Book · 2002 · Psychology
Maps of Meaning
The Architecture of Belief
#160 of 16,916 books, ranked by how many different people bring it up on podcasts
- episodes
- 26
- podcasts
- 11
- people
- 16
- episodes recommend it
- 4
Your Maps of Meaning was a very important book for me. I read it actually to help me with my war book, believe it or not.
Robert Greene · The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast · Mar 2022 Listen at 1:34:45 What they say about it
- Impactful and important“was a very important book”3


- Dense and academic“very dense and academic”2

- First book“my first book Maps of Meaning”2

The best things said about it
His book Maps of Meaning was really moving and impactful in my own personal life.
His book Maps of Meaning is actually even more impactful.
Tom Bilyeu On Purpose with Jay Shetty · Sep 2020 I've went back and listened to the to the maps maps of meaning on Audible and it's one of Jordan's earlier works, you know, and he's talking about society and how it's structured and basically talks about like the motivations and the origins of why people always resort to evil.
I used to this thing called like Maps of Meaning there were great synthesis of anthropology and psychoanalysis stuff.
I had read 12 Rules for Life and I had flipped through Maps of Meaning, it's a very intense book.
Dave Rubin The Rubin Report · Apr 2022 Where and when it comes up
How it comes up
16 people who brought it up
- Robert Breedlove1 episode · recommended in 1
Robert Greene1 episode · recommended in 1
Tom Bilyeu1 episode · recommended in 1
Jordan Peterson8 episodes- Robert Evans4 episodes
- Chloe Valdary2 episodes
- Oliver Anthony2 episodes
Dave Rubin1 episode- Dr. Drew Pinsky1 episode
- Jimmy Carr1 episode
- John Vallis1 episode
- Jonathan Pageau1 episode
Why people recommend it
Maps of Meaning by Jordan B. Peterson is a dense academic text that explores the deep evolutionary history of human mythology, religious structures, and the psychological frameworks through which individuals construct meaning. On the Lex Fridman Podcast, Robert Breedlove recommended the book as an essential part of a reading triplet designed to challenge materialist worldviews and dive deep into mythological social structures. Tom Bilyeu similarly praised the book on On Purpose with Jay Shetty, describing it as even more impactful than the author's later work, though he noted that its dense nature required dedicated effort. Robert Greene shared on The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast that the book had been deeply influential to him, aiding him during the writing of his own historical works. Adam also mentioned on Timcast IRL that he was introduced to the author's underlying theories through online lectures that formed the foundation of the publication. Finally, Jordan Peterson himself discussed the academic origins of the text on his own podcast, explaining how years of research culminated in a project originally written to make sense of fundamental human knowledge and psychological dualities.
Every mention
Robert Breedlove it's first recommend Jordan Peterson's book maps of meaning it's a deep dive into mythology and how it's de… 1
“we did a a book club on his book maps of meaning and he engaged with us about it so hoping to deliver the orange pill to Mr Peterson”
“it's first recommend Jordan Peterson's book maps of meaning it's a deep dive into mythology and how it's developed over the course of history and how it's reflected both in our social structures”
“I'd first recommend Jordan Peterson's book maps of meaning”
Robert Greene Your maps of meaning was a very important book for me. I read it actually to help me with my war book, beli… 1
“Your maps of meaning was a very important book for me. I read it actually to help me with my war book, believe it or not.”
Tom Bilyeu his book maps of meaning is actually even more impactful but it's dense 1
“his book maps of meaning is actually even more impactful but it's dense”
“His book maps of meaning is actually even more impactful”
Jordan Peterson So, one of the things I realized when I was writing maps of meaning was that there are two fundamental form… 8
“I did some at McGill when I was there in Montreal beforehand, but I did a lot of the work that culminated in this book, Maps of Meaning, very academic book. One that was probably really in some ways mostly written for me”
“So, one of the things I realized when I was writing maps of meaning was that there are two fundamental forms of knowledge that we need to have about the world, about life.”
“I was and it was something I hypothesized in Maps of Meaning the book I made reference to and it's been a predicate of my work ever since certainly a predicate of this new book we who wrestle with God is that a story is a description of our identity.”
“I think that might be true because maps of meaning was very dense and academic and then the following two books were quite popular and more descriptive and and helpful rather than conceptual.”
“In my class, 'Maps of Meaning,' I used to have students do this as a project, and one of the projects was to find something in your neighborhood or family that isn’t right and see if you can set it right—just write down what happens.”
“And when I taught this course at Harvard and then at the University of Toronto, and it's online, called Maps of Meaning, I think what it's about is the inevitable religious substrate of culture itself. I have a reason for saying inevitably religious.”
“I found an analogy between you your use of diagrams in this book and my use of diagrams in my first book maps of meaning it while I was working out the ideas in that book which are analogous in many ways to the ideas that you're presenting”
“so you read maps of meaning during covid so how long did that take you”
“one of the things i kind of outlined in maps of meaning i think is that there are two sources of virulent racism”
“i ran across john's podcast partly because their book club also focused on my first book maps of meaning”
“i mean one book is about order and the other is about chaos and my first book is about both”
Robert Evans I don't know if anyone listening has seen maps of meaning. I don't think it had an editor code. It's like t… 4
“I don't know if anyone listening has seen maps of meaning. I don't think it had an editor code. It's like thousandpage uh diagram of a dragon.”
“So, I've been looking at my copy of Maps of Meaning and Yeah. terrible book. I apologize for writing it.”
“In Maps of Meaning, which is his first book, we'll talk about it later, he remembered his reaction. "Religion was for the ignorant, weak, and superstitious," he wrote. "I stopped attending church and joined the modern world."”
“In 1999 he published his first book, Maps of Meaning, a dense 600-page academic treatise on the architecture of belief, which is a great term. Um, he's a decent titler.”
“In Maps of Meaning, he traced this sense of urgency to a feeling of fraudulence that overcame him in college. When he started to speak, he would hear a voice telling him, "You don't believe that. That isn't true."”
“Its emphasis on religious myth and heroic individuals provides a poor blueprint for understanding the origins of totalitarianism and an even poorer guide to overcoming its evils.”
“Now, in Maps of Meaning, Jordan Peterson analyzed a number of authoritarian regimes and totalitarian crimes. He came away with the conclusion that the heroic individual was the only way that to avoid such horrors.”
“He was playing out the ideas that appeared in his first book. The social order is coming apart. We're on the edge of chaos.”
Chloe Valdary his book maps of meaning was really moving and impactful in my own personal life 2
“his book maps of meaning was really moving and impactful in my own personal life”
“i read your book maps of meaning last year and i think it's interesting that i decided to read maps of meaning during covid”
Oliver Anthony I've went back and listened to the to the maps maps of meaning on Audible and it's one of Jordan's earlier… 2
“I've went back and listened to the to the maps maps of meaning on Audible and it's one of Jordan's earlier works, you know, and he's talking about society and how it's structured and basically talks about like the motivations and the origins of why people always resort to evil”
“Like just in our structure and the way we, you know, again, it goes back to that Jordan Peterson lecture about, I think in Maps of Meaning where he talks about people who think more conservatively or more liberally about things like it's been applied to politics, but it's based more in psychology than anything.”
Dave Rubin First off, as you know, a couple of years later, I was on tour with Jordan Peterson and we did 120 shows in… 1
“First off, as you know, a couple of years later, I was on tour with Jordan Peterson and we did 120 shows in 20 countries. And he was not only, I had read "12 Rules for Life" and I had flipped through "Maps of Meaning", it's a very intense book, but being on tour with this guy and every night”
Dr. Drew Pinsky I used to this thing called like maps of meaning there were great synthesis of anthropology and psychoanaly… 1
“I used to this thing called like maps of meaning there were great synthesis of anthropology and psychoanalysis stuff”
Jimmy Carr I think you're an incredibly interesting guy because I think there's a there's a sense in which what you're… 1
“I think you're an incredibly interesting guy because I think there's a there's a sense in which what you're trying to do, certainly in 12 rules, but I think you know, maps of meaning as well, I think is such a valuable, you know, you're reaching out.”
“People are searching for for a little bit of guidance and I think when you look at, you know, some of the things that you talk about, certainly in in in Maps of Meaning, the the idea that myth and story and you know, the kind of Youngian archetypes of the term I would use, you know, they're so important”
John Vallis and of course i think there's um the book maps of meaning and part of the reason why we explored it in the… 1
“and of course i think there's um the book maps of meaning and part of the reason why we explored it in the book club is because i think that provides a framework for understanding that phenomenon better”
Jonathan Pageau and I think that you know one of the things that happened in the 20th century and you did it with maps of m… 1
“and I think that you know one of the things that happened in the 20th century and you did it with maps of meaning is that if you when you do comparative storytelling”
Rafe Kelley I was literally just reading I was I read through all the the beginnings of the chapters of maps of meaning… 1
“I was literally just reading I was I read through all the the beginnings of the chapters of maps of meaning yesterday”
“I was literally just reading through all the beginnings of the chapters of 'Maps of Meaning' yesterday, especially the chapter on 'The Hostile Brothers.' The chapter discusses two transpersonal archetypes we can embody at the individual level.”
Richard James where you know i found that found myself interested in this this libertarian system of ethics or morals and… 1
“where you know i found that found myself interested in this this libertarian system of ethics or morals and you know maps of meaning i think is essentially a book about morality as”
Roland Griffiths and and frankly as this work has unfolded and as i've followed uh the your fascinating uh uh course maps of… 1
“and and frankly as this work has unfolded and as i've followed uh the your fascinating uh uh course maps of meaning and uh and your other uh books i really became intrigued by having a conversation with you about all this”
Sheldon Solomon jordan was working on his maps of meaning and we were publishing our work and i i think jordan at the time… 1
“jordan was working on his maps of meaning and we were publishing our work and i i think jordan at the time – um was concerned about our vague claims to the effect that all meaning is arbitrary”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker1
“I was introduced to him last year through one of nature's friends and I the maps a meeting basically and yeah it's if you don't know it it's it's very enlightening check it out it's the maps of meeting on YouTube and it's it's basically one of his theories or one of his classes and you could just go watch”
Other mentions (69: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I think I got the explanation for why the value structures have to be characterized more clear than I did when I was lecturing for Maps of Meaning for example”
“Now, when I wrote Maps of Meaning, I started to figure something out. I made a hypothesis in that book that I've been working on differentiating for still I'm doing that now on stage, still trying to work it through.”
“I would like to think that the work that I've done particularly in my book Maps of Meaning in We Who Wrestle with God, I'm working on that as well in a new book called The Foundation of the World, which is an analysis of the gospel stories, is a continuation of that integration tradition.”
“I think that might be true because maps of meaning was very dense and academic and then the following two books were quite popular and more descriptive...”
“and but it's less demanding than maps of meaning”
“and I did this in my maps of meaning book and I wanted to make sure that the propositions that I put forward”
“It seems to me, too, that I did this in my Maps of Meaning book, and I wanted to make sure that the propositions I put forward could be validated pharmacologically, neurologically, psychologically, and from the perspective of cybernetics and narrative—five dimensions of triangulation.”
“And then my first book Maps of Meaning actually started as about a 40-page poem.”
“And my first book, "Maps of Meaning," actually started as about a 40-page poem. Wow.”
“when I wrote maps of meaning so I did that I used the union Works in that regard”
“When I wrote Maps of Meaning, I did that; I used the Jungian works in that regard, but I also used what I knew about neuropsychology and neuropsychopharmacology, with the presumption being that if all these pointers pointed to the same thing, it was probably there.”
“you've written three books which have sold more than 7 million copies maps of meaning 12 rules for life beyond order for 20 years”
“When I wrote my first book, 'Maps of Meaning,' I included a chapter entitled 'The Divinity of Interest,' which focused on calling. This is also implicit in your principles.”
“So when I wrote maps of meaning, I had started to conceptualize the call of the sacred as something like spontaneous interest, right? Is that well so things will grip your attention and compel you in a certain direction. I realized later after I wrote that book many years later that that was equivalent to the more traditional notion of”
“and when I was writing maps of meaning which was my first book I had a very difficult time shutting off my mind I was obsessed with that book and so I was writing about three hours a day”
“When I was writing 'Maps of Meaning,' my first book, I had a very difficult time shutting off my mind.”
“You can debate whether what they found was spurious, but in my book Maps of Meaning, I attempted to take their findings, construct a nomological network of cross-cultural mythological analysis, and compare it against the measurement techniques of behavioral psychology and neuroscience.”
“and in my Maps of Meaning book, what I tried to do was to take what the Union's had discovered by constructing a nomological network of cross-cultural mythological analysis and I tried to beat that against the measurement techniques of behavioral psychology and neuroscience.”
“by the way my I called my first book maps of meaning because I understood I came to understand that meaning was actually a navigation guide”
“so when I wrote my book maps of meaning I analyzed the structure of Redemptive stories and and your life is a Redemptive story”
“First of all, when I wrote my book 'Maps of Meaning,' I analyzed the structure of redemptive stories. Your life is a redemptive story if you're fortunate because you have a lot of trouble in your life and yet you plow through and take care of that trouble.”
“He laid out something I'd also investigated in my maps of meaning book. This underlying religious narrative and it's basically a Gaia narrative.”
“Epstein has pointed out in his new book, 'Fossil Future', something I’d also investigated in my 'Maps of Meaning' book: this underlying religious narrative is basically a Gaia narrative.”
“And that was really what I started writing my first book when I was at Miguel Maps of Meaning and pursued that a lot while I was working with you sort of as a side project.”
“and I did a eight hour summary of my book maps of meaning and so we have all sorts of other people who are you know from Cambridge and Oxford and Stanford and MIT and and then people from outside the academy too who are brilliant”
“and I did a eight hour summary of my book maps of meaning”
“So, like when I wrote my first book, which was called Maps of Meaning, I spent a lot of time writing it.”
“When I wrote my book in 1999 called Maps of Meaning, it struck me that the basic cognitive and perceptual categories were something like chaos, order, and the process that mediates between them.”
“the following is a conversation with jordan peterson an influential psychologist lecturer podcast host and author of maps of meaning 12 rules for life and beyond order”
“The following is a conversation with Jordan Peterson, an influential psychologist, lecturer, podcast host, and author of 'Maps of Meaning,' '12 Rules for Life,' and beyond.”
“when i wrote maps of meaning my first book i structured it in some ways similarly because the first large chapter is this chapter on neuropsychology and hemispheric function”
“so you talk in the book too as ideology as substitute for religion and i had smart students at harvard in particular but also at the university of toronto when i was lecturing on my book maps of meaning”
“and i would say in both books and in maps of meaning as well is that the primary obligation of a parent is to serve as a proxy for the social and the natural world”
“Um but this is a nice little refresher like Dr. Jordan B. Peterson's maps of meaning. Exactly. It's all which is maps of how the different meanings that will come into your life when you insert various kinds of testicles into your body.”
“Now, you asked about identity, and I used the example of a child's game, but I could go through identity more generally. I particularly focus on this in Maps of Meaning. For example, let's say I'm sitting and typing.”
“and so i do this particularly in maps of meaning and so for example let's say i'm sitting typing”
“He's the author of Maps of Meaning, The Architecture of Belief, 1999.”
“like when i wrote my first book maps of meaning i believe i wrote every sentence in that book 50 times 50 variants of every sentence”
“when i wrote my first book which was maps of meaning pretty much all i was doing was trying to figure something out”
“because i proposed that in my book maps of meaning and a number of philosophical critics have said that i misunderstood that that incompleteness theorem that didn't have any application in the domain of philosophical inquiry”
“one of the things i i warned people about in maps of meaning was if you lie enough you will implicit structures that guide your interest and then you won't be able to rely on it”
“well this is why and i outline this to some degree in beyond order and also in my first book maps of meaning there are there are”
“before i wrote these books called an abc of childhood tragedy”
“who watch your lectures and especially those who have read maps of meaning and the books”
“and also the fact that you mentioned him in maps of meaning has sparked a lot of interest in eric neumann”
“i mean what i was trying to do in maps of meaning was to bring this down to and in my other books for that matter was to bring this problem down to the individual level”
“because maps of meaning the reason i wrote maps of meaning essentially was to figure out how you get that under control as an individual and that took me deep into religious work and and religious morality”
“when i was teaching at harvard i i was really concentrating on my maps of meaning course”
“and with with maps of meaning i think i probably wrote every sentence 50 times like i literally i mean that literally i'd write a sentence out and then i'd write another version of it then i'd write another version of it continually until i couldn't until i started generating variance and i couldn't make any qualitative distinction between them”
“i mean i titled my first book maps for a very specific reason is that this narrative structure is a map”
“12 rules for life and before that maps of meaning”
“beyond order can be read and understood on its own but also builds on the concepts that i developed in my previous books 12 rules for life and before that maps of meaning”
“Beyond Order can be read and understood on its own, but also builds on the concepts that I developed in my previous books, 12 rules for life and before that, Maps of Meaning.”
“12 rules for life and before that maps of meaning”
“12 rules for life and before that maps of meaning”
“beyond order can be read and understood on its own but also builds on the concepts that i developed in my previous books 12 rules for life and before that maps of meaning”
“beyond order can be read and understood on its own but also builds on the concepts that i developed in my previous books 12 rules for life and before that maps of meaning”
“and what i believe i've observed and i tried to document this particularly in my book maps of meaning is that you start acting in ways that make everything worse”
“transforming the modern understanding of personality, as his book maps of meaning: the architecture of belief revolutionized the psychology of religion.”
“and that's a consequence of having spent when I wrote my first book which was maps of meaning I wrote every day for three hours for 15 years”
“it wasn't long after that that I wrote the first essay that eventually turned into this maps of meaning book”
“I thought when I wrote wrote maps of meaning I remember telling one of my my peers I said I think everyone will think the way that I think in this book in 50 years”
“well I think establishing this link between responsibility and meaning is a good thing and I've outlined that a fair bit in the first book I wrote which was maps of meaning”
“and I've outlined that a fair bit in the first book I wrote which was maps of meaning”
“because when I'm talking to my audience isn't the same thing happens and happened in my book maps of meaning and in 12 rules for life I'm laying out the worst case scenario”
“like when i wrote maps of meaning which was my first book i suspect i rewrote every sentence at least 15 times”
“when I wrote my first book maps of meaning it was about ideological conflict and it was about whether or not there was any alternative to ideological conflict”
“that's right that's exactly what happens I detailed out that process in my book maps of meaning exactly that”
“well I wrote a book in 19 I published a book in 1999 called maps of meaning and the course lectures about that are on my video channel”