if you think about01:27:42
it just for a second it's like bad01:27:43
enough when something horrible happens01:27:45
to you but then to have to swallow the01:27:47
additional pill right have to take in01:27:49
the information that you could have done01:27:51
something different01:27:52
it was avoidable and you knew it at the01:27:54
time and you decided to do it anyways01:27:56
and I think people are in that situation01:27:58
a lot more often than ever anyone is01:28:00
willing to admit you know you have that01:28:02
little voice in the back of your head01:28:04
that says don't do it and you override01:28:09
it and you know it's arrogance that01:28:12
makes you override it it's always01:28:13
arrogance you know it always warns you01:28:15
to always arrogance yeah I can get away01:28:17
with it it's like no you can't I don't01:28:20
think you ever get away with anything01:28:21
so and maybe your experience has taught01:28:23
you different but my suspicions are it01:28:25
hasn't and if you think it has well the01:28:28
other shoe hasn't yet dropped so Cain01:28:32
doesn't take the opportunity to let01:28:34
God's wisdom reorient his character and01:28:39
that that could have been outcome he01:28:41
could have got down on his knees so to01:28:43
speak and said oh my oh my god I've been01:28:46
wrong all along I've been living01:28:48
improperly I've been making the wrong01:28:49
sacrifices Abel deserves everything he01:28:51
has I got exactly what was coming to me01:28:54
you know could I possibly now Street01:28:57
myself out and and01:28:58
and and and live in repentance and01:29:01
improve my position but that's not what01:29:03
he did at all he said all right fair01:29:06
enough I get it it's like I'm going to01:29:09
go after the thing I most admire and I'm01:29:13
going to destroy it01:29:14
and I'm going to do that despite its01:29:16
cost to me and I'm going to do that just01:29:18
to spite the creator of being that's01:29:22
exactly what Paris did at Columbine it's01:29:25
exactly what he says in fact it is01:29:28
uncanny writings it's why the mass01:29:31
murderers always shoot themselves01:29:33
afterwards not before because you might01:29:35
wonder if you're so upset with the01:29:37
structure of being why you don't just01:29:39
commit suicide in your basement why do01:29:41
you have to go out and mass murder01:29:43
before you top it off with a gun to your01:29:45
forehead well you don't make the point01:29:47
as effectively if you just commit01:29:49
suicide in your basement it's like well01:29:52
I'm I life means nothing to me01:29:54
but neither does anyone else's and01:29:56
neither does the structure of being01:29:58
itself and I'll take all my revenge as01:30:00
much as I possibly can and then just to01:30:02
show you how little I care I'll cap01:30:04
myself off at the end and I would say01:30:07
also people say all the time I don't01:30:10
understand how that could happen it's01:30:13
like I don't believe that I think an01:30:16
hour of thought of real thought real01:30:21
thought about your darkest feelings01:30:23
about existence itself illuminates the01:30:26
pathway to that sort of behavior quite01:30:28
clearly I think if you I mean I might be01:30:31
wrong I might be a darker person than01:30:33
most and it's certainly okay okay01:30:44
well at least I think there are plenty01:30:47
of people out there who are sufficiently01:30:49
dark to know exactly what I mean what01:30:50
I'm saying these things and I would also01:30:52
say that if it doesn't leap to your01:30:54
understanding how that pathway might be01:30:57
illuminated then you need to know a lot01:30:59
more about yourself than you actually01:31:00
know now because whatever you might say01:31:03
about someone like Eric Harris he was a01:31:05
human being too01:31:06
you know there's this idea in the New01:31:08
Testament that Christ was he who took01:31:10
the sins of the world unto himself it's01:31:12
a very complicated idea but part of it01:31:15
part of it part of it is associated with01:31:18
the idea that he met the devil in the01:31:20
desert as well to take the sins of01:31:23
mankind onto yourself as to understand01:31:25
that within you dwells exactly the same01:31:27
spirit that commit the atrocities that01:31:29
Columbine or that ran the camps at01:31:32
Auschwitz and to actually understand01:31:34
that that's part and parcel of your01:31:35
makeup and then to take responsibility01:31:37
for it and I think that in the aftermath01:31:40
of the terrible 20th century that's what01:31:42
we're left with we are left with the01:31:44
necessity to take responsibility for the01:31:46
most terrible aspects of ourselves and01:31:48
that way perhaps we can stop those01:31:50
terrible things from happening again01:32:00
that also means you know that you don't01:32:03
look for the you don't look for the what01:32:06
would you call it the purveyor of01:32:08
malevolence outside yourself right it01:32:11
isn't someone else even though sometimes01:32:13
it's someone else you know you know what01:32:15
I mean it's like there are identifiable01:32:17
perpetrators but that's not precisely01:32:18
the point the point is something more01:32:21
like that the proper place for the01:32:22
encapsulation of that malevolence at01:32:24
least the proper place to start is01:32:26
within the confines of your own01:32:29
existence and then perhaps within the01:32:31
confines of your family and that way01:32:33
you're not a danger to those that you01:32:36
miss apprehend as malevolent and evil01:32:39
because you won't get your aim right to01:32:40
begin with you'll identify them01:32:43
improperly and you'll take your revenge01:32:45
in a manner that allows you to omit your01:32:50
own responsibility to act out your01:32:53
unconscious desire for revenge and to01:32:55
move the world just that much closer to01:32:57
help also Cain kills Abel and then Cain01:33:07
gives rise to his descendants one of01:33:08
whom is the person who's the first01:33:10
artificer in weapons of war and then01:33:12
comes the flood right which seems01:33:15
perfectly miraculously reasonable to me01:33:18
because what those stories do it's so01:33:20
amazing that the story of Cain and Abel01:33:22
segues into the story of the flood01:33:24
because it is the case that the01:33:28
catastrophes that beset society can best01:33:30
be conceptualized as the spread of01:33:32
individual pathology into the social01:33:35
world and the envy what would you call01:33:38
these the magnification of that01:33:40
pathology to the point where everything01:33:42
comes apart and I truly believe that if01:33:44
you familiarize yourself with the last01:33:46
hundred years of history that that's the01:33:48
conclusion that you would derive and the01:33:50
people who are most wise that I've read01:33:52
who commented on that say the same thing01:33:54
over and over which is the key to the01:34:00
prevention of the horrors of Auschwitz01:34:04
and the gulag in the future is the01:34:08
reconstruction of the individual soul at01:34:11
level of each individual and that's a01:34:15
terrible message because it puts the01:34:17
burden on you but it's an amazing01:34:20
message because it also means that you01:34:23
could be the source of the process that01:34:26
stops that catastrophe and malevolence01:34:29
from ever emerging again and you know01:34:32
it's hard for me to imagine that you01:34:34
have anything that could possibly be01:34:37
better to do with the time that you have01:34:39
left well then we see Noah who walks01:34:43
with God and who's generations are in01:34:46
order right which means that he's01:34:49
entered this contract with the good01:34:51
let's say that has the protective01:34:54
function of the ark he's put his family01:34:57
together and he can ride out the worst01:34:59
catastrophe and he's actually our01:35:00
ancestor right so interesting it's that01:35:02
these people who get their act together01:35:05
properly and make a contract with the01:35:08
good are constantly presented as the01:35:10
genuine ancestors of mankind and that's01:35:12
a really positive element of the story01:35:15
as well and it's one I believe because01:35:16
well it hasn't been easy for us to get01:35:19
here you know we are the descendants of01:35:20
the great heroes of the past and if you01:35:23
took all those heroes and you and you01:35:25
and you01:35:26
and you told their stories and you01:35:28
distilled their stories into a single01:35:30
story maybe you'd have a story like the01:35:32
story of Noah or the story of Abraham01:35:33
you know the story of the successful the01:35:37
story of our forefathers you know I'm01:35:39
not the cancer on the planet that01:35:41
certain people tend to think that we are01:35:42
and so the goal is to be one of the01:35:46
people like that and there isn't01:35:48
anything better that can possibly be01:35:49
done and the alternative is something01:35:51
like hell and so Noah rides out the01:35:53
storm and that's what everyone wants01:35:55
because you want to ride out the storm01:35:56
you don't want to be happy because01:35:59
that'll just happen if it does or if it01:36:01
doesn't but you definitely want to01:36:02
constitute yourself so that you can ride01:36:04
out the storm because the storm is01:36:06
always coming and so then you're01:36:08
fortified against the worst and that's01:36:09
what you want because well the best you01:36:13
can handle the worst you have to prepare01:36:16
yourself for and then we see the same01:36:18
thing repeated in the story of Abraham01:36:19
essentially right Abraham makes this01:36:22
contract with the good and constantly01:36:24
renews it that's01:36:25
cough ice and his worship he constantly01:36:27
renews it and he has the adventures that01:36:30
are sufficiently typical of the01:36:32
adventures of a human being who's alive01:36:34
and engaging in the world right he he01:36:37
bumps himself up against all the horrors01:36:39
of existence and yet the story is told01:36:43
in such a manner that reveals that his01:36:46
primary ethical commitment to the01:36:48
overarching good is sufficient to01:36:52
protect him against the vicissitudes of01:36:54
existence well that's an optimistic01:36:57
story and as a pessimistic person I01:37:00
appreciate an optimistic story that's01:37:03
believable and the great demands placed01:37:06
on Abraham it's not as if this just01:37:08
comes to him as a gift he has to be01:37:11
willing to sacrifice whatever is01:37:12
necessary in order to maintain that01:37:14
contract and so that seems to me to be01:37:16
realistic there's no reason to assume01:37:18
that life isn't so difficult that it01:37:20
actually demands the best from you that01:37:23
it's actually structured in that manner01:37:24
and that if the you are willing to01:37:26
reveal the best in you in response to01:37:30
the vicissitudes of life that you might01:37:32
actually prevail and you might actually01:37:34
set things straight around you and law01:37:39
and what if that was true that would be01:37:43
a remarkable thing and I can't see how01:37:46
it cannot be true and I can't see that01:37:50
it's not stamped on the soul of everyone01:37:52
who's conscious I think we all know this01:37:54
perfectly well although the stories01:37:57
remind us you know Plato Socrates01:38:00
believed that all knowledge was01:38:04
remembering you know he believed that01:38:08
the soul before birth had all knowledge01:38:10
and lost it at birth and then experience01:38:14
reminded the soul of what it already01:38:16
knew and there's something about that01:38:18
that's really true because you're not01:38:22
just a creature that emerged 30 years01:38:26
ago or 40 years ago you're you're the01:38:29
inheritor of three and a half billion01:38:31
years worth of biological engineering01:38:33
right you have your nature stamped01:38:36
deeply inside of you far more deeply01:38:39
than we any of us realize and when you come01:38:41
across these great stories these01:38:43
reminders they're a reminder of how to01:38:45
be properly and they echo in your soul01:38:48
because the structure is already there01:38:52
the external stories are manifestations01:38:56
of the internal reality and then they're01:38:57
a call to that unter internal reality to01:39:00
reveal itself well then we come to the01:39:08
end of the Abrahamic stories least this01:39:09
section of them with Sarah's death and01:39:12
Abraham is called upon to make the01:39:14
supreme sacrifice and interestingly not01:39:17
because he's willing to make the supreme01:39:18
sacrifice he actually doesn't have to01:39:21
and that's an interesting thing as well01:39:24
because I believe that it's reasonable01:39:27
from a psychological perspective to01:39:28
point out that the more willing you are01:39:32
for example to face death perhaps the01:39:38
less likely it is that you're going to01:39:40
have to face it at least in an ignoble01:39:43
manner and so with that then we'll bring01:39:48
this 12 part series to a close01:39:58
you know I think that applause is for01:40:00
everyone and I hate to say that because01:40:03
it sounds so new agey ha ha ha but you01:40:07
know it really does it really does seem01:40:11
to me that this is a participatory01:40:12
exercise you know and that and that it01:40:15
would not be possible for me to go01:40:17
through these stories without having you01:40:18
here to listen and so and I always think01:40:21
when talking to a crowd that it's a01:40:22
dialogue you know it's a dialogue you01:40:25
said and you listen and you've all01:40:27
listened and and and thank God for that01:40:29
you know and that gives me a chance to01:40:31
think and it gives me a chance to watch01:40:33
and it gives me a chance to interact01:40:35
because you know you're emblematic of of01:40:37
humanity at large I suppose that's one01:40:39
way of thinking about it and for me to01:40:41
be able to craft what I'm saying so that01:40:43
it has an impact on all of you here also01:40:46
means that I can simultaneously craft it01:40:48
so that it has an impact that in01:40:49
principle can reach far beyond this01:40:51
place and so you know I'm hoping that01:40:54
I'm really hoping that one of the things01:40:56
that can start to happen with this at01:40:58
least is that we can put our culture01:41:00
back on its firm foundation because it's01:41:02
something that's desperately needed and01:41:04
in order to do that we have to01:41:06
understand both the evil and the01:41:08
nobility of the human soul and that's01:41:10
like--that's that's a fundamental truth01:41:13
you know and I don't think you can get01:41:15
to the nobility without a soldier and01:41:16
through the evil I really don't believe01:41:18
that at all it's no place for the naive01:41:20
to go that's for sure but anyways I01:41:23
would like to thank you as you thanked01:41:25
me for your close and careful attention01:41:28
and your support during all of this it's01:41:30
been a really a remarkable experience01:41:32
it's certainly sort of developed beyond01:41:36
my my dreams so01:41:54
on to the questions hi dr. Peterson it01:42:05
appears to me from this series and from01:42:07
the biblical stories themselves that the01:42:08
emphasis of the stories is the utmost01:42:10
importance of the fool for the01:42:12
maintenance and adaptation of being or01:42:14
society the figure will lunge headfirst01:42:16
in the uncharted territory explicitly01:42:18
aware of the danger and risk of loss and01:42:20
confronting what cannot be understood01:42:22
but unafraid and with the zeal and that01:42:24
the dangers of ideological possession01:42:26
just as much are just as much of a01:42:28
concern as that individuals are01:42:31
unwilling and perhaps unable to form an01:42:33
opinion and take a stance one way or01:42:35
another when confronted with a fork in01:42:36
the road or a decision that must be made01:42:38
you've seen this apathy apathy01:42:40
throughout the universities as I have01:42:43
too in the public schooling system my01:42:45
question is how can one model being the01:42:47
fool to plunge into the unknown and01:42:49
publicly fall on your face in pursuit of01:42:51
learning in a way that clearly01:42:53
demonstrates the urgency and utility of01:42:55
the fool well there isn't any difference01:43:01
between the pool and someone whose01:43:03
courageous right from an archetypal01:43:04
perspective and I mean Abraham is a fool01:43:06
obviously when he starts his his01:43:09
adventures I mean the story lays it out01:43:11
in that manner he's far too old to be01:43:13
leaving home for example he's a late01:43:16
bloomer you know and and then he has he01:43:19
has a lot of catastrophic adventures01:43:21
along the way and certainly you could01:43:22
imagine that had you encountered him01:43:24
when he first encountered the famine in01:43:26
the land of strangers when he first went01:43:28
out that the idea that he had he had01:43:31
followed his misguided intuitions would01:43:34
have been self-evident but in the01:43:37
Abrahamic stories there is this call to01:43:39
get out and do and that's it and the01:43:43
thing is is that you know one of the01:43:45
things I've learned to put it to make it01:43:47
concretely is that like I've done a lot01:43:48
of different things in my life and every01:43:50
time I did a new thing I was a fool I01:43:52
did it badly I was an imposter right and01:43:54
and and because I when you first start01:43:58
to do something you don't know what01:43:59
you're doing but that that's okay that's01:44:02
an acceptance of your vulnerability01:44:03
right01:44:04
and your ignorance that's humility in01:44:06
some sense the willingness to be a fool01:44:07
in a nude in the land of strangers01:44:09
that's it the willingness to be a fool01:44:11
in the land of strangers and that's an01:44:14
act of courage because you also reveal01:44:16
your vulnerability to the world by01:44:18
stumbling around but as long as you're01:44:20
stumbling forward then you're going to01:44:21
move forward now how do you do that more01:44:24
concretely are you aim at an ideal right01:44:26
and you aim at an ideal that's beyond01:44:28
you now maybe you don't aim to begin01:44:31
with it an idea that ideal that's so01:44:33
beyond you that you're crushed by its01:44:36
magnificence you know maybe that's01:44:38
that's that's too demotivating to move01:44:41
you but you could at least conceptualize01:44:44
yourself as the you that you are with01:44:47
fewer of the faults that you know of and01:44:49
that's a good start and I also think01:44:52
that's associated with the idea of01:44:53
humility take stock figure out how it is01:44:57
that you're not who you could be and01:45:00
then move in that direction and accept01:45:04
the consequences you know you're you're01:45:06
going to get slapped a lot but maybe01:45:09
with each slap you'll straighten up a01:45:11
little bit especially if you listen even01:45:13
to the people who are slapping you01:45:15
because sometimes they're the ones who01:45:17
can reveal for you very quickly where it01:45:20
is that you're weak and insufficient so01:45:22
that you won't have to be that way in01:45:24
the future so yeah01:45:28
[Applause]01:45:36
hello dr. Peterson I have no questions01:45:40
for you all I ever wanted to do is just01:45:43
stand in front of you and be able to01:45:44
thank you for everything you've done01:45:47
fine my pleasure01:45:50
oh good morning citizen Peterson you got01:46:06
a short one yeah I do I mean a question01:46:08
eight is the best question relax01:46:10
trust me this one's good but first I'll01:46:13
break the ice01:46:14
now I'm going keyboard up said so state01:46:17
now no icebreaker you want me to get01:46:19
right into the real question I want you01:46:20
to get right into the question all right01:46:22
so this question is about hyper critical01:46:26
thinking yep now everyone knows the01:46:28
critical thinking is a great thing to01:46:30
develop you have to be able to cook I01:46:33
guess think about your ideas so if01:46:35
information is presented do you have to01:46:37
decide if it's legitimate or if there's01:46:39
some sort of deceit behind it but when01:46:43
it's taken to its extreme no matter how01:46:45
great or noble somebody is you can01:46:48
always find a crack in the armor and try01:46:50
to figure out how they're covering up01:46:52
something that's not great about them01:46:54
you know and you might then discredit01:46:56
everything they do is just a facade okay01:47:00
so let me stop you there for a sec01:47:01
because I want to address two of the01:47:02
issues that you already brought up so01:47:05
there's there's the issue of hyper01:47:07
critical thinking partly in relationship01:47:10
to yourself and partly in relationship01:47:11
to others so I'd like to address the01:47:14
issue with regards to yourself to begin01:47:16
with so there's this idea that Carl Jung01:47:19
developed um he extracted it I don't01:47:21
know from where from some ancient01:47:23
writings that he was familiar with I01:47:25
believe they were Jewish writings he01:47:27
said that classically speaking01:47:29
traditionally speaking God was viewed to01:47:32
rule being with two hands the right hand01:47:35
and left hand and the right hand was01:47:37
justice and that was you're going to get01:47:40
what's coming to you but the left hand01:47:42
was mercy and the idea essentially was01:47:45
that the cause01:47:46
could not exist without the proper01:47:47
combination of justice and mercy01:47:49
you should get what's coming to you but01:47:51
people are fallible and they make01:47:53
mistakes and so it's reasonable to apply01:47:56
that to yourself you know there's an01:47:59
idea that's being developed by01:48:00
psychologists over the last few decades01:48:02
that people are basically narcissistic01:48:05
and that they generally feel that01:48:07
they're better at most things than other01:48:08
people I don't buy that I don't think01:48:11
the experimental evidence for that is01:48:13
very strong and I certainly haven't seen01:48:14
that for example in my clinical practice01:48:16
where I've seen that people are01:48:18
generally far harder on themselves than01:48:19
they are on other people one example of01:48:23
that I've written about this in my new01:48:25
book too is that you know if you have a01:48:26
pet that's sick and you take it to the01:48:28
vet and you get medication you're very01:48:30
likely to give the pet the entire course01:48:32
of medication to go to the pharmacy to01:48:34
get the prescription filled to give the01:48:36
pet the medication to follow it through01:48:38
but if you are the person who has the01:48:41
problem yeah you all laughed if you know01:48:43
the story it's like a 30 you won't even01:48:46
go fill the prescription and of the01:48:48
remaining 2/3 of you half of them won't01:48:50
take it to completion and you think well01:48:52
why are people like that and I think01:48:54
it's because they know themselves they01:48:57
have contempt for themselves because of01:48:59
their flaws and then they come to01:49:01
despise themselves and I think that's a01:49:03
big mistake that's Locke that's too much01:49:05
justice and not enough mercy and you01:49:08
know Jung wrote about the biblical01:49:10
injunction that you should treat your01:49:12
neighbor as if he were yourself01:49:14
essentially but he talked about that as01:49:17
an equation which was quite interesting01:49:19
so because it's often read as something01:49:21
like you should be nice to people which01:49:23
is not what it means at all because01:49:25
first nice is a very low-end virtue but01:49:28
it isn't what it means what it means is01:49:30
that you should you should treat your01:49:33
neighbor as if he or she is someone that01:49:36
you wish to encourage and develop but01:49:38
that you should also have exactly the01:49:40
same attitude towards yourself which is01:49:42
weak sort of in some sense regardless of01:49:44
what your opinion is of yourself01:49:46
critical let's say hyper critical even01:49:49
is often the case with people who are01:49:50
anxious or perhaps who are hyper01:49:53
conscientious you have to put forward to01:49:57
yourself the same sympathy we could01:50:00
say that you would extend to someone01:50:02
else that you cared for that's the thing01:50:04
is that you have to come to treat01:50:06
yourself as if you're someone that you01:50:08
care for and I mean that technically you01:50:10
know you detach yourself from yourself01:50:13
and you think okay well if I was going01:50:14
to construct a mode of being that was01:50:18
optimal for this person that I happen to01:50:21
be what would that look like01:50:23
and that's sort of independent of01:50:24
whether or not you think you deserve it01:50:26
it's like maybe you deserve it maybe you01:50:28
don't innocent until proven guilty01:50:30
that's a pretty good policy but you01:50:33
should come to lay out a mode of being01:50:35
for yourself that gives you some credit01:50:38
you know when that will also help you in01:50:41
your dealings with other people but it's01:50:42
often very difficult for people to do01:50:44
that to themselves okay so that's the01:50:47
that's the first part of that perfect so01:50:52
it starts out with this hyper critical01:50:53
thinking and you talked a lot about01:50:55
Nietzsche's assertion about the death of01:50:58
God but I see it sort of more like a01:51:01
willful destruction of the heroic ideal01:51:05
and I guess several months ago I had01:51:08
occasion to look up a definition or01:51:11
explanation for the zeitgeist of modern01:51:15
victimhood outraged culture and I saw it01:51:18
in this particular case and I found and01:51:20
this paragraph okay this has what you01:51:23
called the rhythmic cadence that just01:51:26
made my hair stand up on sense and if01:51:29
you could look at it and read that this01:51:31
is better than the Lawson01:51:37
the image of man that dominates in01:51:39
modern literature in visual art cinema01:51:41
and theater is primarily a group gloomy01:51:43
image the Great and the noble are01:51:45
suspect from the outset they must be01:51:47
torn from their pedestal so that one can01:51:49
see through them morality counts as01:51:52
hypocrisy enjoy a self-deception anyone01:51:55
who simply puts trust in the beautiful01:51:56
and the good is either inexcusably in01:51:58
genuine or acting with evil intent01:52:01
the truly moral attitude is suspicion01:52:03
and its greatest success is in exposing01:52:06
criticism of society is obligatory01:52:09
it is impossible to find words lurid and01:52:11
brutal enough to describe the dangers01:52:13
that threaten us this delight in the01:52:15
negative is not however unlimited there01:52:19
exists at the same time an obligation to01:52:21
be optimistic and the failure to observe01:52:23
this obligation does not go unpunished01:52:25
for example anyone who expresses the01:52:28
view that not everything in the01:52:29
intellectual development of the modern01:52:31
period has been correct that is01:52:32
necessary in some essential areas to01:52:34
reflect on the shared wisdom of the01:52:36
great cultures has chosen to make the01:52:38
wrong kind of criticism he finds himself01:52:40
suddenly construct confronted with a01:52:42
resolute apologia01:52:44
for the fundamental decisions of the01:52:45
modern age no matter how much delight01:52:48
one may take indication he is not01:52:50
permitted to call into question the view01:52:51
that the fundamental trajectory of01:52:53
historical development is progress and01:52:55
that the good lies in the future and01:52:57
nowhere else you know I thought a lot01:53:00
about nihilism let's say and and its01:53:04
justification and I think that a very01:53:08
powerful justification for nihilism can01:53:10
be found in the mirror observation that01:53:12
life is rife with tragedy and01:53:14
malevolence of which there is no doubt01:53:18
but then I got suspicious of that01:53:22
rationale for nihilism over the years01:53:25
because a counter position to it emerged01:53:28
and this is something Nietzsche of01:53:29
course concentrated on as well that had01:53:31
more to do with resentment it's like you01:53:35
can imagine negation of the heroic ideal01:53:37
from despair from the despair of save01:53:40
produced by tragedy and by exposure to01:53:42
malevolence but it's also it's01:53:46
completely and delightfully01:53:47
irresponsible to negate01:53:48
heroic ideal because it means that you01:53:51
don't have any responsibilities and it01:53:53
seems to me that if you're nihilistic01:53:56
and prone to criticize the heroic01:54:00
foundation of let's say Western culture01:54:02
that one of the first questions that you01:54:04
could ask yourself is what makes you so01:54:07
sure that you're appropriately cynical01:54:09
suspicious and critical and not just01:54:11
running away as fast as you possibly can01:54:14
from every bit of responsibility that01:54:15
you could possibly adopt and I think01:54:18
that that's a perfectly reasonable01:54:19
perspective and I think that that is01:54:21
reflected to some degree in what the01:54:23
person who wrote this paragraph was01:54:25
attempting to you guess who it was or01:54:26
was that fair no I can't really no ha ha01:54:30
ha ha ha ha01:54:31
I left you a hint off at them who is it01:54:34
Cardinal Ratzinger come ah01:54:37
all right I'm going to take another01:54:39
question and well done01:54:46
hello hello how are you doing doing good01:54:50
dr. Pearson it's been a pleasure 1201:54:53
weeks 12 12 moments let's say okay so01:54:58
two weeks ago we talked about your01:55:01
mischievous suggestion I might say to01:55:04
cut the university's funding by 25% and01:55:07
how that might have influenced that sort01:55:10
of language and Andrew sheers platform01:55:14
right yeah and so and then you discussed01:55:16
how you're not exactly sure what your01:55:18
role is in all of this and and that you01:55:23
don't want to be in a war and you don't01:55:25
want to be using warlike language and01:55:28
and I think I think what you what you01:55:33
want to be doing is is you're trying to01:55:36
restore order but not not but not but01:55:40
not have conflict and and so I so I so01:55:45
after the after the lecture two weeks01:55:48
ago I asked you like maybe I maybe I01:55:51
should do some sales work for your post01:55:55
modern lexicon website and but I think01:55:58
I've found a better niche01:56:00
for someone of my temperament to help01:56:03
this cause so I think that so I go to01:56:07
the house University and because so many01:56:10
students are dropping out especially men01:56:14
and especially at I think minorities01:56:18
they've created this team called the01:56:21
Student Success team or something01:56:23
Student Success advisors yeah and you've01:56:27
been extracting credibly successful01:56:30
crowdfunding for your research and on01:56:35
your patreon and I think like how much01:56:38
does it cost for a single person to do01:56:40
the self altering program well it's two01:56:44
for one so it's about fifteen dollars01:56:46
okay so okay so nothing then basically01:56:50
um but I was thinking that we could01:56:52
somehow we could incorporate the self01:56:55
authoring program into this into this01:56:58
new advisor committee at Dow so that01:57:03
students can knock yourself out man do01:57:06
it that's what that's the other like the01:57:08
data for the future authoring program is01:57:10
quite clear if students even do it for01:57:13
an hour before they go to university01:57:15
they have a thirty thirty percent less01:57:17
chance of dropping out the first01:57:18
semester so you know and it would really01:57:21
night be nice to see some student01:57:23
organizations that were seriously01:57:25
devoted to facilitating student success01:57:27
you might think that's what student01:57:29
organizations should do in fact well it01:57:32
seems rather self-evident when you think01:57:34
about it but you know so I would say01:57:36
like if you're oriented in that01:57:37
direction get outer so it's a fine plan01:57:41
and it's I like the emphasis of it01:57:43
because you're directing yourself01:57:45
towards the facilitation of individual01:57:47
accomplishment and you're at least going01:57:50
to do very little harm that way and01:57:52
that's a really good start man you know01:57:54
that's that because that's that's what01:57:56
you should think about when you're01:57:57
setting out to make things better the01:58:00
first thing you should think is I'm not01:58:02
so sure I know what I'm doing so why01:58:04
don't I first attempt to do the least01:58:06
amount of harm possible and by01:58:09
concentrating on helping someone develop01:58:11
their own plan and and implement that01:58:13
into the future01:58:14
encouraging them with regards to01:58:16
whatever success they would like to find01:58:19
their way there's a pretty low01:58:20
probability that you're going to act the01:58:22
terror tyrant and and and play a01:58:25
detrimental role so good luck01:58:28
maybe we can communicate thank you yes01:58:31
I'm gonna send you an email thank you01:58:32
very much hi dr. Peterson this is the01:58:38
first of these lectures that I've been01:58:40
here to listen to but I've listened to01:58:41
all of them on YouTube so far oh boy01:58:44
they're not close enough all right wait01:58:45
that's good okay yeah and I've been01:58:49
trying to think up this question since01:58:52
basically the first lecture because I'm01:58:55
a seminary student at an evangelical01:58:57
seminary and a lot of what you've been01:59:00
saying has really been resonating and01:59:01
it's and it's really been fascinating to01:59:03
listen to and you know there's many01:59:07
people who have been asking you01:59:08
questions like what do you believe about01:59:09
the resurrection do you believe in God01:59:11
are you a Christian and all these sorts01:59:13
of things and you know I've been01:59:14
listening very closely to all your01:59:15
answers and have groups of friends on01:59:17
Facebook or bowling following very01:59:19
closely say or what Peterson said this01:59:21
time maybe he's one of us finally or01:59:23
something like that but but at the same01:59:26
time other ways that you explain some of01:59:29
the stories sound very close to what we01:59:31
call theological liberalism you know in01:59:34
the 19th century the idea that using01:59:36
historical critical methods of reading01:59:38
and interpreting the Bible and01:59:39
understanding Jesus more as a moral01:59:41
figure than as a literal historical01:59:43
figure and whose atonement provides01:59:45
satisfaction for man so I tried to01:59:49
figure out what the question was because01:59:50
I could interpret what some of your01:59:52
answers were so I'm going to put it in01:59:53
more of a general way okay where exactly01:59:56
do you see yourself differing from01:59:59
traditional Orthodox evangelical02:00:01
Christianity and and why would you02:00:04
differ there given how much you you seem02:00:07
to understand the importance of the02:00:08
biblical stories and the Western history02:00:10
in Western history okay okay well that's02:00:13
a good that's a good question02:00:14
well I offer obviously I have to answer02:00:18
in a general way I mean I think that one02:00:21
of the things that makes me different is02:00:23
that I take the idea that things are02:00:25
fourteen billion years old seriously02:00:28
you know and and the idea of evolution02:00:30
seriously I mean as Daz does the02:00:32
Catholic Church by the way and so but I02:00:35
don't see that as an impediment to the02:00:38
pursuit that I'm undertaking now I don't02:00:40
know how to bridge that gap precisely02:00:42
but I'm not that worried about it I mean02:00:45
you can't bridge every gap it's just not02:00:47
possible it would require infinite02:00:48
knowledge okay and how so that that's02:00:51
one major because I'm coming at this02:00:53
from the scientific I really am coming02:00:55
at this from the scientific perspective02:00:56
you know like I try to make sure that02:00:58
everything that I talk about is02:00:59
commensurate with current scientific02:01:01
knowledge now current scientific02:01:04
knowledge no doubt is airing in all02:01:05
sorts of ways like I think our notion02:01:07
about exactly how evolution progresses02:01:09
is flawed in many many ways and the02:01:11
recent discoveries in the field of02:01:13
epigenetics which show that you can02:01:15
actually transmit acquired02:01:16
characteristics you know has really put02:01:18
a whole real serious stick in the spokes02:01:22
of the evolutionary bicycle let's say02:01:24
but but then I also think the question02:01:29
is miss asked in some sense because I02:01:32
gave this lecture series a specific02:01:34
title for a specific reason and the02:01:36
lecture series is the psychological02:01:38
significance of the biblical stories now02:01:40
I'm not claiming that my psychological02:01:43
analysis exhausts the significance of02:01:46
the biblical stories you know they have02:01:49
multitudes let's say layers of meaning02:01:52
and some of those layers of metaphysical02:01:54
and some of them are more specifically02:01:56
religious and I'm trying the best I can02:01:58
not to wander into those domains like I02:02:00
do because it's impossible to keep02:02:02
yourself bounded you know when you're a02:02:04
discursive speaker let's say I'm trying02:02:07
to what I'm trying to do is the sort of02:02:09
thing that Jung did essentially is to02:02:11
take a look at these old stories and say02:02:12
okay well let's look at this from the02:02:14
perspective of the human psyche and02:02:16
let's see what the significance can be02:02:19
and not to say that's all the02:02:22
significance there is who knows what02:02:24
significance there is one thing I have02:02:26
learned about the biblical stories is02:02:28
that no matter how deep you go into them02:02:30
you are not at the bottom and so that's02:02:33
been very very interesting to me and god02:02:35
only knows about the metaphysical02:02:37
substructure of reality because human02:02:40
beings certainly don't02:02:41
so I don't I don't want to claim that02:02:44
what I'm doing is a religious02:02:46
interpretation although you know it02:02:47
drifts into that direction I want to02:02:50
stay within the purview of my expertise02:02:53
such as it is and to say well if you02:02:55
look at this psychologically here's what02:02:57
you can extract as as pragmatically02:03:01
existentially and clinically meaningful02:03:03
and the rest of it02:03:04
well the rest of it has to be left in02:03:07
advance and because I don't have the02:03:11
capacity to investigate claims that go02:03:14
beyond that that does not mean that I'm02:03:17
saying that what I'm doing is reducing02:03:20
these stories to their psychological02:03:22
significance even though the psyche is a02:03:24
grand thing I'm not trying to do that02:03:26
it's not reductionistic it's a take on02:03:29
it so people can make up their own minds02:03:32
metaphysically and they also have to02:03:34
make up their own minds about how02:03:35
they're going to act which is really the02:03:37
crucial issue as far as I'm concerned so02:03:40
you bet02:03:48
I I had a question with respect to daddy02:03:52
presented I believe two weeks ago sorry02:03:54
a question with respect to data even02:03:56
presented I believe two lectures ago02:03:57
regarding the use of psilocybin in02:04:01
treatment of mental illness yes yes so02:04:04
subsequently I looked up some of the02:04:06
recently published a literature and one02:04:08
yeah studies that I found extremely02:04:10
striking was one that was published less02:04:12
than a year ago in The Lancet which is a02:04:14
very high-end yes02:04:16
well respected journal yeah and what02:04:18
they looked at was efficacy in patients02:04:21
with severe treatment-resistant02:04:24
depression and what they found is that02:04:27
in 11 out of 12 of the patients they02:04:30
showed significant remittance following02:04:34
it a single dose of the substance up to02:04:36
three months following the single dose02:04:39
without additional dosing02:04:41
so this not only substantiates I suppose02:04:44
my own experiences but when you read02:04:47
some of the commentary or review02:04:50
articles surrounding these types of02:04:52
topics not with respects to depression02:04:54
but things like post-traumatic stress02:04:57
disorder addiction they'll unequivocally02:05:01
state that these types of results are02:05:03
completely unprecedented and the realm02:05:06
of psychiatric medicine yes so I was02:05:09
wondering - good comment as to whether02:05:10
or not that type of this rhetoric is02:05:13
overblown and if not do you see these02:05:17
being more mainstream in your future or02:05:19
suspect they'll fall victim to something02:05:22
along the lines of regulatory capture no02:05:24
I don't well I don't think they're over02:05:27
statements and I think I know some of02:05:28
the people who are engaged in this02:05:30
research and they're actually very02:05:31
conservative people like their brave02:05:32
people but I mean conservative in the02:05:35
best sense you know they're not they're02:05:36
not Timothy Leary yeah and I'm not02:05:38
trying to put down Timothy Leary I'm02:05:40
really not but you know some caution02:05:43
would have been a good thing although02:05:46
you know when something like when the02:05:49
psychedelics burst onto the scene no one02:05:51
had any idea what to do with them right02:05:53
so and we still really don't but the new02:05:56
research is being conducted very very02:05:57
carefully but it is really remarkable02:05:59
that those episodes02:06:01
are used or those terms are used to02:06:03
describe the results because those are02:06:05
the lancet for example is one of the top02:06:07
end medical journals02:06:09
you don't see grand claims in The Lancet02:06:11
right scientists don't write that way02:06:13
there they're trained from the very02:06:15
beginning to downplay their results but02:06:18
they're quite struck by the fact that02:06:20
these effects occur with single doses02:06:22
now I think that what we don't know02:06:25
about psychedelics could fill many many02:06:27
many thick volumes and they're and02:06:30
they're absolutely mysterious in their02:06:32
function purpose effect consequence all02:06:36
of that and I've always thought that it02:06:38
was really appalling that we stopped02:06:40
investigating them back in the 1960s02:06:42
although it's not been that long you02:06:43
know 20 years historically speaking it's02:06:46
really nothing but and no I don't think02:06:50
that there'll be that the research will02:06:52
be stopped by regulatory capture because02:06:55
the people who are doing it now I think02:06:57
learned their lesson from what happened02:06:59
in the 60s and are doing it pretty damn02:07:01
carefully so we can hope that more02:07:04
results like this are produced and that02:07:06
they're replicable and that perhaps02:07:08
they'll prove helpful with any luck yep02:07:19
hi dr. Pederson I found this lecture02:07:22
series really really enthralling and it02:07:25
did why no I spent my time to explain02:07:29
that I might answer the question02:07:31
yeah that's okay all I'll get let you02:07:32
get to the question but I'm curious like02:07:34
what why do you think that is because02:07:38
it's a strange thing to have happen like02:07:40
it's a lecture on the Bible for God's02:07:43
sake you know it's like it's not02:07:45
something you'd go to a venture02:07:47
capitalist with a business plan for so02:07:49
like what what is it about it you think02:07:51
that's been that that's had that effect02:07:53
on you02:07:55
ha I asked you a question instead look I02:08:02
don't want to I don't want to put you on02:08:03
the spot if you want to just move to02:08:05
your question that's fine but if you02:08:06
have an answer to that I would be very02:08:07
interested in doing what it is well it's02:08:13
it's a thrill to encounter a kind of02:08:20
means to a metaphysical system that's so02:08:23
persuasive and potent and I've hadn't02:08:27
really experienced that a whole lot in02:08:29
my life huh that's what universities are02:08:31
supposed to do for people eh that's what02:08:34
universities are supposed to do for02:08:36
people they're not supposed to take02:08:37
people who are barely hanging together02:08:39
and break them and make them weak02:08:41
they're supposed to equate them with the02:08:44
heroic the heroic sub structure of the02:08:47
human psyche so that they can move out02:08:50
into the world and thrive and it's an02:08:52
absolute crime that isn't what's02:08:54
happening so hooray for that02:08:57
[Applause]02:09:04
occurred to me that the kind of02:09:06
tradition and genre that you are working02:09:08
in here is that of this sermon now are02:09:13
you comfortable with that categorization02:09:15
and why or well see where you go with it02:09:18
haha well that's the essence of my02:09:21
question are these sermons and might no02:09:25
one demo I don't know h er I don't know02:09:27
you know sorry what was the last part02:09:29
light one call you a preacher well you'd02:09:31
certainly call me one and you know I02:09:35
think that there's a certain overlap and02:09:39
the overlap but this is being02:09:41
characteristic of my approach to02:09:42
education right from the beginning02:09:43
because I have some rules about what I02:09:45
lecture what about the topics that I02:09:48
lecture about and the way that I deal02:09:50
with it so the first rule is I don't02:09:52
want to tell you anything that isn't02:09:53
useful I'm a pragmatist you know like02:09:56
I'm an American pragmatist that's part02:09:58
of my philosophical grounding and I02:10:00
believe that knowledge is tool like and02:10:03
that the proper thing to do is to to02:10:05
equip people with the tools to move02:10:08
effectively in the world and so I want02:10:11
to make sure that if I offer a story or02:10:14
a fact for that matter I also say well02:10:16
here here's why you need to know this02:10:18
fact it will actually improve your life02:10:20
or it'll stop you from wandering into a02:10:22
pit which is approximately the same02:10:24
thing and then it will also knowing this02:10:27
will also make you more effective actor02:10:29
in the social world and that will02:10:30
improve the social world right and02:10:32
hopefully that will improve the02:10:33
environmental world etc etc and so I02:10:36
would say to the degree that those who02:10:39
produce sermons are concerned with02:10:41
producing alterations in behavior which02:10:43
is our moral alterations say then I02:10:46
share the same territory with them but I02:10:48
wouldn't say that that's something that02:10:49
should be only relegated to the domain02:10:51
of the sermon because I believe that it02:10:54
is the job of the universities for02:10:55
example especially in the damned02:10:57
humanities to ennoble people and to02:11:01
enable them to adopt the mantle of02:11:03
proper citizenship and that we've02:11:06
forgotten that we've forgotten that or02:11:08
we're avoiding it or refusing it or02:11:11
something like that you know and I think02:11:13
we're using the death of God as an02:11:15
excuse so I think that to the degree02:11:18
that I'm a preacher I'm making an error02:11:21
you know and also to the degree that I'm02:11:23
politicized I'm making an error I'm02:11:25
wandering out of my proper territory02:11:27
when that's the domain that I'm in but02:11:30
when I'm attempting to assemble multiple02:11:32
layers of facts towards a practical end02:11:36
which is what I'm trying to do and the02:11:38
end is the the annulment of the02:11:39
individual right that's my goal then02:11:42
then I'm in my proper domain I'm going02:11:44
to make mistakes you know I'm going to02:11:46
wander out of my territory and I try not02:11:48
to do that but you know it's well it's02:11:51
part of being a fool you're going to02:11:52
make mistakes so yeah thanks very much02:11:55
no problem doc thanks for continuing to02:12:04
do all the cool stuff that makes02:12:06
everyone love you that's great02:12:07
not everyone well uh yeah yeah yeah02:12:10
that's a generalization there's lots of02:12:12
people that seem not to love me yeah and02:12:14
I can't blame him really02:12:17
anyway yeah I'm going to lead into a02:12:19
question here so him in your book maps02:12:21
and rare book maps of meaning uh I got02:12:26
that quote from Dostoevsky about how02:12:28
humankind mankind - given all the cakes02:12:32
in the world yet oh my god so yeah if02:12:35
you get oh my god is right man that's02:12:37
one killer quote that's from notes from02:12:39
the underground eh everyone should read02:12:41
that because everyone's underground and02:12:43
it's a great it's a great little journey02:12:45
through that yeah so it's basically as02:12:48
you give if you have the perfect utopia02:12:51
I often use it basically if you have02:12:53
your most perfect utopia humans will02:12:57
find a way to screw it up yeah it'll go02:12:59
out of the way I do at least yeah02:13:00
because it's what we like we like chaos02:13:02
and the unknown just talked about this02:13:04
yeah that's the thing is is that we're02:13:06
heroic adventurers right we're not we're02:13:08
not Sybarite02:13:09
laying on a beach although when you get02:13:11
the opportunity to do that like make02:13:13
sure you take it but that's that's not02:13:14
what that's not that's not the proper02:13:16
calling of the human soul right we're02:13:18
out there to conquer chaos and the02:13:20
unknown and it's in that we find meaning02:13:23
and that's better than the utopia that's02:13:25
what Dostoyevsky02:13:26
god bless his soul Dostoyevsky had that02:13:29
he was such a genius he had everything02:13:31
that was wrong with communism figured02:13:33
out even before it started02:13:35
amazing really like if you read the02:13:38
possessed or the devil's which I would02:13:40
highly recommend although it's a hard02:13:42
book to get into it takes about a02:13:43
hundred pages to really get get it get02:13:46
moving02:13:47
but Dostoyevsky talks his main character02:13:49
in that novel is a person who's again a02:13:53
very powerful person who's completely02:13:54
possessed by what's essentially the02:13:56
communist ideology and he's very02:13:58
effective at moving it forward and02:14:00
Dostoyevsky lays out brilliantly exactly02:14:02
the catastrophic consequences of that02:14:04
both personally and socially and he did02:14:06
this like thirty years before the02:14:07
Russian Revolution it's just it's02:14:09
uncanny I don't know where the hell that02:14:11
guy was from must have been his epilepsy02:14:14
you know so yeah I'm glad I got y'all02:14:17
excited him keep going here basically I02:14:20
used to use that you know it's kind of02:14:22
late that a lot of that comes from the02:14:24
left-wing this utopia we're going02:14:25
towards with the universal income and02:14:28
the AI and suddenly the whole02:14:30
populations can become insanely creative02:14:32
and with no incentives but it's not that02:14:34
utopia is not there it's not like this02:14:36
thing that hasn't happened yet we're in02:14:38
it we're in it this is the best thing02:14:40
ever and like all of humanity the02:14:43
Western civilization like oh my god02:14:44
putting the material sense I mean oh02:14:47
it's just toilet paper toilet paper it02:14:50
just happened anyway that's so serious02:14:55
like so we have this beautiful thing and02:15:02
people are trying to take it down at all02:15:05
cost and and now we go into the dark02:15:07
phase of my into my question here which02:15:09
is and it actually goes into02:15:12
Charlottesville had you know with with02:15:16
that with with the initial purpose of02:15:18
protecting the statue was a good thing I02:15:22
don't I'm not I don't know about02:15:24
Confederacy except for the big thing but02:15:27
honestly it's a it's a slippery slippery02:15:30
slope and the confused souls who in the02:15:33
bad make this darkened souls for sure02:15:36
not good they screwed up big-time02:15:40
the purpose behind it it's so important02:15:42
because it's going to be fought founding02:15:45
fathers next anyone who ever contributed02:15:46
to anything to Western civilization as02:15:48
we know it is already being it's already02:15:50
being done James Madison High School in02:15:53
the States it's getting renamed because02:15:55
some girls one of the students felt02:15:57
unsafe and so yeah this is a serious02:16:00
issue I wanted like I feel like we're02:16:03
really up against the wall now because02:16:05
now they found their Nazis man the Nazis02:16:07
are flooding the streets now so how do02:16:09
we how do we possibly you know kind of02:16:12
save our cakes you had to bring it up02:16:25
didn't you well having the right02:16:35
degenerated to the identity politics02:16:37
does not seem to be a positive solution02:16:39
so one of the things I would say is that02:16:41
like I understand why the identity02:16:45
politics that has been practiced so02:16:46
assiduously and so devastatingly by the02:16:49
left has been co-opted by the right I02:16:52
understand that but then here's what I02:16:55
would say to the people on the right who02:16:57
are playing that game if you play the02:17:01
game of your enemies and you win you win02:17:04
their game you don't win02:17:06
that's not victory you just become the02:17:09
most successful exponent of their02:17:11
pathology how is that a good thing it's02:17:14
a bad thing so what does that leave02:17:18
people as although as an alternative02:17:20
well I don't think that the Caucasians02:17:25
let's say should revert to being white I02:17:28
think that's a bad idea02:17:30
it's a dangerous idea and it's coming02:17:33
fast and I don't like to see that I02:17:36
think the whole group identity thing is02:17:40
seriously pathological I think we've02:17:43
made big mistakes in Canada I understand02:17:46
why at least to some degree in that02:17:47
respect and that large mistakes are02:17:50
being made all over the Western world02:17:51
where we're making you02:17:53
group identity the most important thing02:17:56
about you02:17:57
I think that's reprehensible I think02:18:00
it's devastating02:18:02
I think it's genocide 'el in its02:18:04
ultimate expression I think it will02:18:06
bring down our civilization if we pursue02:18:09
it we shouldn't be playing that game so02:18:13
what's the alternative you know I've02:18:15
thought for a long time about a02:18:16
political career really forever since I02:18:19
was like 12 really for a long time and02:18:22
I've always decided against it because02:18:25
it seemed to me that the proper level of02:18:27
analysis with regards to the solution of02:18:30
the problem that we're facing isn't02:18:32
political and that's why I think it's a02:18:33
mistake when what I'm doing gets02:18:36
politicized either by me or others I02:18:37
think that the way that you deal with02:18:40
this is to put yourself together I02:18:43
really believe that is that because I02:18:45
think that individual people are far02:18:47
more powerful they're certainly far more02:18:48
evil than they're willing to consider02:18:50
but that's also a sign of their02:18:52
unbelievable power so I think that what02:18:56
you do is you aim high and put yourself02:18:59
together and stay the hell away from the02:19:02
ideologues because they're hiding02:19:04
they're hiding behind a wall they're not02:19:06
able to come out and fight on their own02:19:08
behalf and so the way forward through02:19:12
the ideological mess and that's the02:19:14
lesson of Western culture is to place02:19:16
the individual at the place of paramount02:19:18
importance and to make the group02:19:20
identity emerge only when necessary and02:19:24
secondarily02:19:25
if ever and so you can do that you can02:19:28
do that now you can do that tomorrow02:19:30
like you can put your life together and02:19:32
again as I mentioned to the other young02:19:34
men who asked the question is you won't02:19:36
hurt anyone doing that right you pick up02:19:39
your goddamn responsibilities sort02:19:41
yourself oke fix up your family right02:19:44
and then you can be a force for good in02:19:46
the culture and if enough people do that02:19:47
the ideological mess will just evaporate02:19:50
it'll just disappear I think that's the02:19:52
way you show people the right path02:19:53
forward to is that you say well look um02:19:56
we would like we would like it so much02:19:59
if you could thrive as an individual02:20:00
drop your cult-like affiliation right02:20:04
step out of the shadows the demonic02:20:06
shadows you02:20:07
ideological possession and step forward02:20:10
as a fully developed person into the02:20:12
light do it by example02:20:15
that's your that's your best bet man so02:20:18
that's what it looks like to me02:20:30
I'm going to take one more question and02:20:33
then I'm going to there is a young man02:20:35
from Kentucky here Brian02:20:38
it's Brian here ok so I'm going to02:20:42
answer one more question and I'm going02:20:43
to let you take Mike okay all right good02:20:47
evening dr. Peterson good evening02:20:49
everybody02:20:50
I also want to thank you first for your02:20:52
lectures that I've been following on02:20:54
YouTube mainly and to say that they have02:20:57
been well life changing wouldn't be an02:20:59
overstatement great and I'm one of the02:21:03
crazy people increasing your views on02:21:06
YouTube because I flew in from Belgium02:21:08
last night to be here and and it's like02:21:16
3 a.m. for me right now02:21:18
and English is not my first language so02:21:20
bear with me02:21:23
I I would have many burning questions to02:21:27
ask you but I thought it was fair and02:21:29
necessary to pick one and it would be02:21:33
this one there are concepts that recur02:21:35
in your lectures with this one you only02:21:38
mentioned once in your early videos on02:21:39
Bill c1602:21:42
about self-esteem you said you don't02:21:44
believe in the existence of self-esteem02:21:46
the way to teach children they're all02:21:48
special you think you boost their02:21:50
confidence but the only result is that02:21:53
some get a narcissistic the reason why02:21:56
I'm interested in that is about standing02:21:58
up for yourself02:21:59
and it is and when I try to you know do02:22:07
it yeah I see that rational argument02:22:13
facing rationality doesn't get the best02:22:16
result in negotiations that's why you02:22:19
learn how to be socialized by playing02:22:22
rough and tumble it's not an02:22:25
intellectual conversation that gets you02:22:27
socialized so I'm also reading that book02:22:30
suggested about by Stephen Hicks02:22:33
explaining of modernism yes I wasn't02:22:35
really familiar and I've been listening02:22:37
to a lot of talk to him later this week02:22:39
so that might be fun and I'm trying to02:22:41
read with fresh eyes because02:22:43
having it doctrine aided by you of02:22:45
course very critical and there's one02:22:48
more point that I have to agree with the02:22:53
postmodernist and that is the world02:22:55
seems to me as I observe it a place02:22:57
where powers are at play it's not02:23:01
rationality delete that so when I'm in a02:23:04
weak position and I want to fight back02:23:06
not to get resentful I find that it's02:23:09
not a rational argument that will get me02:23:12
there there's something else that I02:23:14
don't do and that I should be doing and02:23:16
I don't know what it is so you see the02:23:18
relation with self-esteem seems to me02:23:21
that people who think of themselves02:23:22
start in a better position in this game02:23:26
ok so ok ok great yeah alright so02:23:30
there's a lot in that question so the02:23:32
first thing is is there's a problem with02:23:34
the measurement of self-esteem and that02:23:36
actually matters because self-esteem is02:23:38
a psychological concept a scientific02:23:40
concept if you like and you have to get02:23:42
the measurement right and you can02:23:44
predict self-esteem almost perfectly by02:23:46
measuring someone's extraversion02:23:48
and subtracting from that their negative02:23:51
emotionality or neuroticism so it's02:23:53
actually just a combination of big five02:23:55
traits and so people who are extroverted02:23:57
who feel a lot of positive emotion and02:23:59
who are and who don't feel a lot of02:24:02
negative emotion score high on scales of02:24:04
self-esteem02:24:05
ok so conceptually it's a non-starter02:24:10
because you're not going to move02:24:13
people's levels of neuroticism let's say02:24:15
by trying to get them to feel good about02:24:17
themselves02:24:18
ok now having said that that doesn't02:24:21
mean that you shouldn't encourage people02:24:24
right now there's this psychologist02:24:28
named Jerome Kagan who's quite a great02:24:30
psychologist developmental psychologist02:24:32
I think he's emeritus at Harvard at the02:24:34
at the at the moment he studied temper02:24:38
mentally inhibited children you can so02:24:41
they're basically kids who are high in02:24:43
neuroticism probably low and02:24:44
extraversion and he found that if those02:24:47
chilled and you can identify them as02:24:48
early as six months right it's very very02:24:50
inculcated in their temperament he found02:24:54
that if you encouraged them in the world02:24:56
you could shift02:24:57
them into a more stable personality02:24:59
configuration and what you basically did02:25:01
was when they were manifesting signs of02:25:04
distress instead of encouraging them to02:25:06
withdraw and retreat which is what they02:25:09
might be attempting to do you encourage02:25:12
them to go out and explore so for02:25:14
example if you have a temper mentally02:25:15
inhibited child and you go to a02:25:16
playground and there's kids out there02:25:18
like you have an extroverted emotionally02:25:20
stable kid three years old as you put02:25:23
them on the ground their feet are02:25:25
already moving right like a puppy over02:25:27
water and you let them go and they just02:25:29
run to the to the kids and they're there02:25:31
and then you have to drag them away but02:25:33
if you have a temper mentally inhibited02:25:34
child the child will sort of stand02:25:36
around your legs and sort of peek out02:25:37
you know and then what you do is wait it02:25:41
out let them watch encourage them to02:25:44
move a little bit forward encourage them02:25:46
to take their steps out into the unknown02:25:48
and the strange land and don't let them02:25:51
withdraw like you can do it you have02:25:53
they're slower to warm up they'll warm02:25:55
up they'll habituate and if you02:25:56
continually expose your inhibited child02:25:59
to the things that make them anxious in02:26:02
measured doses then you can transform02:26:04
their psychophysiological temperament02:26:06
now you're probably not going to shift02:26:08
them way the hell out onto the02:26:09
extroverted emotionally stable end but02:26:12
you can make a big difference that's02:26:13
very different than making them feel02:26:15
good about themselves which is such a02:26:18
you need to curse you need to curse when02:26:21
you discuss that concept right so it02:26:25
isn't the improved their self-esteem it02:26:27
isn't how you feel about yourself right02:26:29
it's how you act effectively in the02:26:32
world and how you're trained to do that02:26:33
so okay now then you were talking about02:26:36
negotiation right and you said well02:26:38
don't you said something like don't02:26:40
people who feel good about themselves02:26:41
aren't they able to negotiate better and02:26:44
it's I know that's a poor paraphrase02:26:46
excuse me but negotiation is actually a02:26:50
practical issue to some degree like the02:26:52
first thing is that you have to figure02:26:54
out what you want because you were02:26:55
saying well it's not merely rational02:26:57
it's like yeah yeah that's for sure you02:26:58
have to bargain from a position of02:27:00
authority let's say not power Authority02:27:03
is a better word but you don't have02:27:05
authority unless you know what you're02:27:06
talking about and unless you can bring02:27:08
some unless you can bring some02:27:11
let's say force it's not that's not the02:27:13
right word you can negotiate without02:27:17
anyone unless you can say no and you02:27:20
can't say no unless you've set yourself02:27:22
up with alternatives so when you go to02:27:24
your boss and you negotiate for a raise02:27:26
you need to have the sort of CV that02:27:28
enables you to go find another job and02:27:30
you have to have your CV prepared and02:27:32
you have to have looked for another job02:27:33
and you have to be able to get one02:27:35
because then you can go in there and say02:27:38
I'm not as productive as I could be at02:27:41
my current level of remuneration it's02:27:43
not reflective of what I'm able to do02:27:45
and I want this and this is what will02:27:47
happen if you give me this this would be02:27:49
the good things that will happen and02:27:50
what do you think of that and the person02:27:53
is going to know even by the way that02:27:55
you hold yourself while you're having02:27:57
the discussion whether or not you're02:27:59
someone with options and you can't fake02:28:01
that well you can but it's not helpful02:28:03
like it just doesn't work for very many02:28:05
iterations you have to it's it's not02:28:08
rationally you're preparing yourself for02:28:10
battle that's what you're doing and you02:28:13
can't be weak when you prepare prepare02:28:14
yourself for battle because if the02:28:16
person says no I'm not giving you a02:28:19
raise which is exactly what they should02:28:20
say because what are they going to do02:28:22
just like sprinkle the money around you02:28:24
need to be able to say okay then there02:28:26
will be consequences that you don't like02:28:29
and that's what it means to say no to02:28:31
someone no means if you continue to push02:28:34
this things will happen that you don't02:28:36
like now in that case it'll be all be02:28:38
part and take my talents with me and if02:28:41
they don't care well then you're in the02:28:42
wrong business or you don't have any02:28:43
talents to begin with right which is so02:28:46
it in order to negotiate properly and02:28:49
then this is more difficult for people02:28:50
who are agreeable for example because02:28:52
there tend to be more conflict averse02:28:54
you have to put yourself in a position02:28:56
where you can you can push back as hard02:29:00
as you're going to be pushed on and that02:29:02
means you have to open your you have to02:29:04
open up your space of available options02:29:06
because otherwise the person says no one02:29:09
that's it you're done well you'll lose02:29:12
that it's it's as straightforward as02:29:14
that now with regards to the self-esteem02:29:18
part is practice on small things because02:29:21
you build the skills forget about the02:29:22
self-esteem it isn't about being02:29:24
confident or feeling02:29:25
confidence or any of that it's about02:29:26
knowing bloody well how to negotiate02:29:28
start with small things you know so02:29:31
you'll notice that there are things in02:29:32
your relationships in particular that02:29:34
aren't the way you want them to be and02:29:36
that you could see how could be improved02:29:37
it's like figure out how they can be02:29:39
improved negotiate with your partner02:29:41
make the incremental improvement keep02:29:43
doing that you'll get better and better02:29:45
at it and then you'll be able to go out02:29:47
and have a harder negotiation in the02:29:48
world so to set a skills there's an02:29:52
attitude behind it you know and it's02:29:53
easier for some people than others but02:29:56
fundamentally it's a set of skills no02:30:00
problem alright so now we have something02:30:07
interesting and I expected to close this02:30:12
off with the floor is yours dr. Peterson02:30:15
I'd like to say thank you for making02:30:17
your videos available online they've had02:30:22
a great effect on me over the last year02:30:24
I actually found them a few years ago02:30:26
but sometime around July or August of02:30:29
last year I got hooked I would wake up02:30:34
at like 5:00 a.m. in the morning to02:30:36
watch your maps of meaning releases the02:30:39
new ones the old ones excetera02:30:41
I found myself inspired by both the02:30:46
academic and technical material as well02:30:49
as what I might term the more fatherly02:30:51
directives or wisdom I shared this with02:30:55
my family and my friends as well as my02:30:57
girlfriend she's here tonight as well02:30:59
she's been following the biblical series02:31:02
but what I'd like to say is thank you02:31:04
for inspiring me to stand up and face02:31:08
something that I've been afraid of all02:31:11
my adult life and thank you for granting02:31:14
me the permission to ask this question02:31:16
here it's actually for my girlfriend02:31:19
will you please stand up02:31:22
you02:31:27
so some might say given that we are a02:31:31
couple of primates full of snakes it's02:31:33
pretty miraculous that we haven't killed02:31:34
each other but I think you're pretty02:31:41
great and we've been talking about02:31:43
commitment and I think I'm ready I know02:31:47
I'm ready to commit to a life with you02:31:51
of sorting ourselves out02:31:53
I'd like to clean some rooms with you02:32:06
and even as scary as the shackles of02:32:11
marriage have been made to sing to us02:32:16
I'm thinking about forever and simply02:32:19
Mao in my words I love you dearly you02:32:23
feel like home I never want to lose that02:32:26
will you marry me if you want to come02:32:28
here02:32:49
so you're saying you're gonna shackle02:32:52
yourself to me and never run away then I02:32:57
shall suffer the rest of my life with02:32:58
you02:33:27
youDescription:
Watch Exodus available exclusively on DailyWire+: https://www.dailywire.com/show/exodus?cid=exodus&mid=na&xid=0 In this, the final lecture of the Summer 2017 12-part series The Psychological Significance of the Biblical Stories, we encounter, first, Hagar's banishment to the desert with Ishmael and then the demand made by God to Abraham for the sacrifice of Isaac. To sacrifice now is to gain later: perhaps the greatest of human discoveries. What, then, should best be sacrificed? And what might be the greatest gain? There are few eternal questions more profound and difficult. In this lecture, I read an excerpt from Chapter 7 of my new book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, now available for pre-order at Amazon.ca (https://www.amazon.ca/12-Rules-Life-Jordan-Peterson/dp/0345816021 and Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/12-Rules-Life-Antidote-Chaos/dp/0345816021?ie=UTF8 I am currently making arrangements to continue this series with a monthly lecture. That will start in September at a date and time yet to be announced. Producer Credit and thanks to the following $200/month Patreon supporters. Without such support, this series would not have happened: Adam Clarke, Alexander Meckhai’el Beraeros, Andy Baker, Arden C. Armstrong, Badr Amari, BC, Ben Baker, Benjamin Cracknell, Brandon Yates, Chad Grills, Chris Martakis, Christopher Ballew, Craig Morrison, Daljeet Singh, Damian Fink, Dan Gaylinn, Daren Connel, David Johnson, David Tien, Donald Mitchell, Eleftheria Libertatem, Enrico Lejaru, George Diaz, GeorgeB, Holly Lindquist, Ian Trick, James Bradley, James N. Daniel, III, Jan Schanek, Jason R. Ferenc, Jesse Michalak, Joe Cairns, Joel Kurth, John Woolley, Johnny Vinje, Julie Byrne, Keith Jones, Kevin Fallon, Kevin Patrick McSurdy, Kevin Van Eekeren, Kristina Ripka, Louise Parberry, Matt Karamazov, Matt Sattler, Mayor Berkowitz , Michael Thiele, Nathan Claus, Nick Swenson , Patricia Newman, Robb Kelley, Robin Otto, Ryan Kane, Sabish Balan, Salman Alsabah, Scott Carter, Sean C., Sean Magin, Sebastian Thaci, Shiqi Hu, Soheil Daftarian, Srdan Pavlovic, Starting Ideas, Too Analytical, Trey McLemore, William Wilkinson, Yazz Troche, Zachary Vader --- SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL --- Direct Support: https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/donate Merchandise: https://teespring.com/stores/jordanbpeterson --- BOOKS --- 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos: https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/12-rules-for-life/ Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief: https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/maps-of-meaning/ --- LINKS --- Website: https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/ 12 Rules for Life Tour: https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/events/ Blog: https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/blog/ Podcast: https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/podcast/ Reading List: https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/great-books/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/unsupportedbrowser Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unsupportedbrowser --- PRODUCTS --- Personality Course: https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/personality Self Authoring Suite: https://selfauthoring.com/ Understand Myself personality test: https://understandmyself.com/ Merchandise: https://teespring.com/stores/jordanbpeterson
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