Lecture 10 in my Psychological Significance of the Biblical Stories series.
The Abrahamic adventures continue with this, the tenth lecture in my 12-part initial Biblical lecture series. Abraham’s life is presented as a series of encapsulated narratives, punctuated by sacrifice, and the rekindling of his covenant with God. This seems to reflect the pattern of human life: the journey towards a goal, or destination, and the completion of a stage or epoch of life, followed by the necessity of re-evaluation and reconsideration of identity, prior to the next step forward. Abraham, for his part, makes the sacrifices necessary to continue to walk with God, or before God (as the terminology in this section has it). It is this decision that allows him to transcend the vicissitudes of life, and to take his role as the father of nations.
Relevant Links
- 12 Rules for Life Live Tour: www.jordanbpeterson.com/events
- My new book: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos: jordanbpeterson.com/12-rules-for-life
- My first book: Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief: jordanbpeterson.com/maps-of-meaning
- Dr Jordan B Peterson Website: jordanbpeterson.com/
- Self Authoring Suite: selfauthoring.com/
- Understand Myself personality test: understandmyself.com/
- Blog: jordanbpeterson.com/blog/
- Podcast: jordanbpeterson.com/podcast/
- Reading List: jordanbpeterson.com/great-books/
- Twitter: twitter.com/jordanbpeterson
- Support This Podcast: jordanbpeterson.com/donate/
The lecture was fabulous in almost every way except your political commentary. I listen to hear your thoughts about the psychological significance of the Old Testament stories, not for your political views. I understand the two are related, however understanding the significance of the stories does not lead to just one political interpretation. My political views differ radically from yours. Listening to you has forced me to clarify them, and to seek out deeper understandings. David Harvey latest work onMarx and Des Capital is next on my reading list. I’m not sure how well if at all you understand Marx. Have you read any of his work? I would love to hear a debate between you and David Harvey, or you and Chris Hedges on the relative virtues of capitalism and socialism, including the histories of both. Harvey pointed out in a recent interview that when Mao took power in China the average life expectancy was 35. When he died it was 65. I’m sure other factors besides the political system contributed to that gain, but I’m also sure the political system was a significant factor. Life expectancy in the US is falling for certain groups, I wonder if you can see any role for Capitalism in that fall. I digress. More and more of your lectures question and answer period are consumed by the political. I’m being to wonder what is the ultimate purpose of your lectures, because all the conservative politics is off putting to many people who would otherwise benefit from much of your work.