Book SummaryBeyond Order, by Jordan Peterson

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Beyond Order

In Beyond Order, Jordan B. Peterson lays out his philosophy and rules for living a life of excellence in a world of hardship and chaos. Peterson offers 12 rules, centered on ideas of chaos, change, and order, that cover how and why to listen to your conscience, how to find the courage to take responsibility for yourself and your loved ones, and how to show up for life as fully as you can.

Peterson is a Canadian clinical psychologist and emeritus professor at the University of Toronto, as well as a former associate professor at Harvard. He rose to fame in 2016 for his controversial critique of identity politics and Canada’s Bill C-16, which extended discrimination, hate speech, and hate crime protections to gender-diverse individuals. Peterson is also known for his YouTube-based lecture series on mythology, religion, and psychology, as well as for staunchly supporting free speech, monogamous marriage, and the importance of the Bible to Western culture.

Beyond Order builds on the ideas laid out in 12 Rules for Life,...

Beyond Order Summary Group #1: Rules for Personal Responsibility

To begin, we’ll explain Peterson’s four rules that concern personal responsibility, or how you can take control of your life as an individual. We’ll discuss his views on finding meaning in life, how to focus and commit to things, how to act properly, and how to learn from your past. Taken together, these rules convey Peterson’s ideas about how to conduct yourself as a responsible, ethical, and mature member of society.

Rule #4: Take On the Burdens of Responsibility

We’ll first discuss Peterson’s Rule #4, in which he contends that assuming personal responsibility for your life will bring you meaning and fulfillment.

Peterson argues that meaning in life doesn’t come from happiness, as is commonly believed. That’s because happiness only feels good for a moment or two—and having previously felt good doesn’t help much when life gets tough. In the midst of a dark, difficult experience, that earlier happiness will be just a memory.

(Shortform note: Consider also the hedonic treadmill, a concept from psychology that states that people’s happiness levels tend to revert to a default level. This happens because...

Beyond Order Summary Group #2: Rules for Dealing With the World

In this next section, we’ll discuss five rules for conducting yourself in the social world. Specifically, we’ll explore Peterson’s perspectives on tradition and change, romantic relationships, chronic stress and your home life, ideological dogma in the world around us, and work situations that compromise your values. By following these rules, you’ll reduce the friction and difficulties in your interactions with other people and the world at large.

Rule #1: Respect Both Tradition and Progressive Change

Starting with a discussion of the world at large, Peterson argues in Rule #1 that we should respect our traditional social institutions while also embracing the reality of progressivism and change. These are complementary forces: Traditions ground us and connect us to the past, while progressive thought challenges and renews facets of society that have stagnated.

According to Peterson, our traditional social institutions are solutions to complex problems that humanity has spent millennia working out: How we can best structure our societies, organize large-scale action such as building cities, live together in a civilized, non-violent way, and so on. Though at times...

Beyond Order Summary Group #3: Rules for Existential Well-Being

In Group #3, we’ll discuss Peterson’s perspective on how to relate to the world at large. These three rules deal with questions of a more existential nature. Specifically, we’ll explain how to stay connected to a higher good, how to avoid growing bitter as life challenges you, and how to find strength and thankfulness in the face of life’s inevitable hardships.

Rule #8: Make Space for Beauty in Your Life

Peterson asserts in Rule #8 that beauty plays a vital role in life: It connects us to the sense of wonder and mystery that we felt as children. Without making room for beauty, we can lose touch with the mystery of life and the wonder all around us.

As children, we have no problem connecting to beauty. We see the world through fresh eyes, and we can feel wonder everywhere. But with time, Peterson says, we lose this ability to perceive the wondrousness of the world. Instead, we fall into ruts and routines, and we start to take for granted the beauty that still exists all around us. It becomes mundane, drab, and familiar.

There is a way back to that child-like perception, however. Peterson argues that fine art can reconnect us with the beauty we saw as children....

Shortform Exercise: Apply Peterson’s Rules

While Peterson gives 12 rules and extensive reasoning for each, it’s important to do one thing at a time to get the best results. In this exercise, narrow down the rules that feel relevant to your life and choose one to try.

Having read through Peterson’s 12 rules, which group of rules feels most immediately relevant to your current life situation? Why? Recall that his rules pertain to personal responsibility, relationships and the world at large, and your existential well-being.