Jordan Peterson and Religion are for 'Stupid People'

My reflections on the Sam Harris vs Jordan Peterson debate at the O2 in London.
While editing this I thought perhaps I should have made a distinction between calling people "stupid" and calling ideas stupid.
The clip at the end is from Harvey (1950)

[edgaracajabon]

Stupid people are those who think they're always right

[ThroughAMirror]

I find the smartest people are quite often the least capable of recognizing the inevitable stupidities within themselves.

Intelligence is a virtue when it is combined with humility and goodwill.

[richardlbowles]

Peterson's remark about including himself as a "stupid person" reminds me of Socrates saying that the one thing he knew for certain was that he knew nothing. Having said that, Harris' remarks remind me of the ancient Greek aphorism that "Religion is regarded by fools as true, by wise men as false and by rulers as useful."

[niallmartin]

12 rules is a very accessible book. Maps of Meaning, on the other hand, is very densely packed, multi layered and opaque, definitely not for "stupid people", love JP, he's a great teacher.

[stephenross]

I just love your commentary. I like the fact that when you’re thinking and talking you trip over thoughts and chase after them into irrelevant tangents! It’s very real and is oftentimes the bane of thinking people who are just trying to figure out the world. Thanks bunches! Keep up the good work.

[irismuddyhehe]

your points and the clip at the end reminded me of this from How to Win Friends and Influence People:
"Why prove to a man he is wrong? Is that going to make him like you? Why not let him save face? He didn't ask for your opinion. He didn't want it. Why argue with him? You can't win an argument, because if you lose, you lose it; and if you win it, you lose it. Why? You will feel fine. But what about him? You have made him feel inferior, you hurt his pride, insult his intelligence, his judgment, and his self-respect, and he'll resent your triumph. That will make him strike back, but it will never make him want to change his mind. A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still."
great wisdom from Dale after being a debate champion...

[retromachine]

I have called a few people stupid in my life, which is kind of sad, given that I'm not even the most intelligent, average at best; I think person (A) calls person (B) stupid not because of a low I.Q but more out of frustration because of wilful ignorance and self deception. Its frustrating when their body language tells you that they understand every word, they know you are correct, but "choose" to double down on their pathway..

[SeeN]

Po the Person
Well done on this video, I think you're right that people attack Peterson's character to try to shame people who find wisdom in his words. I've observed that often when people attack character, it's because they can't dispute their ideas; it's a last resort.

[peterm]

“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”--Mark Twain. Give it a few more years kid.

[Tim_G_Bennett]

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." Albert Einstein or maybe Richard Feynman.

[sam]

Po, thank you for taking the time to gather your thoughts and post them on this subject.

[czechit]

People are smarter than they think they are. Calling someone stupid is lazier than trying to understand their point of view.

[captaincurd]

A wise men knows he is a fool but a fool doesn't. The only difference between wisdom and foolishness is the conscious realization...

[TheChaselg]

I don't know much about all this big city book learning, but I've noticed that people who think they're cleverer than everyone else and seem comfortable calling other people stupid are usually not much practical help to anyone. A while back I needed to paint my house, but I couldn't do it on my own. My clever friends all gave me advice, but my mate, who's not much smarter than me just said "come on, let's get this done", and spent two days painting with me. Another good video, thanks Po.

[frankfeldman]

The thing these debates uniformly fail to notice is that religion has vanishingly little to do with belief, and all to do with community, sacralizing life passages, etc. It's shooting a not even duck in a barrel.

[charlesrobinson]

Most people are capable of being stupid on their own. Very smart people require religious beliefs to be stupid.

[TheAgentAssassin]

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Notice it says "beginning".

[studios-merm]

If you can't explain it to a 5 year old than you likely do not understand it JBP seems to understand the content he shares.

[leehan-yeol]

Atheism is quite popular in the west. I believe it has something to do with the beginning of the end of their civilization.

[canelamckeeable]

I was going the new atheist way but could reconcile with their belief that science or computers could be a good way to govern. I will always be for individualism. When people use phrases like "for the common good, " it will always persuade me to oppose them. Harris is good, but his tendency to gravitate to big government will always will make me oppose him.