Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson has become a prominent public figure recently primarily for his criticism of postmodernism, identity politics, and their interpretations of gender. Peterson often postures not as a partisan but as a moderate advocate of science who is concerned with the dangerous rise of zealous ideologies which are not reliant on facts.
Three things Peterson very often claims he hates, authoritarianism, political violence, and those who proudly reject science and facts, are embodied more perfectly than no other group in the developed world but the religious right-wing in the United States. Their vast influence is perhaps the primary obstacle preventing the United States, and therefore most of the earth, from combating the most existential issues humanity has ever faced: climate change, and to a lesser extent, nuclear proliferation. On a domestic level, some rightists have even adopted the extreme position of attempting to introduce evolution denial into schools. These people proudly and openly hate science, and usually don’t make a secret their passionate hatred for minorities. Right-wing extremists have for many decades been much more violent than leftists in the US, committing far more politically-motivated terrorist acts that have resulted in far more deaths (and, following the election of Trump, the rate has increased). Today, they’ve elected into the world’s most powerful office a man who proudly denies obvious facts and lies multiple times a day. It’s not an exaggeration to say that a brand of viciously anti-truth ideology is in the most dangerous position to affect the world in living memory. Psychological studies have revealed that one of the primary traits modulating support for Donald Trump is personal belief in authoritarianism and racism. On a global scale, the rise of the far-right is being normalized at a rate never before thought possible since the defeat of fascism in World War II. Continue reading
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