Dr. Jordan B. Peterson is a psychology professor at the University of Toronto, in Canada. He is a man that I hold in the highest of lights as far as the field of psychology goes; Dr. Peterson has taken his talents and interests in this field so far as to be able to give away large sums of money for causes that he believes can benefit society. A large portion of this money has been generated through donations to his cause, as most of his material is available for free on YouTube. Peterson has revealed aspirations to set up an online university dedicated to seeking out truth, morality, and knowledge for the enrolled students.

The reason I see Dr. Peterson as such an important individual is because he provides incredible insight on the field of psychology; he has spent decades contemplating problems, and you can hear the full conviction in his voice as a result of his in depth studies. One particular field that he oftentimes speaks about is the psychological significance of the Bible. This is a never-before-seen perspective on this religious text. It is interesting to me because the religious aspect of the book is lifted and replaced with a psychological explanation for why the collective authors of the Bible included the stories that they did. He analyzes stories such as Genesis, removing the divinity aspect. He instead reduces the story to theories about how our human species came to be conscious the way that Adam and Eve became conscious when they ate the apple. Peterson notes that it is indicated that they became conscious when they ate the apple because they instantly knew that they were naked; this is what set humans apart from animals. Animals are not self-conscious, and therefor are not aware that they are naked. He does not offer definite solutions to questions like these, but rather explores potential answers to some of the oldest questions around to date.

To those who have not ever listened to any of Dr. Peterson’s lectures, and to those who are not particularly interested in psychology, I urge you to go onto YouTube in your leisure time and search some of his material. His lectures range from the psychological significance of Biblical stories to lectures offering sage advice for those who are suffering from depression. His dry sense of humor and witty remarks are always entertaining when he is being interviewed for a radio show, or something along those lines. He is almost too smart to be funny, because you cannot tell if he is joking or not. It is true that there are few people who can top him linguistically; there are numerous times when he will pause during a lecture to mentally articulate an abstract thought, and then he will continue to captivate his audience with his language skills.  He is truly a well of knowledge that anyone can draw from, which is why I wish to share this opportunity with you.