Episode · The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast · 2023-07-20
Jordan Peterson & Douglas Murray: books mentioned on The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast #376
Truth as Glorious Adventure | Douglas Murray | EP 376
Jordan Peterson discussed War on the West by Douglas Murray, The pilgrim's progress by John Bunyan, and Im Westen nichts Neues by Erich Maria Remarque. Douglas Murray recommended The Trial of God by Elie Wiesel, and discussed Time's Arrow by Martin Amis, The Gates of the Forest by Elie Wiesel, The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker, Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh, Don Juan by Lord Byron, and Bible.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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War on the West
The War on the West by Douglas Murray is a cultural commentary examining contemporary criticisms of Western civilization and the ideological battles shaping modern political discourse in America and Britain.
Discussed“I'm speaking with author columnist and political commentator Douglas Murray who's been on my podcast a number of times we talked about his latest book not so long ago the war on the west we discuss how a misguided purpose leads to abject misery and hopelessness”
Where to get it
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The pilgrim's progress
The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan is a famous Christian allegory that follows a character named Christian on his arduous journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, overcoming numerous trials, temptations, and monsters along the way.
Discussed“I'm speaking with author, columnist, and political commentator Douglas Murray, who has been on my podcast a number of times. We talked about his latest book not so long ago, titled 'The War on the West.'”
Where to get it
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Im Westen nichts Neues
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque is a classic anti-war novel depicting the brutal physical and psychological realities experienced by young German soldiers during World War I.
Discussed“So, I've been considering the Book of Job in some depth recently, and it's a very interesting book that pertains to purpose. By the time the Book of Job is written and eventually introduced into the biblical corpus, there's a real transformation in the conceptualization of God.”
Where to get it
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Time's Arrow
Time's Arrow by Martin Amis is a structurally daring and controversial novel that tells the life story of a Nazi doctor in reverse, beginning with his death and ending in the womb.
Discussed“but I was very struck Martin Amos who died recently wrote a novel in the 90s was very very controversial at the time called times Arrow uh everything goes backwards the whole plot of the novel goes time is reversed”
Where to get it
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The Trial of God
The Trial of God by Elie Wiesel is a powerful dramatic work that confronts profound theological questions about suffering, faith, and divine justice in the shadow of the Holocaust.
Recommended“I've always been struck by um one of Elie wiesel's Works uh who is of course in Auschwitz I don't even know the trial of God did you ever read that one no it's it's worth reading”
Where to get it
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The Gates of the Forest
Discussed“and there's a version of it he replays in another of his books I think the gates of the forests called”
Where to get it
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The Blank Slate
The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker is a widely read nonfiction book that challenges the traditional sociological doctrine that the human mind is entirely shaped by culture and environment at birth, arguing instead for a nuanced view of innate human nature and genetics.
Discussed“I mean uh that's one of the things that pink is right on in the blank slate is uh deaths in tribal societies pre-modernity way higher the the violent deaths way”
Where to get it
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Decline and Fall
Evelyn Waugh's classic satirical novel Decline and Fall showcases the author's mastery of prose and biting wit through the misadventures of its unassuming protagonist and eccentric cast.
Discussed“there's an uh a metaphor that's always on my mind from the end of evil and War's Decline and fall where a very curious man who's uh an architect in the book and a rather minor figure is at the very end when it's the whole plot but at the very end”
Where to get it
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Don Juan
Discussed“She said, 'I'm translating Don Juan of Lord Byron's in my head.' Now the poem is 17,000 lines. He said, 'Okay, I'll give you a piece of paper and a pen, and I'll come back in the morning.'”
Where to get it
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Bible
The Bible is a foundational collection of sacred religious texts and historical narratives that has shaped Western law, morality, and culture for millennia.
Discussed“It's probably that, and in my case, the great good fortune of being brought up with the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. If you have them in your head and recite them every Sunday, it gives you a pretty good idea of how to cadence the English language.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (3) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“I I gave the example in my last book in the war in the west of his rather delicious but uh Savage lesson that a group of French Sailors learned uh after Rousseau they're big russoians”
“so I've been spending a lot of time walking through the biblical stories recently because I'm writing a new book which is called we who wrestle with God and it should be out in February”
“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”