Now that the dust has settled on the @jordanbpeterson story, I wanted to write a quick thread on him.

Politically I lean left, and I find him to be the most well-intentioned opponent we have. I think it's important to give him his due.

First, some anger at JBP could be cleared up by establishing his critique on C16 as against government-enforced speech, rather than an attack on the trans community.

He has said he would use preferred pronouns. He just doesn't want the government arresting people who won't.

JBP is so useful because he reaffirms the importance of ideas and norms that have been dismissed as cliche. We (or, at least I) often disregard traditions and norms without knowing what they're intended for and end up suffering major consequences when we remember after.

Here is a good tweet on Chesterton's Fence from @David_perrel. JBP uses this principle masterfully. https://twitter.com/david_perell/status/1330003244723089410?s=20

This principle is v helpful for navigating day-to-day life. Here is an example that I didn't understand well before hearing JBP break it down. Clarifying it has made my life noticeably better.

"It doesn't matter whether you win or lose. What matters is how you play the game."

The hostility towards him comes from him applying this same technique to the culture that people are trying to breakdown and improve upon. For those who see our institutions as oppressive, it is much more challenging to make progress when tradition is defended so articulately.

A conservative's job is to remind us how difficult it was to build the society we have and to warn against destroying fences that were put up long before our time. Communities are built on tradition, and these traditions are here for a reason — even if we've forgotten why.

A liberal's job is to create positive change and endure the necessary risk in doing so. We can mitigate our risk by understanding the purpose of traditions we are considering changing. That's where JBP comes into play.

Hey I think you guys might like this: @kaschuta @clairlemon @DouglasKMurray @Ravarora1 @EricRWeinstein @BretWeinstein @Aella_Girl @jmrphy @SamHarrisOrg