Welcome to the Jordan, be Petersen Podcast, you can support these people, ass by donating to Doktor Peterson's Patria, on the link to which can be found him description? Doktor, Peterson, self development programmes self authoring. Found itself authoring dot com.

Thank you. Thank you. So I've been thinking about things that I am happy about and what I most happy about so is that I haven't spilled. My mom bubbly water into my computer. So far, while I've been doing these lectures, that's all. Probably do it tonight now that I'm bragging about having avoided it. So thank you all for coming. This is the last lecture in this twelve parts here, did mention that

I have made arrangements with the theatre at least to do this once a month for the next four months and will see will play it by your past. Then I want to continue and I'll find another. Then you and perhaps to do it every two weeks but We once a month- and maybe I can even get deeper into the material if it's only once a month, so that be, then, would then will really slow down to a snail's crawl. So this is a tough one tonight. You know it something a story that everyone with any sense, should approach with a substantial degree of trepidation. I've been working on my book this week on chapter seven, which is called do what is meaningful, not what's expedient, and it's really. It's been a very difficult chapter, because I'm I'm coming to I'm trying to to extend my understanding of sacrifice, which is, of course, what we're going to talk about tonight in in great detail and, and I've been wrestling

exactly how to do that and I'm gonna read you some of that. I think today, dont generally red when I do my lectures, but this is so complicated that I'm not confident of my ability to just spin it off in a sort of what would you call it spontaneously, that's the word, and so and it also give me a chance to test out whether what I've written which I've been struggling with has the kind of poetic flow that I'd like to have your writing. It's really good to read things allowed. You know, because you can tell if you ve got the rhythmic cadence right, then So so anyway, thank you all for coming. Many of you have, I believe, attended all twelve lectures and that's really remarkable. It's amazing that you know this place has been full every single lecture rights completely unbelievable. That would be the case and

you know about more than two million views have this has been watch more than two million views is not two million people, because it would be the same people I would suspect many times, but that's also crazy, but it's a crazy world and it seems to be getting crazier so hope This is some addition to stabilizing making it slightly more sane, the hope anyways. So we ve got a couple of stories to deal with tonight complex complex stories, not really easy to comprehend in any sense of the term and sense of the word I mean with this story of a Isaiah. God calls on his his chosen visual Abraham. The person who made this contract with two so her face son and its how in the world, are you supposed to make sensible any sort of sensible sense? Out of that, exactly that sort of story that makes modern people who are convinced that the faster we put the Bible

stories behind us, the better: it's grist for their meal. You know because it seems like such a incomprehensible and even barbaric act on the part of God, and so you know I I I hesitate to even approach it because, while because there is so many ways that the interpretation of that sort can go wrong, but we'll see how it goes, and so, let's walk through it and see what happens start with the story of Sarah Isaac. And the Lord visited Sarah. As he had said, you remember when for him was in the midst of his appropriate sacrificial routines, which we ve characterized as his return to the contract he made with the idea of the good the contract with God, he was informed by God that he would get what he most wanted, which was an error and eat despite his advanced old age and of course, Sarah was very sceptical about that as she had every reason to be. But this story opens with the with the fulfilment of God's promise too

Abraham and the Lord visited Sarah, as he had said, and the Lord did two Sarah, as he had spoken for Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the set time of which God had spoken to him, and Abraham called the name of his son. That was went unto him whom Sarah bear to him Isaac, an apron, circumcised. His son Isaac being eight days old is God commanded him had commanded him in April, was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born. Unto him. And Sir said Garth had made. God have gone have made me, laugh so that all that here will laugh with me and she said who, said unto Abraham that Sir should have given children sock for borne him. A son in his old age and the child. And was weaned and Abraham made a great feast, the same

that Isaac was weaned. I suppose one of the one of the purposes- let's say perhaps the literary purposes of this story is to exaggerate for dramatic purposes the importance of a child. You know. When people are young- and I think this is particularly true in the modern world- they seem too often regard the. The possibility of having a child as an impediment to their lifestyle. You know and of course, in some ways, I suppose that's true, although you have to have quite a lifestyle before a child, actually constitutes an impediment because having a child in your life, we something that's really remarkable. Almost beyond belief. You know you can have a relationship with Child that is better than any relationship you ve ever had with anyone in your life, if you're, careful and if you're, fortunate, fortunate being fortunate help

You know I've seen many people delay having children understandable reasons. It's no simple decision to have a child, and of course, now we can make the decision to have a child, which course people couldn't in in past ages, really but sometimes you see, people delay and they delay too long, and then they didn't get to have a child and then their desperate to know they spend a decade doing fertility treatment for that sort of thing and immersing themselves in one disappointment after another, and it's just at that point, we use exactly how catastrophic it is. It can be how catastrophic it can be for people not to have one we need to be able to undergo one of the great adventures of life, let's say, and one of the thing this story does by, delaying the arrival of Isaac and delaying the arrival of Isaac continually is to exaggerate the the importance diffidence of the child, because it isn't until you're, deprived of something it's truly nodded

you're, deprived of something that you have any sense of what its value and Isaac was way. Or Abraham was waiting a very long time, a hundred years to ferry long time and this with Sarah, and so there unbelievably excited and of course this also heightens the drama. That's it in the entire sacrificial story, because it's not only that event Lee that Abraham is called upon to sacrifice Isaac, which would be bad enough under any other any circumstances whatsoever self. Evidently, but the fact that he, been waiting a century for the arrival of this child desperately and made all the proper sacrifices and lived in the appropriate manner to allow this to occur, dropped dramatically, heightens the the the literary tension. Now you remember Hagar, this is the next part of the story Hagar was is was

Sarah Handmade and when Sir was unable to bear Abraham a child. She sent him Hagar and Hager immediately, got pregnant and and gave birth to Ishmael and the story picks up from them point here and this this is quite interesting. I mentioned the other week when I was talking to you guys a couple of weeks in row just how interesting it has to scour the internet for the for the painter That are associated with these stories, there's just that there is an email wealth of great paintings that illustrate every single bit of the of every single biblical story and its. It's it's, it's really been enlightening to me to find out just exactly how poorly educated I am you know like I I'll I'm I'm. What would you say? I'm I'm great admirer of of artistic talent and of artistic endeavour, but There's so much! I don't know about the history of art that it's just absolutely beyond belief and see this treasure trove of images that I

Really had no idea that existed course, there spread all over the world and it's only been in, years that you could have access to them and in this way, just it's just a it's. It's it's a constant revelation of the depth to which these two We have absolutely permeated our culture and the loss that it would be if we didn't know them properly and and take them with the degree of seriousness that they deserve. So anyways, one of those great images and Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had borne unto Abraham marking wherefore she said unto Abraham cast out this bonds, woman and her son for the son of this Bondswomen shall not be air with my son even with ice and the thing was very grievous and Abraham site because of his son was being quite a bit of tension, tween, Abraham or between Sarah and Hague, our

you could imagine there might be. Why wouldn't there be in first of all, Hagar had the first child and in that elevated her status, and she was Sarah made handmaidens. So that's obviously going to be quite awkward and then she she lord it over Sarah, because of the fact that she got so easily and now we see this situation. Where may I was doing the same thing with regards to Isaac and that causes a substantial amount of trouble It is a familiar division occurring here. God said, Abraham, let it be grievous in thy sight because of the lad and because of the bond woman in but Sarah had said unto the Harkin unto her voice for a nice excel shall die, seed, be called an but of the son of the bond women. Will I make a nation because he is thy seed? That's so that's it! That's an interesting outcome to know. We we pointed out before we discuss before the fact

Because Abraham is made has lived his life properly and has kept the contract with God there is every evidence in the story that no matter what the vicissitudes, of Abrahams life knew how the great serpent did he say, In some sense, weaves back and forth, there's always the promise that things will work out positively, and you know you read that as naive optimism. But I think it has a lot more to do with the actual power of keeping the contractual agreement, because I really do believe- and I have spent a tremendous amount of time- thinking about this over the last couple of weeks, in addition to the decades before, that- is that it and and and of its happened since I've been doing these baby collectors. Is that my conviction- and this has been strengthened- which is quite interesting- is that if you you do what it is that you are called upon to do, which is to lift your eyes up above the mundane.

Really selfish impulsive issues that might be set you and attempt to enter into a contractual relationship with that, which you might hold in the highest regard, whatever that might be to aim high and an end to end to and to make important above all else in your life that that fortify you against the vicissitudes of existence like nothing else can, and I truly believe that that's the most practical advice that you can possibly but you could possibly receive You know I received, I was answering questions last night, did this cure day, which I do about once a month for for the who are supporting me on patron, which also release on Youtube and somebody asked you know they were. Struggling with their religious faith and they asked what they could do about that and had also been thinking about the difference between each Dostoevsky, which are discussed in a minute, and I was trying to answer this question with regard to

they just faith, because he this person was shaky and his faith in life. Let's say which is a better way of thinking about it and- and it seems to me The way that you fortify your faith in being and in life in your own existence, isn't to tread convince yourself of the existing the transcendent power there could believe in the same way that you believe in a set of empirical facts? I don't, I don't think that's the right approach. I think it's a week approach. Actually, I dont think that the cognitive technology that I dont think the right cognitive technology for that set of problems. You know that's more technology, that union if you are trying to solve a scientific problem, it's more like it's more something that needs to be made in action rather than in stable belief and the way that you fortify your faith life is to assume the best so like that and then to act courageously in relationship to that end and that's

that's tantamount to expressing your faith in the highest possible good, its tantamount to expressing your faith in God and is not a matter of stating what I believe in the existence of a transcendent that deity, because in some sense who cares? Who cares You believe I mean you might, about, but but but the issue. That's not the issue! This It seems to me is how you act, and I was thinking about this in Hence the when I was thinking about nature and austere, escape his curse. You know that nature was the philosopher who announced the death of got right and who was a great great critic of Christianity, vicious critic of institutional Christianity in the best sense you know, and you the death of God and he said that we'd never find enough water to wash away the blood. It wasn't a triumphant proclamation, even though its often read that way and Dust Nietzsche's conclusion from that from the death of God. The fact that our ethical systems we're going to collapse when the foundation was pulled out

beneath. He believed that human beings would have to find their own values to create their own values and there's a problem with that, it doesn't seem- and this is something karl- you was very thorough and invest doesn't really looked like people are capable of creating. There values because you're not really capable of moulding yourself just any old way you want to be like you have a nature that you have to contend with, and so It isn't a matter of creating our own values, because we don't have that capacity. It might be a matter of rediscovering those values, which is what young was attempting to do now: and so I think nature was actually profoundly wrong in that. In that recommendation, I think he was psychologically wrong. Now. You know Dostoevsky wrote in many ways in parallel to nature, was a great influence on nature that their lives parallel each other to a degree that somewhat miraculous since, in some sense it is quite uncanny dossier it was obviously a literary figure were, whereas nature was of a philosopher, literary philosopher, but

the philosopher and dusty Ski wrestled with exactly the same problems that that nature wrestled with and but he did it in a different, He didn't literary manner and has this great book the bread for Amazon in that book, there's a hero The book is really Alyosha, whose monastic novitiate a very good guy. Color not an intellect, not an intellect, but a person of great character, but he has a brother Ivan whose is older brother, who a great intellect and in a very hands. Soldier and a brave man like Don T, Villains Ivan, isn't exactly a villain, but that's close enough I've, Our dostoevsky makes his villains extraordinarily powerful south. Does the US he's trying to work out an argument he he closed, the argument in the in the flash of one of his characters and It's argument. He doesn't degree with than he makes that characterise strong as it possibly can, is strong and is attractive and intelligent as we possibly can, and then he lets him.

Have out, or in so Ivan, is constantly attacking Alyosha and from every day in trying to knock him off his perch of faith, let's say in Andalusia, Alyosha can't address a single one of Ivan criticisms and- and he doesn't the intellect for it, and and and even has it stating intellect its devastating to him himself as well What happens in the broadest Karamazov essentially, is that they Alyosha continues to act out his commitment to the good, let's say and in that manner, he's triumphant. It doesn't matter that he loses the arguments, because the arguments aren't exactly the point. The arguments in some sense are a side issue The issue is- and this is the existential issue. The issue is not one you believe, as if it's a set of facts, but how you conduct yourself in the world and so does the US. He grasped that in its one of the things that makes him such an amazing amazing literate figure an amazing genius because he was smart enough to to formulate the

the arguments in a manner that no one else really could, with the possible exception of nature, and that's quite an exception, and yet he could still in his dramatic embodiment. He could still lay solutions to the problems that he was describing that are extremely compelling. Can both court crime and punishment, which is amazing, thrilling in gracing book and the brothers parameter of all of those two years he's great books really circulate around around those profound moral issues. So I have learned a tremendous amount from reading him, so a godsend onto Abraham. Let it not grievous in sight because of the lad and because of thy bondwoman in orbit. Sarah have said unto the Harkin unto her voice for a nice. It for in Isaac Excel shelled, I seed be called and also son of the Bondwoman. Will I make a nation because he is thy seed or right. So I commented that Abraham is being blasted

Multiple directions, even when things are going wrong in this, is pretty bad. Has his family in some senses breaking up the there's? This Emphasis in the text that, because he's kept this contractual relationship with God that That is in an arc. We could say that we can put it that way and that the that he'll he'll try I'm through the attitudes of life, which is the best you can hope for, and it's quite interest again one of the things that so powerful about the abrahamic stories that it's not like, Abraham, even though, is chosen by God. It's not like you have an easy time of it. He has a rough life, I mean it's a successful life and all that. But it's not it's not it's not it's not without its troubles. That's for sure it's got resort of trouble, you could possibly imagine pretty much in and that's one of the things that makes the story so realistic. As far as I'm concerned. And Abraham rose up early in the morning and took bread and a bottle of water and gay. Onto Hagar putting it on her shoulder and the child and sent her away.

She departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. I found the. It's funny. I guess this had more of an emotional impact on me this week that might have, because my daughter just had a baby it we could go, and so I've been thinking about this sort of thing. You don't wear so happy that that's happened and I was trying to put myself in the. What would you say the conceptual space of the people HU, the stories or people who these stories are about and trying to You know, I notice that the catastrophe that this sort of break up would actually constitute and no individual images really help without because they're they're so carefully crafted and- and they hit the story from so many different directions- that you know, they add that an additional layer of of emotional meaning to it, which I find very, very significant. And the water was spent in the bottle and she cast the child under one of the shrubs,

Sent to wander in the desert, you know so it's not just that she has to leave Abrahams household. It's that where she goes is not really amenable to life, and so it's it's Ford, dramatic and and and terrible tail with And she went and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a abode shot for she said. Let me not see the death of child and she sat over against him and lived up her voice and wept. And God, heard the voice of the lad and the angel of God called to Hague. Of Heaven and said unto her what the herring- Hagar FEAR, not for God, have the voice of the lad where he is rise. Lift up loud and hold him in nine hand, for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes and she saw

of water and she went filled born with water and gave the lad drink. And God was with the lad, any grew and dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer. That's actually irrelevant detail to the fact that he became an archer because I mentioned to you at one point that the word sin is derived from a greek word Marty. I, even though it sounds nothing like that word in her Marty has actually a an archery term and it means too It means to miss the balls. I and that's all that's a lovely metaphor for sin. I think because its proceeded so tightly with the idea of gold direction and and aim now, because their theirs, there's a metaphorical idea, that's embedded in that in that image, and that is that you human being- is something that specifies a target. We do all the time with their eyes. By the way I mean our eyes are target specifying mechanisms we have very precise central focal vision,

and we use our vocal vision to target the aim. Of our behaviour, and so we are aiming creatures, are its built right into our plop or body. Are we were built on us The platform were aiming creatures and we do that Cognitive Lee as well behaviorally in so as hunters we take aim at things. Are we game at moving targets and were very good at bringing them down, and we ve been doing that for who know how long millions of years, really even pansies our carnivorous by the way, and we split from them about six million years ago. So we ve been hunting and aid. For a very very long period of time- and we see- have aims in our life written. That's how we describe them. What are you aiming at or what are your aims? What are your goals? What's your target, it's all based on that hunting metaphor and the fact, Ishmael becomes an arch or means that he someone who can take aim at the center the bulls I and hid it precisely, and so that's an index

that he's a good man right so and- and I suppose also part of the part of It- carries part of Narrative weight of this story because, of course, he's Abraham, Sun and you'd expect Abraham son to be someone whose very good at taking aim, and he in the wilderness of paralysis and he could live there and survive which has no trick of trivial thing, and his mother took him away out of the land of Egypt, okay, so that story of Hagar and it's a fairly straightforward story, its complex emotionally, but it doesn't and it- and it brings up the terrible theme of a familiar catastrophe in the complications of Of romantic unfamiliar relationships and in all of that, but it's really serves as pro drama to the next story, which is the one that so complex and so difficult to understand?. And it came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham, which is a funny thing forgot to do,

suppose and said, unto him Abraham, and he said behold here. I am said take now thy son. The only son Isaac who, though Lovest and the into the land of Maria and offer them therefore burnt offering upon one of the mountains, which I will tell the of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass and took to his young men with them and Isaac his son and claim the wood for. Offering it rose up and went under the place of which God had told him. Then. Third day of journeying Abraham lifted up his eyes saw the place a far off and Abraham. To his young men abide, he ye here with the US and China

we'll, go yonder and worship and come again to you really one of the first times that we have come across. The word. Worship, if I remember correctly, nets are very difficult. Word to contend with. To know is, if you like me Or if you like me when I was a kid because I've thought about this for a long time, it was never really obvious to me why God would want to be worshiped. You know if you go to church and you offer up your praise and thanks to god- and you think well relate make. A lot of sense is like why in the world is that what he wants? It's like it's almost like you're, you're, you're you're need down in front of an over of an ancient middle eastern you know tyrannical emperor and and and vowing submission and- and that never sat well with me, and I suppose it does not sit well with many people, and I think that's because it is not the proper way of consent

realising it. What happens when you see what Abraham does continually- and this seems to be implicit in the use of the word worship in this particular situation- is that he, as we discussed, he hasn't adventure in his life that comes to an end. So there's an episode in this life. It comes to an end and then there's a period of we might consider it re where we re constitutes himself to some degree and its that's when he makes the sacrifices- and it seems to me that is that right constitution. That constitutes the worship. The worship is something like. This is alluding back to my original proposition that it's how you act. That's the issue and the worship is the decision to in the good in whatever form it is that you can conceptualize it as well as trying to continue Ray conceptualize, the good in a manner that may the good that your conceptualizing even that much better right, because when you start aiming the problem Only that you're going to be aiming in the right direction is very low, but high, pathetic.

As you aim and as you practice and has you learn. The target is going to shift in front of your eyes and you're going to be to follow it ever more clearly and so a nazi to me and especially given the context that this word is used in this particular stories, much more appropriate interpretation of what constitutes proper worship and deposits akin to the later christian idea that it's the imitation of Christ, that's sacred duty of every Christian of every Christian and every human being, I suppose in far as that's an archetypal idea an idea, something like while it's the body meant of the good. That's the issue, and it's not your stated, if in the good- and you know when nature was criticising Christianity, this is actually one of the things that he brought up as it is a major issue. He said that he believed Christianity had lost its way because it had introduced a confusion between

stated belief, which is say your belief in the divinity of Christ, whatever it means, if you state that it is an obvious what it means that when you state that, because it is an obvious what it would mean that you leave it or even what it is that you're believing in sport it was concerned in some sense. Not only was that beside the point, it was dangerously beside the point because it actually allowed the christian believer not to stop the moral burden that was actually appropriate to the faith which was too, and this is amusing, a kind of a union concept here too manifest the archetype within the confines of your own life. And that's too, The divine that the relationship with the divine your relationship with the transcendent, an infinite into something that's actually realisable in the context of your own life, which is to say well, you know, you're supposed to your exposed to again to act out the highest.

Of which you are capable now, that'll transform your life to some degree into an architectural adventure. There's no way around that because, as you attempt to climb a higher mountain, let's say, or to aim at a higher target, or something like that in the things around you will become increasing. Dramatic and of import that happens by necessity. Obviously, because if you're yet something difficult in profound, and you really Looking out at then your life is going to become increasingly difficult and profound, but that might be ok. You meant that might be exactly. What you need is an and a note to the implicit limitations that face HU as a human being. So. Am I in the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you now, there's an occasion here to that foreshadowing that that Abraham off up, his son is actually a form of worship and that's that its continue

with what is already done and Well, now I'm going to read you some of the things that I've written and then all return this and will see how that goes. So, life is suffering its clear. There is no more basic, irrefutable truth: it's basically, as we ve seen what God tells out of Eve immediately before he kicks amount of paradise. Quote, unto the woman he said. I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception in sorrow, thou shalt bring forth children And I desire shall be to that. Went and he shall rule over the and unto Adam. He said because you Hearken unto the voice of thy wife and has eaten of the tree, which I commanded these saying: thou shalt not eat of it curse. It is the ground for thy sake in sorrow, shalt thou eat of it all the days of

life thorns also in thistles, shall it bring forth to tee and thou shalt eat their her the field by the sweat of your brow, you will eat your food until you returned to the ground since from it, you were taken for dust. You are to dust you will return rough You know we ve associated that with with out of leaves eyes opening and then becoming so conscious and discovering the future and becoming for- aware and falling into history, and it seems to me be a very realistic, existential portrayal of the predicament of humankind. What The world should be done about that police, most obvious and most direct answer pursue pleasure. Follow your impulses lived for the moment. Do: what's it speedy and lie steel deceive manipulate, but don't get caught. In an ultimately meaningless universe, what possible difference couldn't make.

And this is by no means a new idea. The fact of life tragedy in the suffering that is part of it has been used to justify the pursuit of immediate selfish gratification for a very long time. No even reading young, he often rights as if before the rise of the conflict, between religion and science and which culminated say it pronouncement about the death of God that people lived in scorns cos safely within a religious conceptualisation that abuse their life with meaning that that was- and that was just this aid of reality. You know, but there's ancient writings. That makes it quite clear that the crisis have faith characterising modern people were certainly far from unknown, in the past and here's one of them writings, this is from wisdom to the revised standard version short and sorrowful. Is our life And there is no remedy when a man comes to his ended, no one has been known to read: from Haiti's

because we were born by mere chance and hereafter. We shall be though we had never been because the in our nostrils is smoke and reason is just a spark kindled the beating of our hearts. When it is extinct, our body will turn to ashes and their spirit will dissolve like empty air, our name We'll be forgotten in time, and no one will remember our works. Are life will pass away the traces of a cloud and be scattered like Miss that is chased by the rays of the sun and overcome by its heat. For our allotted time is, but the passing shadow- and there is no return from our death. It is sealed up and no one turns back. Therefore, Let us enjoy the good things that exist and make use of the creation of the full. As in youth, let us take our fill of costly wines and perfumes and let no flower of spring

this by. Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds before they whither. Let none of us fail to share in our revelry everywhere. Let us leave signs of enjoyment, because this is our portion and this is our lot, let us press the righteous poor man, let us know spare the widow nor rigour. The gray hairs of the aged but letter Might be our right for what is weak proves itself to be useless and amazing. Piece of writing. You know It starts with an announcement of the rationale for nihilism and ends with the justification for a fascist tyranny, and no one is its thousands of years old. It's it's a remarkable thing to see and to be. It out so concisely. The play of expediency may be fleeting, but its pleasure. None, the less and that's thing to stack up against the terror in pain of existence. Every man for himself and the debt,

take the hindmost. As the old proverb has it, we're not sick take everything you can get whenever the opportunity arises. Why not determined to live in that manner, what's the alternative, and why should we bother with it? Our ancestors worked out very sophisticated answers to such questions, but still don't understand them very well. This is because they are in large part, still implicit, manifest primarily in ritual and myth, and as of yet incompletely articulated, we asked them out Sent them stories, but we're not wise enough yet to formulate them explicitly we're still Chin in a troop or wolves and pack. We know how to behave. We know who's who and why. We ve learned that, through experience. Our knowledge has been shaped by our interaction with others. We have established Victims, routines and patterns of behaviour, but we don't really understand them or nowhere

Originated they have evolved over great expanses of. I'm no one was formulating them explicitly at least not in the deepest reaches of the past. Even We ve been telling each other how to act forever. One day, however, not so long ago, we woke up we were already doing, but we noticing what we were doing? We started using our bodies as devices to represent their own actions. Started imitating dramatizing, we invented ritual. We started acting out our own experiences, then we started to tell stories. We coded our observations of our own drama in those stories in this manner. The nation that was first only embedded in our behaviour became represented in our stories. We didn't and we still don't understand what it all meant.

The biblical narrative of Paradise in the fall- is one such story: fabricated by our collective imagination working over the centuries. It provides a profound account of the nature of being the way to a motive, conceptualisation and action well, matched to that nature in the garden of Eden prior to dawn of self consciousness. So goes the story. Human B we're sinless. Our primordial parents, Adam and Eve, walked with God, then attempted by the snake. The first couple- from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, discovered Es invulnerability and turned away from God kind was exiled from Paradise. And began its effort for mortal existence, The idea of sacrifice enter soon afterwards, beginning with the account of cane enable in developing as we ve seen through the air

hammock stories after much contemplation going. Humanity learns that gods favour could be gained, and wrath averted through proper sacrifice and also The bloody murder might be motivated among those unwilling or unable to succeed in this manner. When engaging in sacrifice, our forefathers began to act out what would be considered a proposition if it were stated in words, that's Think better might be obtained in the future by giving up something of value in the present recall, Well, that the necessity for work is one of the curse is placed by God. Porn out, a man is descendants. In consequence, original sin. Adams waking to the fundamental constraints of his being his vulnerability, His eventual death, that's equivalent

the discovery of the future. The future, that's where you go to die, hopefully not sue. Your demise might be staved off through work through the soccer of the now to benefit later. It is for this reason, among others, no doubt that the concept of sacrifices introduced in the biblical chapter immediately following the drama of the fall. There's little differ between sacrifice and work there also, both uniquely human. Sometimes animals act as if their working but the really following the dictates of their natures. Beavers build down They do so because their beavers and beavers build dams, they dont think yeah But I'd rather be on a beach in Mexico, with my girlfriend well they're doing it.

Prosaically such sacrifice. Work is delay of graphic Asian, but that's a very mundane phrase to describes thing of soul, shattering significance. The discover the gratification could be delayed with simultaneously the discovery of time and with causality long Oh in the dim mists of time we began to realize that real was structured as if it could be bargained with we, and behaving properly now in the present regulating our impulses. Considering the plight of others could bring rewards in the future in a time and place, the did not yet exist we began to inhibit control and organise our immediate impulses so that we can stop it hearing with other people and our future cells. Doing so was indistinguishable, from organizing society. The dust three of the causal relationship between our efforts today and the quality of tomorrow

we debated the social contract, the organization that enables today's work to be stored, reliably mostly in the fall, of promises from others, understanding is something that's often acted out before it can be articulated. Just as a child what it means to be mother or father before being To give a spoken account of what those rules mean, the idea, the act of making a ritual sacrificed to God was early and sufficient, it'd enactment of the idea of the usefulness of delay. There's long conceptual journey between merely feasting, hungrily and learning to set aside some extra meet smoke by the fire for the end of the day or for someone who isn't present, it takes a long time to learn anything later for yourself. Or the shirt with someone else, and those are very much the same thing as in the fall. We're case. Your sharing with your future self. It's much

easier and far more likely to selfishly immediately wolf down everything in sight. There are similar long journeys between every leap and sophistication with regards to delay. Conceptualisation short term sharing storing away from the for the future Representation of that storage in the form of records and later in the form of currency and ultimate The saving of money in the bank or other institution some conceptualisation had serve as intermediaries or the full range of our, This is an idea surrounding sacrifice and work and their representation could have never emerged. Our ancestors acted out a drama, a literary fiction: they personified the forest, governs fate as a spirit that can be bargained with traded with as if it were another human being, and the amazing thing is that it worked. This was in part because the future is largely composed of other human beings.

Often precisely those who have watched and evaluated and praise the tiniest details of your past behaviour, is not very far from that to God sitting above on I tracking year, every move and right. It down for further reference in a big book. Here's a pro active symbolic idea. The future is a judge, mental Father. That's a good start, But two additional archetypal foundational, Since arose because of the discovery of sacrifice of work, both have to who, with the ultimate extension of the logic of work, which is so her face down to gain later. First question: what must be sacrificed? Small sacrifices might be sufficient to small To solve small singular problems, but it's possible

The larger, more comprehensive sacrifices might solve an array of large and complex problems all at the same time that's harder, but it might be better dappling to the necessary discipline of medical school, for example, will fatally into here with the licentiate lifestyle of a hard core undergraduate party animal, giving them that is a sacrifice, but physician can to quote George W, really put food on his family. That's a lot of trouble dispensed with over a very long period of time, so Sacrifices are necessary to improve the future. Enlarged sacrifices can be better. Second question: introduction. We have already established the basic principle sacrifice will improve the future, but what plied by them in the most.

Stream and final of cases where it is that basic. Simple find its limits. We to ask to begin with what would be the largest, most effective, most pleasing of all possible sacrifices. A man. How good might the best possible future be, if the most if possible, sacrifice, could be made. The biblical story of Canada Adam and Eve sons immediately. The story of the expulsion from parents. As mentioned previously, can enable are really the first humans, since their parents were directly by God and not born in the standard manner? Kane enable live in history, not in Eden, they must work, they must meet sacrifices to please God, and they do so with alter and proper ritual. But things get complicated. Able, brings please God, but Keynes do not

Paypal is rewarded many times over, but Kane is not its not per se the clear why, although the text strongly hints that Keynes heart is just not in it, maybe the quality of what came forward was low, maybe here spirit was begrudging, or maybe God was just feeling crabby and all of this is realistic, including the texts vagueness of explanation. Not all sacrifices are of equal quality. Furthermore, it off appears that sacrifices of apparently high quality are sometimes not rewarded with a better future, and it's not clear why? Why isn't God happy what would have to change to make him so these difficult questions and everyone asks them all the time, even if they don't notice asking such questions is indistinguishable from thinking. The realisation that pleasure could be usefully forestall dawned with difficulty, that's almost impossible to overstate. Such a realization,

absolutely contrary to our ancient funding Little animal instincts, which demand immediate satisfaction, particularly under conditions of deprivation,. Both inevitable and commonplace, and to combat the matter delay only becomes useful when civilization has stabilized itself enough to guard the existence of the delayed reward if everything you save will be destroyed or worse, stolen, there's, no point, saving for this reason that a wolf will down twenty pounds of raw meat in a single meal. He isn't, there man. I hate it when I binge I should save some of this for next week period developmental progression from animal to human? It's wrong, no doubt in the details, but it's. We correct for our purposes in theme. First, theirs. S, food large carcasses, mammoths or other massive herbivores might provide that way. Lot of mammas, maybe all of them.

With a large animal there's, some left for later after a kill, that's accidental at first, but events we, the utility of for later starts to be approved. The Some provisional notion of sacrifice develops at the same time, by leave some now Even if I wanted now, I will have to be hungry later that provisional she then develops to the next level If I leave some for later, I won't to go hungry and neither will those I care for an end to the next level possibly eat all this mammoth, but I can't store the rest for too long either. Maybe I should feed some other people Maybe they'll remember and feed me, their mammoth when they have someone. I have none then, gets a mammoth now and some mammoth later. That's a good deal. And maybe those I'm sharing with will come to trust me more generally. Maybe then we could trade forever.

In such a manner mammoth become future mammoth. In future, mammoth becomes personal reputation. That's the emergence of the social contract to share does not mean to give away something you value and get nothing back. That's only. Instead, what every child, who refused To share is afraid it means to share means properly to initiate the process of trade. The child, who can't share, who can't trade, can't have any friends because having friends is of trade. Benjamin Franklin once suggested that a newcomer to a neighborhood ass a new neighbour. To do him or her a favor, eating an old maxim. He that has once done you a kindness, will be more ready to do you another than he whom you yourselves, have obliged in frankly opinion, asking something for someone, king someone for something not to extreme, obviously was the most

useful and immediate invitation to social interaction, such asking allowed the neighbour to show him or herself as a good person at first encounter. It also meant. Or could now asked the newcomer for a favor in return because of the debt incurred in that and are both parties could overcome their natural hesitancy and mutual fear of the stranger it's better to have something rather than nothing. Better yet to generously share the something you have its even better than that. However, to become widely known for generous sharing, that's Thing that lasts, that's something. That's reliable and, at this point strong action, we can observe how the groundwork for the conceptions of reliable, honest and generous have been laid. The basis for Articulated morality has been put in place, the productive, true, Full share is the prototype for the good citizen. And the good man we can see.

In this manner. How, from this, simple notion that lead Dovers are a good idea, the highest moral pray both might emerge if something like this happened is Kennedy developed. First, where the endless tens or hundreds of thousands of years prior to the emergence of written history and drama this time, the twin practices of delay and exchange began to emerge slowly and painfully. Then they became represented in metaphorical abstraction, as rituals and tales of sacrifice told in a manner such as this. It's as if there is a powerful figure in the sky who sees all and is judging, you Giving up something you value seems too, I'm happy you want. Make him happy because

no breaks loose. If you don't so practice sacrificing and sharing until you become expert added and things will go well for you, No one said any of this, at least not so plainly indirectly, but it was implicit in the practice and then in the stories, action came first as it had to as the animals we once work could act, but could not think implicit unrest Nice value came first as the act Is that preceded thought. Embodied value but did not make that value. Explicit people watched the successful six. And the unsuccessful fail. Four thousand and thousands of years. We thought it over and we drew a conclusion. The successful among us delay gratification. This successful. Among US bargain, with the future.

A great idea began to emerge. Taking ever more clearly articulated form in ever. More clearly are. Figure stories what the difference between the successful and the unsuccessful. The successful sacrifice things better as the successful practice their sacrifices. The questions become increasingly Precise and simultaneously broader, what's the greatest possible sacrifice for the greatest possible good and the answers become increasingly deeper and profound, the guy of western tradition. Like so many gods require sacrifice. We ve already examined why, but sometimes he goes even further. He demands not only sacrifice, but the sacrifice precisely what is love best. This is most starkly portrayed and most confusing evident in story of Abraham and Isaac aims, Beloved of God, long wanted, the sun, God promised him exactly.

After many delays and under the parity, impossible conditions of old age and a long baron wife, but not so long afterward. When miraculously born Isaac is still a child turns around and an apparently barbaric fashion demands. That is. Full servant offer his son as a sacrifice. The story, historians, happily, God, sends an angel stay Abrahams obedient hand and accepts a rat I'm an Isaac stead. That's a good thing. Doesn't really address the issue at hand? Why was gods? going further necessary. Why does he? Why does life impose such demands. We'll start our analysis with a truism, stark self evident and understated.

Sometimes things do not go well. That seems to have much to do with the terrible nature of the world with plagues at its famines and its tyrannies and its betrayals. But here's the rub. Sometimes when things are not going well, it's not the world that it's the cause the cause is instead that which is most valued. Why as the world is revealed to an intermittent degree through the template of your values. If the world you are seeing is not Will you want, therefore, it's time to salmon your values its time, rid yourself of your current presuppositions. It's time to let go even be time to sacrifice what you love best so that you can become who you might become. Instead of staying, who you are. Something valuable given up ensures fuse future prosperity.

Think valuable, sacrificed pleases. The Lord what is most valuable and best sacrificed or what least emblematic of that a choice of meat animal in a flock of valued possession what's above, even that something intensely personal Painful to give up that symbolized, perhaps. God's insistence on circumcision is part of Abraham sacrificial routine. What beyond that, what per day more closely to the whole person, rather than the part, what constant the ultimate sacrifice for the game, The ultimate prize, it's a close race between child and self sacrifice of the mother, offering her child the war,

Is exemplified, for example, by Michelangelo's great sculpture, Paita, Michelangelo, crafted Mary contemplating her son crucified in ruins, she's sitting most of you know the sculpture, sitting and the body of her son is in her arms or adults on and it's broken and he's been destroyed, and it's a very beautiful but very tragic war of genius work of genius level, representation, Michelangelo, crafted Mary contemplating her son, crucified and rude. It's her fault. It was through her that he entered the world and its great dream of being. Is it right to bring a a b into this terrible world. Every woman asked herself that question sums No, they have the reason Mary answers yes voluntarily, knowing full well what's to come, as do all mothers if they allow themselves to see it's an active supreme courage when

undertaken voluntarily. In turn. Mary son Christ offers himself to God in the world to betrayal torture and death to the very Point of despair on the cross, where he cries out those terrible words, my God, my God, Why has thou forsaken me, that is the architect story of the man who gives his all for the sake of the better who offers up his life for the advancement of being. Who allows God's will to become manifest fully within the confines of a single mortal life. Now the model for the honourable man in Christ case. However, as he sacrifices himself, God His father is simultaneously sacrificing. His son is for this reason The christian sacrificial drama of Sun and self is architectural, its We at the limit, where nothing

or extreme. Nothing greater can be imagined. That's the very definition of architectural. That's the core of what constitutes. Edges, pain and suffering defined the world of that there can be no doubt. Sacrifice can hold pain and suffering in abeyance, to a greater or lesser degree and greater Professes can do that more effectively than lesser of that too. There can be no out. Everyone holds this knowledge in their sole. Thus. The person who wishes to alleviate suffering who wishes to rectify, flaws in being who Just to bring about the best of all possible futures who want to create Heaven on earth will make the greatest of sacrifices of self and child. Of everything that is loved to live.

I've aimed at the good he will forego expediency. He will pursue the path of ultimate meaning. And he will in that manner, brings innovation to the ever desperate world. On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place far off, it's not of an accident also did in a mountain right, because amount to something you have to climb, and you have to climb to the pinnacle of a mountain

The mountain is operate in the mountain stretches up to Heaven and it's a long journey to specify the right place on the highest pinnacle and an that's symbolic, because of course, it's a pinnacle that you're always. Reach just like Euro, always trying to aim you're always trying to climb upward it. At least that's. The theory depends to some degree, of course, on your definition of upward. And Abraham said to his young men abide he here with us and I will end the lad, will go yonder and worship and come to you again and Abraham took the wood of the bird offering and laid it upon, Isaac, his son and he took the fire in his hand and a knife, and they went both of them together. And I expect and Abraham his father and said my father and he said. Here are my my son and he said.

Behold, the fire in the wood but where's Lamb for a burnt offering Abraham said my son: God will provide himself a lamb for a burned offering, so they went both of them together and they came to the play, we gotta told a mob and Abraham built an altar. There and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac, his son and lay them on the her upon the wood and Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son. An angel of the Lord called unto him out of Heaven. And sat Abraham. Said here am I the angels lay northern hand upon the lad. Neither do thou anything unto him for now. I know that Thou Fearest God seeing now

Not withheld thy son, an only son from me. When I was answering the questions last night at this cuban ay, this guy asked me this question. He said that he had parents who were desperate, anti social, alcoholic addicted friendless and that They didn't want him to leave their home was the only relationship they had that that was of he was the only relationship they had and he asked what he should do and I told him that he should leave. And the reason for that is that.

You have a moral obligation as a parent to encourage your child to go out into the world rain to be whoever they can be to be the best and possibly be doing that. Your offer, your encouraging them to pursue the good, you're, sacrificing them to the good you're. Not keeping them for yourself? Selfishly, You're telling them that they can go out and live their life and live it properly and and that's the parallel to the idea of the sacrifice of Isaac. As far as I can tell. You dont want for your son what it is

That you want for him, you want for your son, what would be best for him and for the world and you let go in precise proportion to your desire to have that happen? You know the site analysed the great psychoanalyst. I think the psychoanalysts. I think this is actually Freud dictum, but I am not certain that he said the good mother fails. Which is a bit of brilliant observation, because. When you have an infant, do you do everything for the infant, because the infant can do nothing for him or herself, but as the infant matures and is increasingly capable of doing for him or herself than you pull back right. You pull back and time, the child develops the ability to do something you allow them or encouraged to do it and you don't interfere in also. Your child is struggling getting dressed. Well, obviously, there sometimes that you help them, but mostly you let them learn so that they can know.

Do it in the future. That's better for you and it certainly better. There's a rule, if you're working with the elderly in an old age home in the rule is something like don't do anything for any of the for any of the guests, say that they can do for themselves because compromise their independence and so, as a mother pull back and you pull back and let your child hit him or herself against the world and you fail to protect them, but by failing to protect them, you encouraging a noble them too point, where you're no longer necessary. Now. They may still want to see you and it would be wonderful if that was the case. But the point is this: that you're supposed to remove yourself from the equation encouraging your child to be the best possible person that per And can be and use I prefer your desires. All of your desires to that your personal desires, even your desires for your child in relationship to you because

want them to move forward into the world as a light right as a light on a hill. That's what you want if you have any sense. And so you don't get to keep your children at home because you need them now, I'm talking generally obviously, and there are circumstances or which families make their own idiosyncratic decisions, and I'm not trying to damn everyone with her with a casual gesture. You know, but the point is still strong, that. The good father is precisely someone who is willing to sacrifice a child to the ultimate good, that dramatized in this store, you know when it's brutal, but. The world is a brutal place and much wisdom comes out of catastrophe. And this is an indication of how much catastrophe our ancestors had to plough through had worked through ignored,

generate the sub structure for the conceptions of freedom, even that we have today for freedom and the good and that's how the story appears to me. I think there's or to it. I think if there has to be more to it,. It lays the groundwork, at least in the christian context, for the eventual emergence of Christ, as I alluded to in my reading, story obviously has to be unpacked and unpacked impact just like it has been for the last two thousand years. It's also, indication here of well, I the transmutation of sacrifice into an increasingly psychological form, which is a development that we ve tracked all the way through the old testament. Up to this particular point, first acted out, then represented in ritual those should be. The rituals of sacrifice, then laid out story then turn into a psychological phenomena that now were capable of making

sacrifices in abstraction right too conceptualize a future that we want to let go of the things that are stopping us from moving forward and free ourselves from the chains of our original preconceptions and that's laid out in these old stories as the optimal pathway of being. There's a philosopher of science named Karl Popper, very sensible, down to earth person? Who is talking about thinking at its nature and he was thought thinking in a darwinian fashion, said the purpose Thinking is to let your thoughts die instead of you, so brilliant notion, and so the idea is something like you can. Corners a representation of yourself, you can conjure up a variety of put she'll representations of yourself into that in the future you can lay how those future representations of yourself are likely to prevail or fail, you can call the

tensile use in the future that will fail and then can embody the ones that will succeed. You do that while simultaneously conjuring up representation of your current state and deter for yourself, because of your undue suffering, which one of your pathetic, being need to be given up so that you can move forward into the future, and the goal Is it that you are aiming with that work and not sacrifice? That's the ultimate question is the question I was trying to address in that writing. What is it that you are trying to do what you trying to improve the future? We believe that the future can be employed, We believe that it can be improved as a concept so our sacrificial work and so again, what are the limitations? What are the limits to that? What are the necessary limits? To that? I would say we dont know. I would say as well that that's actually something that the entire corpus of biblical stories is trying desperately to articulate to figure out and articulate right, wee wee wee wee conjured up

this remarkable idea the future exists. We can see it even though its only potential we can adjust. Our behaviour in the present. In order to maximize probability of success in the future. How best To do that, I did something like don't hesitate to offer. The ultimate sacrifice we want the future to turn out ultimately well now obviously, that idea is clothed in metaphysical Speculation and religious imagery, but still remains an intensely practical issue right. What is it that you could contract for? Let's say

If you are willing to give up everything about you this week and unworthy the theirs There is a continual hints of that in the old testament right, because what happens with no, of course, is that. He establishes the proper covenant with God proper contract with being let's say and thrives as a consequence in the neighborhood. Does the same thing, there's a straw, Intimation that that's how the world is set right, not that dear develops and magnifies as the stories progress into something like to something like the concept of Heaven on earth.

The notion being that the proper sacrificial attitude produces a psychological stay, And then the social state, that's a manifestation of that attitude that decrease, The probability that the world will Corinne into Hell, and increases the probability that people will live high quality, meaningful pray? It lives in a society that balanced and capable of supporting that. And none of that seems to me to be questionable really I also don't think it's anything that people don't actually know. You know people of TAT me many times that we Listen to me talk their hearing, things that they already know new, but didn't know how to say something like that, and this is one of things that I think is exactly like that I mean I think it's out

the core of our moral knowledge and which is our behaviour, old knowledge and our perceptual not mean. Let's get this straight. Moral knowledge is no trivial matter its knowledge about how it is that you orient yourself in the world is no more. Profoundly necessary form of knowledge is predicated on on something Exactly like this. We know that have to make sacrifices? We know that we have to aim at. What's good So then, why isn't that we don't aim at what's best and make the sacrifices that are necessary in order to bring that into play? I think seems to me that in some sense that self evident the question is We don't do it, but there's answers to that too. Already in the material that we ve covered. Life is hard and it hurts people which rife with limitation. And some of its arbitrary and it's no wonder- and some of its unjust and some of its worst, some of its malevolent, which is even worse and something I haven't talked about at all in this lecture. It's not the pricing that that combination of vicissitude can turn people against being. But I

even when that happens, and even when people have the kind of history that if they revealed to you, you would say: well, it's no wonder you turned out that way, the but who turn out that we still know that it's wrong they still no however, deep their own suffering, however arbitrary their own suffering, however much that caused by the malevolence of others, as well as the tragedy of existence that does not in any way justify their turning away from the good. And I believe everyone knows that I believe that the what implicitly, even if they don't allow themselves to know it explicitly, and I believe that if they violet that idea than they violate themselves and that they end up in its position, which is the position of the man whose being given a punishment that is too great to bear.

An angel said: Lay not dine hand upon the loud. Neither do without anything unto him. For now I know that Thou Fearest God. Seeing thou hast not withheld thy son dine only son from me, have lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his thorns by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a bird offering in the state of his son and Abraham the name of that place, Jehovah Gira, as it is said to this day,. In the mouth of the Lord. It shall be seen.

And the angel of the Lord called on to Abraham out of Heaven, the second time and said by my Self have sworn say at the Lord for because Thou hast done this thing and has not withheld thy son thine only son, that in blessing I will bless tee and in my applying. I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the Heaven and the sound which is upon the seashore and thy siege, possess the gates of his gait of his enemies. And in nice seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because Thou hast obeyed my voice. So Abraham returned unto his young men and they rose up and went together to Beersheba, enable

dwelt had Beersheba and it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying behold Millcote. She hath also born children than today, other nay whore and Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years old. Those were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died Encourageth ARBA. The same is he on in the land of cannon and Abraham

came to mourn for Sarah and weep her well. I don t exactly know what to do now.

Because that a review, what we want, we ve covered And then I'll bring this to a close, we can have some more questions than would be usual tonight. So what have we established by this point. The stories that have been revealed so far are something like. They contain the idea that there's something divine.

That's analogous to the human capacity for communication and attention that, at the. It operates at the genesis of being itself. That's the initial account in the old testament. It's an account that places the role of spirit centrally in than in the nature of being. I'm not exactly sure what to make of that. Because in some ways I miss materialistic Lee oriented as modern people typically are, but The stories makes sense to me in many ways the the other there's something world creating about human consciousness,. And that that's can in some sense to the divine force that called order out of chaos. At the beginning of time, seems to me to be a very powerful metaphysical idea

And it also seems to me to be an idea that is. Immovably at the foundation of western culture. Is our entire legal system, arson Eddie are expect mutual expectations. All of that, our condition to the final degree, by are presupposition that each of us has an intrinsic value, transcends the law. Conditions of our being and its with that priests Position that we ve been able to establish the society in a society that functions and functions well, and it has its current characterisation and that's a non. It's an likely or currents and it's a non trivial reality. And I don't see any way out of that. Out of that conclusion. I don't see anything that that can we be replaced with.

Oh God calls being into order into being out of chaos at the beginning of time and the tributes to you beings, the same essential capacity turn to Adam and Eve in the garden and their unconscious by all appearances ally tightly with God but unconscious. They don't seem aware of the future. They don't seem aware of themselves. They don't seem aware of their own vulnerability the fatal error of having their eyes opened Cover their own vulnerability, they all discover their capacity for evil we reviewed that to some degree. What's the association, because it's the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the fruit of which they eat. What's the association between the discovery, vulnerability and the image, of moral knowledge, its something like. As far as I can tell that you actually do, know how to be evil or to be good

you're actually aware consciously of your own vulnerability, because the s so the evil is the exploitation of vulnerability. For the sake of that exploitation. And I can't understand how to hurt someone until I know exactly how I can be hurt myself and I can't understand how I can be heard myself until I be cognizant of my mortal limitations. Until I understand what brings me pain until I you stand the suffering that goes along with my mortal limitations, my my inevitable death and suffering that goes along with that and with the with the clearing of the knowledge of mortal the good and evil Adam and Eve forecasts of Paradise in history begins and that's write to me because I dont think that three did begin before human beings became self conscious. So, there's something about that. That's right, because history Nobody begin until people become aware of the future. History doesn't really

and built until people work and start to build right. We still live. We Would still be ensconced in essentially an animal existence Until we are aware of the future and start to buttress herself against it start to wear clothing start. Build billing start to make citys all in all income sequence of having become aware of the fact that we are fragile and that the nature is a dangerous place, so that to me to be existential, correct and then we have story of cane enable brilliantly waste immediately afterwards, and so those are the two first do people in history essentially. They make sacrifices, so that goes along with the idea of the discovery of work, the necessity of work and the discovery of the future. Exactly what you would expect would happen. One segment of kind, let's say, makes the sacrifices properly and prevails in the other segment, makes the sacrifices improperly and fails and that's,

thickly reasonable. Given what you see around you, because that's what seems to happen all the time and then more interesting way, I would say the sacrificial. Failure produces in betterment right and now embezzlement produces a hatred for being and a desire for revenge that seems perfectly appropriate. I look at people who are better and who, revenge its generally. Because their sacrificial efforts have failed. Now, I'm loath to say that's a matter of their own doing, although sometimes it clearly is the embittered and vengeful complain to God and blame him for the structure of existence, You know I read about the Columbine massacre and the kids who undertook it

I'll make your hair stand on end. If you want to read something that will really disturb you, reading Eric Harris writings will really disturb you, no matter how much you know about human beings. Reading Eric Harris's writings will disturb you, and Harris's Kane. You know he says it stood. Formerly hate beings, hates me- Itself, he would, story everything if it was within his power to do that, and, of course And his colleagues were motive to produce far more carnage than they manage that day. What was said, There was only a fraction of what they had planned and Harris said very straightforwardly that he was that he had set himself up as the judge of being in that it lacks all till it in his eyes human beings certainly should we should all be removed from the face of existence because of their pathology and the fundamental. Horrors of being itself, so there's

Mccain. Enable story that isn't real, it's real and cane complain God has people will win their dreams are dashed and that its, those people who don't believe in God to it doesn't really matter. You know. Its harder, I suppose, if you're atheistic, to figure out who to blame, but that doesn't that the sentiment. Doesn't mean that the sentiment is any different. Right, the same drama is being enacted. You shake your fist at this of being rather than at God himself, but it doesn't make any difference except in the details, so God responds to gain and tell them that he's got no right, to judge being before he gets a sacrificial house. In order and even worse, he says that Kane is the architect of his own downfall and they invited catastrophe in his own, how into his own house willingly.

Entered into a creative union with it and therefore What about his own demise and it's that additional self knowledge, and you can imagine to you know, imagine that you are in your facing Life you're facing the failures of your life and lets say that you ve had a failed life. And you're bitter about that, and then you meditate upon it, and you think why This come about, and then you think, but perhaps I did something wrong You know when Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote the gulag archipelago, which is the book that detailed the catastrophes of the Soviet Union and help bring it down here. There's one part of that book that just struck saw so viciously when I read it, he he was in the in the gulag, and he was there for a very long time and he said: that he observed a variety of people in the camps who he really admired. They were rare they were usually religious believers in his in his experience, who were not parties

painting in the pathology of the camps at all period No matter what he said, he learned a lot from watching those people. He had a hard time, believing that they even existed that they could even exist. But he said that one of the things that he was brought to as a concept of watching those people live there. Contract with good this out, even under the most horrifying of conditions, was that it was possible. He himself was. Sponsible for him position in the camp. Now it's a very Jurists line of argumentation you know, because who wants to be the one who blames the victim for the catastrophe? You know you have to be careful when you walk down that road, but source Dixon was speaking about himself, and he said when he was a communist, you know, and he arrogantly and forthrightly, move the movement out into the world and had not fully

Gone over his life with a fine tooth come to find out what mistakes he had made that brought him so low, but contention eventually, was that part of the reason that he ended up where he ended up was because he and many others had completely for they did their relationship with the truth and allow their society degenerate into deceit and tyrannical catastrophe without mounting sufficient opposition, he decided when he was in the camps to straightened himself out bit by bit and that call needed in the production of the gulag archipelago in that book. Really dumb polished once and for all any moral credibility that the communist, military and systems had left. And so one man and in the depths of catastrophe who determine through good example, at least in part to stir, lying produced. A book eventually demolished,

the foundation of the very system that had imprisoned him, and that is really worth thinking about. That's one example of the absolute Grandeur of the human soul and the capacity for transforming That it has been let loose properly on the world. So, let's say you're conceptualizing your own failure. You know and you meditated on it and you come to the conclusion that God forced Kane. Hey, not only have things. I've been going very well for you. But it's actually your fault. A normal That you brought it on yourself and only very you knew it all the time with anyone thank you. Wake up and fly right right you get your wings in order and fly right. But there's no reason to assume that at all and that's not what happens to Kane just makes him more bitter right, and you can stand that if you think about it, just for a second, it's like bad enough when something horrible Hobbs to you, but then to have swallowed the additional pill right path to take

the information that you could have done, something different? It was Viable and you knew it at the time and you decided to do at any ways and I think people that situation a lot more often than every anyone is willing to admit. You know you have that little voice in the back, your head that says to do it. And you override it- and you know it's arrogant- That makes you override. It is always arrogance. You know it always warrants it's always arrogance, yeah. I can get away with it. It's like! No, you can't, I dont think you ever get away. Anything? So maybe your experience has taught you different, but my suspicions are hasn't and, if think it has well. The other shoe hasn't yet dropped. So Kane doesn't take opportunity to let gods wisdom. Reorient his character in that I could have been outcome, he could have guard down on his knees, so to speak and said o my oh, my god

I've been wrong. All along I've been living improperly, I've been making the wrong sacrifices, able deserves everything he has I got exactly what was coming to me, could I possibly now street myself out and and and and and and live in repentance and improve my position, but that's not what he did at all. He said all right, fair enough. I get it it's like I'm gonna go after the thing I most admire and I'm going to destroy it. And I'm gonna do that, despite its costs to me, and I'm gonna do that Despite the creator of being that's exactly what Harris did in all columbine, it's exactly what he says. In fact, it is uncanny writings. It's. Why the mass murders always shoot themselves afterwards and not before as you might wonder, if you're so upset with this You're, being why are you don't just commit suicide in your basement? Why do you have to go out and mass murder before you

it off with a gun to your forehead. Will you don't make? The point is effectively You just commit suicide in your basement. It's like why my life means nothing to me, but neither does anyone else's and neither does the structure of being itself and I'll take all my revenge is much as I possibly can and then just to show you how little I care or cap myself off at the end, And I would say also people say all the time I understand how that could happen is like. I don't believe that think an hour of thought of we'll fought right. Thought about your darkest feelings about existence itself alone. Needs the pathway to that sort of behaviour. Quite clearly, I think if you I mean I might be wrong. I might be a darker person than most and it certainly.

Ok. Well, at least, I think there are plenty of people out there who are sufficiently dark to know exactly what I mean when I'm saying these things, and I would also say that if it doesnt leap to you understanding how that pathway might be illuminated, then you need to know what more about yourself than you actually know now is whatever you might say about someone like air carers. He was a human being too. You know. There's this idea in the new testament that Christ was he who took this of the world onto himself to very complicated idea, but part of it part of it. Part of it is associated with the idea that he met the devil in the desert as well. To take this, ends of mankind onto yourself has to understand that, with the new dwells exactly the same spirit that commit the atrocities that Columbine nor that

In the camps at Auschwitz into actually understand that that's part and parcel of your make up and then to take responsibility for it, and I think that in the aftermath of the terrible twentieth century, that's what we're left with, left with the necessity to take responsibility for the most terrible aspects of ourselves and that way, perhaps we can stop those terrible things from happening again not also means. You know that you don't look for the. U dont, look for the! What would you cod purveyor of malevolence outside yourself right? isn't someone else, even though sometimes it's someone else, you know, you know what I mean it's like their identifiable perpetrators, but that's not precisely the point

The point is something more like that the proper place for the encapsulation of that malevolence, at least the proper place to start, is within the confines of your own existence and then perhaps within the confines of your family,. In that way, you're not a danger to those that you miss apprehend as malevolent and evil, because you won't get your aim right to begin with. You'll identify them improperly and you'll. Take your And in a manner that allows you to emit your own responsibility, to act out your unconscious desire for and and to move the world just that much closer to help. My soul, Kane kills able And then came gives rise to his descendants, one of whom is the person whose the first artificer in weapons of war and then comes the flood right, which seems perfectly

miraculously reasonable to me because of what those stories do. It's so amazing that the story of Cain and Abel segues into the story of the flood, because it is the case that the catastrophes that beset society can best be conceptualized as the spread of individual pathology into the social world and the and the. What would you call the Agnes vacation of that pathology to the point where everything comes apart, and I truly believe that, if you familiarize yourself with the last hundred years of history, that that's the conclusion that you would derive, and the people who are most wise, that I've read who commented on that say the same thing over and over, which is the the key to the prevention of the horrors of Auschwitz and the gulags in the future. Is the reconstruction of the individual soul at the level of each individual,

that's a terrible message, because it puts the burden on you, but it's an amazing message because it so means that you could be the source of the process that stops that catastrophe and malevolence from ever emerging again, and you know it's hard for me to imagine that you have anything that could possibly be better to do with the time that you have left Well, then, we see Noah who works with God and whose general Since our in order right, which means that he's this contract with the good. Let's say that has the protective function of the Ark he's put it family together and he can ride out the worst catastrophe and he's actually, our ancestors read so interesting is tat. These people, who get their act together properly and make a contract with the good, are called and presented as the genuine ancestors of mankind, and that's really positive element

The story is well it's when I believe, because it hasn't been easy for us to give here. You know we are the descendants of the great heroes of the past and if you Look all those heroes and you and you, and you. And you told your stories and you distilled their stories into a single story. Maybe you'd have a story like the story of nor the story of Abraham know the story of the successful the story of our forefathers The cancer on the planet that certain people tend to think that we are, and so The goal is to be one of the people like that, and there isn't it. Thing better that can possibly be done in the alternative is something like Hell. And so no rights out the storm and that's what everyone wants, because you want to write out the storm. You don't wanna be happy because that'll just happen if it does or if it doesn't. But you definitely want to constitute yourself so that you can it out the storm, because the storm is always coming and so,

you're fortified against the worst and that's what you want, because, while the best you can handle the worst, you have to prepare yourself, And then we see the same thing repeated in the story of Abraham, essentially right, Abraham makes this contract with the good and kind currently renews that's his sacrifice and his worship constantly renews it and he has the ventures that are sufficiently typical of the advice of a human being whose alive even engaging in the world right, hee hee. It bumps himself up against all the horrors of existence, and yet the story is told in such a manner that reveals that his primary ethical commitment to the overarching good is sufficient to protect him against the vicissitudes of existence. Well that's an optimistic story and as a pessimistic person, I appreciate, and after. Stick story, that's believable and the great dome.

And placed on Abraham. It's not as if this just comes to him as a gift He has to be willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary in order to maintain a contract, and so. Seems to me to be realistic. There's no to assume that life, is it so difficult that it actually demands the best from you that is actually structured in that manner and that, if the- you were willing to reveal the best in you in Response to the vicissitudes of life, you might actually prevail, and you might. Actually set things straight around you and long? What? If that was true? That would be a remarkable thing. And I cannot see how it can not be true, and I can't see that is not stamped on the sole of everyone whose conscious, I think we all know this perfectly well although the stories remind us, you know, Plato, Socrates believed them all.

Knowledge was remembering you know he believed that saw before birth had all knowledge and lost it at birth and then except Rience reminded the soul of what had already knew. And there's something about that. That's really true, because you're, not just creature that emerged. Thirty years ago or forty years ago, your. You're, the inheritor of three and a half billion years worth of violence, go engineering right, you have nature stamp deeply inside of you far more deeply than we had any of us realise. And when you across these great stories. These reminders there are reminder of how to be operate, when you saw because the structures already there

external stories were manifestations of the internal reality and then their call to that until internal reality to reveal itself. Well then, we come to the end of the Abraham EC stories least this section of them with Sarah S, death and Abraham is called Point make the supreme sacrifice and, interestingly enough, because he is willing to make the supreme sacrifice he actually doesn't have to, and that's an interesting thing as well, because I believe that its reasonable, from a psychological perspective, to point out that. The more willing you are, for example, to face S, perhaps the less likely it is that you're going to have to face it, at least in an ignoble manner. And so with that, then will bring this twelve part series to a close

You know, I think. Applause is for everyone- and I hate to say that. Does it sound so new energy? But you know I did it really does it really does seem to me that this is a participatory exercise. You know that and that It would not be possible for me to go through these stories without having you here to listen and so and always think you in talking to that, is a dialogue. You know it's a dialogue, said, and you listen, you ve all, listened and, and and thank God for that, you know, and that gives me a chance to think and give me a chance to watch and it gives the chance to interact with no your emblematic of of humanity. The large, I suppose that's one way of thinking about it and for me to be able to after what I'm saying so that it has an impact on all of you here also means

I can simultaneously crafted so that it has an impact in principle, can reach far beyond this place, and so you know I'm hoping that I'm really hoping that one of the things that can start to happen with this, at least, is that we can put our culture back on its firm foundation, because it's something that's desperately needed and in order to do We have to understand both the evil and the nobility of the human soul, and that's like that's that's a fundamental truth. You know, and I dont think you can get. Nobility, without a soldier and through the evil? I really dont believe out at all. It's no place for the naive to go. That's for sure, but any, I would like to thank you as you thank me for your close and careful attention and your support during all of this. It's Bina really a remarkable experience. It certainly sort of Developed beyond my my dreams, so,

making To the questions I dont Peterson It appears to me from the series and from the biblical stories themselves that the emphasis of the stories is the utmost importance for the fool for the maintenance and adaptation of being or society figure who lunch headfirst and on.

The territory explicitly aware of the danger and risk of loss in confronting what cannot be understood but unafraid and with zeal, and that the dangers of ideological possession just as much just as much of a concern as that individuals are unwilling and perhaps unable to form an opinion and take a stance one way or another when confronted with a fork in the road or a decision must be made. You ve seen this apathy apathy throughout the universities, as I have to Public school system, my question is: how can one model being the fool to plunge into the unknown and publicly fall on your face in pursuit of learning in a way that clearly demonstrates the urgency and utility of the full. While there isn't any difference between the full and someone who's, courageous right from an architectural perspective, Abraham is a fool. Obviously, when he starts is his his adventures, mean story, lays it out not matter he's far too old to be

leaving home, for example, he's a late blueprint, and then he has. He has a lot of catastrophic adventures along the way, and certainly you could imagine that, had you encounter him when he first in the famine in the land of strangers when he first went out that the ice, that he had had followed. His misguided intuitions would have been self evident. But in the Abraham stories there is this call to get out and do. And that's it. And the thing is: is that no one? things. I've learned to put it to make it concretely, is that, like I've done a lot Different things in my life and every time I did a new thing. I was a fool I did a badly. I was an impostor writer and and and because when you first start to do something, you don't know what you're doing, but that it's ok, that's an acceptance of your vulnerability right and your ignorance. That's humility in some sense the willingness to be a fool in renewed in the land of strangers. That's it the willingness!

to be a fool in the land of strangers and that's an active courage, because if you also reveal your vulnerability to the world by stumbling around, but his long you're stumbling forward, then you're going to move forward now, how Do that more concretely aim at an ideal right in You haven't ideal. That's beyond you now, maybe you don't aim to begin with an idea that ideal that so beyond you that you're crush by its Magnifica you know, maybe that's that's! That's too demotivating to move you, but you could at least conceptualize yourself as the you that you are with fewer of the fund that you know of, and that's good start, and I also think that's associated with the idea of humility. Take stock figure out how it is that you're not who you could be and then move in that direction and accept the consequences. You know. You you're gonna, get slapped a lot, but

me, with each slap your straighten up a little bit firstly, if you listen even to the people who are slapping you, because some They are the ones who can reveal for you very quickly we is that your weaken insufficient. So, you won't have to be that way in the future. So don't Petersen, I have no questions for you. All I ever wanted to do is just stand in front of. You and be able to thank you for everything you ve done. My pleasure Morning, citizen Peterson short one you do. I mean in question

question has for us get a first a break the ice. People have said, since they no noise breaker, you wanted to get ready, the real. I want you to get right into the question question is about hyper critical thinking now. Everyone knows the critical thinking is a great thing to develop. You have to be able to cut. I guess think about your ideas. If information is presented, do you have to decide if its legitimate or if there is some sort of sea behind it? But when it's taken to its extreme, no matter how great or noble somebody is, you can always find a crack in the armor and try to figure out how their covering something, that's not great about them and you might then discredit everything they do is just a facade case alone. So let me stop there for sectors. I want to address two of the issues that you already brought up. So there's this the issue of hyper quit critic.

Thinking, partly in relationship to yourself and partly in relationship to others. So I'd like to address the issue with regards to yourself to begin with so there's this idea that Karl Young developed he extracted. I dont know from where from some ancient right is that he was familiar with. I believe they were jewish writings. He said that classically speaking traditionally, begging, God was viewed to rule being with two and right hand and left hand and the right here justice. That was you're, gonna, get what's coming to you, but left hand was mercy. And the idea essentially was that the cosmos could not exist without the proper combination of justice and mercy. You should get what's coming to you but People are fallible and they make mistakes its reasonable to apply that to yourself. You know There is an idea, that's being developed by psychologist over the last few decades. That people are basically narcissistic in that they do?

We feel that there better at most things than other people, I don't buy, that. I dont think that The metal evidence for that is very strong, and I certainly haven't seen that, for example, in my clinical practice, where I ve The people are generally far harder on themselves than they are another people. What example of that I've written about this in my new book. To is that you know if you have a path that second, you take it to the that and you get medication you're very likely to give the path the entire course of medication to go to the pharmacy to get the prescription failed to give the pet the medication to follow it through, but you are the person who has the problem? You laugh because you know the story. It's like. A thirty. You won't even go filled a prescription and of the remaining two thirds of you have of won't. Take it to completion and you think well what why are people like that, and I think it's because they know themselves, they have contempt for themselves because of their flaws, and then they come to despise them

and I think that's a big mistake- that's lock that's too much justice and not enough mercy and You know you wrote about the biblical injunction that you should treat your neighbour as if he were yourself essentially but he talked about that isn't equation, which was quite interesting. So because its often read as something. You should be nice to people which is not it means at all, because first night is a very low and virtue, but it is What it means, what it means is that you should you should treat your neighbour as if he or she is someone that you wish to encourage and develop. Then. You should also have exactly the same attitude towards yourself, which is Rick sort of some sense, regardless of what your opinion is of yourself, critical, let's say Hypercritical even is often the case with people who are anxious, or perhaps we were hyper. Conscientious you. To put forward to yourself the same sympathy, we could say that

it extends to someone else that you cared for that's the thing is that you have to come to treat you so as if you someone that you care for- and I mean that technically, you know detached yourself from yourself and you think. Ok, what if I was going to construct a motive being that was all two more for this person that I happened to be. What would look like and that sort of independent of whether or not you think you deserve it. It's like me you deserve it- maybe you don't innocent until proven guilty, that's a pretty good policy, but you should come to lay out A motive being for yourself that, Gives you some credit in one that will

so help you in your dealings with other people, but it's often very difficult for people to do that to themself. Ok, so that's the that's. The first part of that is perfect, so it starts out with this hybrid, critical thinking, and you talk a lot about Nietzsche's assertion about the death of God, but I see it sort of more like a wilful destruction of the heroic ideal- and I guess several months ago I had occasion to look up a definition or explanation for the site. Gazed of modern victimhood outrage, culture, and I sought in this particular case, and I found and this paragraph ok. This has. You called the rhythmic cadence. They just made my hair stand up on contents, and if you could look at it and read this, this is better than the latter.

The image of man that dominates and modern literature in visual art, cinema and Theatre is primarily a groom, gloomy image the and the noble are suspect from the outset. They must be torn from their pedestal, so that one can see through them. Morality pounces. Hypocrisy enjoy a self deception. Anyone who simply puts trust in the beautiful in the good is either inexcusably in ingenuous or acting with evil intent. The truly moral attitude is suspicion and its greatest success is in exposing criticism of society is obligatory. It is important, the find words lurid and brutal enough to describe the dangers that threaten us. This in the negative, is not wherever, unlimited there at the same time an obligation to be optimistic and the fair you're to observe this obligation does not go unpunished. Ample. Anyone who expresses the view that not everything in the intellectual development of the modern period has been correct,

that is necessary in some essential areas to reflect on the shared wisdom of the great cultures has chosen to me The wrong kind of criticism finds himself suddenly construct confronted with a resolute apologia for the fundamental visions of the modern age, no matter how much light one may taken negation. He is not permitted to call into question the view that the fundamental trajectory of historical development is progress and that the good lies in the future and nowhere else. You know, I thought a lot about nihilism, let's say and and its justification, and I think that a very Powerful justification for nihilism can found in the mere observation that life is rife with tragedy and malevolence, There is no doubt, but then I am don't suspicious of that right. Now for nihilism over the years, because a cow Opposition to it emerged in so something nature, of course concentrated on as well, that had more to do

with resentment so like. You can imagine negation of the heroic ideal from despair from the despair say produced by tragedy in by exposure to malevolence, but it's also it's completely and delightfully are responsible to negate the heroic ideal because of me but you don't have any responsibility. And it seems to me that fewer nihilistic and prone to criticized the heroic foundation of Let's say western culture that one of the first class is that you could ask yourself, is what it's you so sure that you're appropriately cynical Specious and critical, and not running away as fast as you possibly can from every bit of responsibility that you could possibly adopt, and I think that that's a perfectly reasonable perspective, and I think that that is reflected to some degree in what the person who wrote this paragraph was attempting to new guess who was

I can't. I left you a hint who was it Cardinal Ratzinger. All right, I'm gonna! Take another question: well done hello, low. How are you doing doing good fees and it's been a pleasure twelve weeks, twelve, twelve moments that say okay so two weeks ago we talked about Europe mischievous suggestion, I might say, to cut the universities funding by twenty five percent and how that might have influenced that sort of language in Andrew shares, a platform and so and then you discuss how you're not exactly sure what year role is in all of this, and in that

you don't wanna, be it a war and you don't want be using warlike language and and I think I think what you, what what what do you want to be doing is is you're trying to restore order, but not not but not not have conflict and oh I saw I so after the lecture two weeks ago, I asked you like maybe I should maybe I should do some sales work for your postmodern lexicon website, and I think I've found a better niche fur, some one of my temperament to help this cause so I think so I got it now, has a university, and because so many students are dropping out, especially man, and especially ethnic minorities,

they this team called this student success team or something student success advisers and you ve been extract. Incredibly successful crowd. Funding for your research and for repatriation and I think, How much does it cost for a single person to do the self authoring programme, as well as to for once with both fifty doors, okay, so away? So nothing then basically, but I was thinking that we could somehow wicked incorporate the self authoring programme into this into this new advisory committee does that students skins knock yourself out man, do it that's what that's like the data for the future authoring programme is quite clear if students even do it for an hour before they

university. They have a thirty, but a thirty percent less chance of dropping out the first semester, so no one, and it would really not be nice to see some students organizations that were Syria. Sleep devoted to facilitating student success, you might think that's what student organizations should do. Fact well. It seems rather self evident when you think about it, but it was so would say like if your oriented in that direction get out her soul, it's a fine plan and its. I, like the emphasis of it, because your direct yourself towards the facilitation of individual accomplishment- and you're at least going to do very little harm that way and that's it Really, good start man. You know, that's that, because that's that's what you should think about when you're setting out to make things better. The first thing you should think. I'm not so sure. I know what I'm doing. So. What I first attempt to do least, amount of harm possible and by

some training on helping someone develop their own plan and and and implement that into the future and encouraging them with regard whatever success, they would like to find their way. There's a pretty low probability that you're going to act, the terror tyrant and and and play a detrimental rule, so good Maybe we can communicate. Thank you guess, I'm your send you an email and grandma. I don't think this is the first of these lectures that I've been here to listen to monopolise northern on Youtube. So. You gonna get always or anyone else in a quite that's good, ok and I've been trying to think up this question since basically the first lecture, because I'm a seminary student at an even geological seminary and allow of what you ve been saying, has really been resonating in it and its. And it's really been fascinating to listen to and

no there's been many people who ve been asking you questions like. What do you believe about the resurrection? Do you believe in God? Are you a Christian and all these sorts of things? And you know I've been listened very mostly all your answers and have groups of friends on Facebook were falling following very closely say. You would Petersen said this time, maybe he's one of us finally or some about it, but at the same time other ways that you explain some of the story sound very close to what we call theological liberalism, the nineteen Actually, the idea that do you using historical, critical methods of reading and interpret in the Bible and standing Jesus more as a moral figure than as a literal historical figure whose atonement provides actually for man, so I tried I forgot what the question was because I could interpret. What's all your answers were so I'm going to put it in more of a general way: okay, Where exactly do you see yourself differing from traditional Orthodox Evangelical, Christianity and and

why would you differ there? Given how much you you, you seem to understand the importance of the biblical stories in the western, his investor history? Ok, ok! Well, that's good! That's a good question! Well, I offer you. Obviously I have to answer in a general way mean. I think that one of the things that makes me different is I take the idea that things are fourteen billion years old, seriously, no end and the idea Evolution seriously and mean, as ask, does the catholic Church by the way, and so I don't see that as an impediment to the pursuit that I'm undertaking now I dont know how to bridge that gap. Precisely but I'm not that worried about it. I mean you can't bridge every gap, it's just not possible, it would where internet knowledge, ok and house. That's one major, because I'm coming this from a scientific. I really am coming at this from a scientific perspective. You know, like I try to make sure that everything that item

about, is commensurate with current scientific knowledge. Now, current scientific knowledge, no doubt is airing in all sorts of ways like, I think our notion about exactly how evolution the grasses is flawed in many many ways and the recent discoveries in the field of epigenetic, which show that you can actually transmit, acquired, characterise takes. You know, has really put a horse us real serious stick in the spoke of the evolutionary bicycle, let's say, but but then I also think the question is me: asked in some sense, because I gave you extra series of specific title for a specific reason, you're serious is the psychological significance of the biblical stories. Now I'm claiming that my psychological analysis exhausts the significance of the biblical stories you know that they have mounted. Let's say layers of meaning, and some of those layers the physical and some of them are more specifically religious and I'm trying the best I can

not to wander into those domains like. I do because it's impossible to keep yourself founded. We know when you're discursive beaker, let's say, but I'm trying to what I'm trying do is the sort of thing that young, the essentially is to take a look at these old stories and say: okay. Well, let's look at this from the perspective of the human psyche and let's see what significance can be and not to say that's all the significance there is. Who knows what significance there. One thing: I have learned about the biblical stories that no matter how you go into them. You are not at the bottom and soda been very, very interesting to me, God only knows about the metaphysical substructure. Reality, because human being, certainly don't so. I don't. I don't want to claim that what I am doing is a religious interpretation. Although you know a drift into that direction, I want to stay within the the view of my expertise, such as it is and to say? Well, if you look at this

Ike illogically, here's what you can extract as as pray magically existentialist, clinically, meaningful and the rest of it. Well, the rest of it has to be left in abeyance and because I dont have the capacity to investigate claims that go beyond that. Not mean that I'm saying that what doing is reducing these stores to their psychological significance, even though the psyche The grand thing I'm not trying to do that. Its. Reductionist. Stick its take on it, so people can make up their own minds. Metaphysically and they also have to make up their own minds about how they're going to act, which is really the crucial issue as far as I'm concerned. So you bet ihigh with respect to daddy presented with two weeks ago, sorry requesting with respect

data presented every two lectures ago regarding the use of suicide in in treatment illness. Yes, yes, so subsequently, I looked up some of the recently published a literature, yeah studies I found extremely- writing was one that was published less than a year ago in the lancet, which is it I am yet well respected journal, where they looked out was efficacy in patients with severe treatment resistant depression. And what they found is that eleven or twelve of the patients they showed significant remittance. A single dose of the substance up to three months following the single those without additional. So this not only substantiates, I suppose my own experiences but when you recently commentary or review article surrounding these have two topics now with respect to depression, but.

Things like post, traumatic, stress, disorder, addiction, they'll, unequivocally state that these types of results are completely unprecedented in the realm of psychiatric medicine. Yes, so I was wondering home and as to whether or not that tape of rhetoric is or blown. And if not, do you see these being more mainstreaming in your future or suspected to fall victim to something unwise of regulatory capture? No, I don't well. I don't think they're overstatements and I think I know some of the people who are engaged in this research and there are actually very conservative people, like their brave people,. But I mean conservative in the best sense. You know they're, not they're, not Timothy Leary, and I'm not trying to put down Timothy Larry. I'm really not, but you know some wash it would have been a good thing, although you know when something like when this,

psychedelics burst onto the scene. No one had any idea what to do with them rights and we still really don't, but the new research is being conducted very carefully, but it is really remarkable that those epithets are used or those lose terms are used to describe the results, because those are the lancet, for example, is one of the top in metal journals. If you don't see grand claims in the Lancet right scientist, don't write that waited there. They are trained from the beginning to downplay the result, but there quite struck by the fact that these effects occur with single doses. Now I I think that what we do no about psychedelic could fill many many many thick volumes and there and there absolutely mysterious in their function. Purpose effect consequence all of that

and I have always thought that it was really appalling that we stopped investigating the back in the nineteen sixty. Although it's not been that long, you note twenty years. Historically speaking, it's really nothing but Tom, and no. I dont think that they'll be that the research will be stopped. Regulatory capture, because the people who are doing it now, I think, learned a lesson from what happened in the sixties and are doing it pretty damn carefully. So we can hope that more results like this are produced and that their wreck replica ball and that perhaps they will prove helpful with any luck. I dont Could Petersen, I found this lecture series really really enthralling and why nor since we started, explain better question. Yellow, that's! Ok, although regulate you get to the question, but I'm curious like why why

You think that is because it's a strange thing to have happened like weeds. A lecturer born the liable for I'd say you know it's like snow sums you go to a venture capitalist with a business plan for so. What what? What is it about it? You think that's been that that's have that effect on. You Papa asked you a question. Instead,. Look, I don't want to. I want to put you on the spot if you want to just moved here. Question. That's fine, but if you have an answer to that, I would be very interested in knowing what it is well. Ray it's a thrill to encounter and of means to a metaphysical system that so persuasive and potent, and I've had really experience that a whole lot in my life. That's what universities are supposed to do for people

What universities are supposed to do for people they're not supposed to take me, who are barely hanging together and break them and make them weak they're supposed to equate them with the heroic role substructure of the human psyche, so the can move out into the world and thrive and it's an absence crime that isn't what's happening so hooray for that good to me, that the kind of tradition and genre that you are working in here is that of the sermon now, are you comfortable that the graduation and why for we'll see where you go with it well that's. Does the essence of my question: are these sermons and might No one thing: why don't you know nature? I dont know sorry, look at the last fortnight. One call you a preacher

why are you certainly call me one, and you know the third there is a certain overlap and the overlap, but this has been characteristic of my approach to education, sit right from beginning is I've some rules about what I lecture. What about the topics that I liked her about in the way that I deal with it so the first rule is. I don't want to tell you anything that isn't useful at I'm a pragmatist. Do you know, like I'm, an american pragmatists, that's part of my philosophical grounding and I that knowledge is tool like and that the proper thing to do is to to equip with the tools to move effectively in the world, and so I Make sure that if I offer a story or a fact for that matter? I also sable here. Here's why you need to know this fact. It will actually improve your life or it'll. Stop be from wandering into a pet, which is approximately the same thing. And then it also knowing

It will also make you more effective actor in the social world and that will improve the social world right and hopefully that will improve the environmental world, etc, etc. And so I would say to the degree that, though, to produce sermons are concerned with producing alterations in behaviour, which is our moral alterations say. Then I share the same territory with them, but I wouldn't say that's something that should be only relegated to the domain of the sermon, because I believe that it is the job of the universities, for example, especially in the damned humanity's too in noble people into in enable them to adopt the mantle of proper citizenship and that we ve forgotten that we forgot not or were avoiding it or were refusing it or something like that you know- and I think we're using the death of God ass- an excuse. So I think that, to a degree that I'm, creature I'm making an error you know and also to the degree that I'm political?

I am making an error. I am wondering out of my proper territory when that's the domain that I mean, but when I met you, turning to assemble mould, pull layers of facts towards a practical end which What I'm trying to do in the end is the the nobleman of the individual right, that's my goal. Then then I mean my proper domain. I'm gonna make mistakes in I'm going to wander out of my territory, and I try not to do that. But you know it's well, it's part of being a fool. You're gonna make mistakes so They have no problem, thanks for to do all the cool stuff, the mix of ruin of Youths- great, not everyone. Well, I e, as it underlines the ocean there's lots of people that seem not to love me yellow, and I can't blame really. Anyway, I'm an elite in your question here, so you in your book maps,

book maps of meaning quote from those the dusty ascii about how humankind mankind given all the cakes, no real. Yet oh my God is again. Oh my God is right. Man, that's one killer quote that's from from the underground day. Everyone should read that gives everyone's underground and it's a great it's a great little journey through that. Yeah I saw is basically I forgive if you have the floor, utopia. I often uses busily. If you have the most perfect you Utopia, humans will find a way to screw it up, go out of the right. Yeah because we thought we like we like chaos in the unknown, have talked about this. Yet that's the thing is that were heroic. Adventurers right, we're not not sybarite laying on a beach, although when you get the opportunity to do that, like make sure you take it, but that's that's not what that's not that's, not the proper call of the human soul right where wrote, dare to call chaos in the unknown, and it's in there

we find meaning and that's better than the utopia. That's what Dostoevsky God bless his soul. Dostoevsky had that He was such a genius. He had everything that was wrong with communism figured out even before it started. Amazing, really like. If you read the possessed or the which I would highly recommend, although its hard work to get into takes about a hundred pages to really get get it get moving. But dostoevsky talk his main character and that novel is a person whose again, a very powerful person is completely possessed by what's essentially the communist ideology and very effective at moving forward and endorsed. Husky lays out brilliantly exactly the catastrophic consequences of that, both personally and socially, and he did this, like thirty before the russian Revolution, it's just uncanny, I didn't we the hell about guy was from, must have been epilepsy. You know so

I'm gonna, get you excited hymns going here. Basically, I used to use that you know what kind of fleet a lot of it comes from the left wing. This utopia we're going towards the with the universe. In calm and me. I and suddenly, the whole populations can becoming insanely create ocean with no incentive, but is now the utopia is not. There is not like this thing that hasn't happened yet wherein it wherein it This is the best thing ever and like all of humanity, the western civilization. Like all my memory and a material sense, I mean it is a toilet paper. Toilet paper. It just happened anyway, so his serious, so we have this beautiful thing and people are trying to take it down at all costs in an hour the dark face Miley into my question here, which is actually goes into. Charlottesville had

now with it with that with the with the initial purpose of protecting the statue, was a good thing out. I'm not, I don't know about confederacy, except for the big thing, but honestly it's it's a very slippery slope and Confused souls who, in the bad nick darkened souls. First you're, not good! They screwed up big time, because purpose behind. It is so important, because it's gonna, be fine founding fathers. Next, anyone who ever contributed anything to western civilization. As we know it is our duty, is already being done. James Madison High School the state is getting rename because some girls ran at one student felt, unsafe and so yeah? This is a serious issue I wanted they re

Buick really up against the wall. Now, because now they found the Nazis man, the Nazis are flooding the streets now. So how do we? How do we, possibly you, no kind of save our cakes You had to bring it up, didn't you. Well, having the right degenerate into identity, politics does not seem to be a part, a positive solution, so one of the things I would say is that like? I understand why the identity, politics that has been practice. So assiduously and so devastatingly by the left has been co opted by the right. I understand that, but then here's what I would say to the people on the right who are playing that game. If you

play the game of your enemies and you win you their game. You don't win, that's not victory, you become the most successful exponent of their pathology. How is that a good thing? It's a bad thing. What does that? Leave people as old as an alternative? Well, I dont think that the cocaine genes. Let's say, should revert to being white got a bad idea. Dangerous idea, and come and fast, and I don't like to see that I think the whole group identity thing is seriously pathological. I think we may bigness eggs in Canada. I understand why. To some degree in that respect and that law mistakes are being made all over the western world where we're making your group identity the most important thing about you.

I think that reprehensible, I think its devastating think it's genocidal in its ultimate expression. I think you bring down our civilization. If we pursue it, we shouldn't be playing that game. So, what's the alternative, you know I've thought for a long time about a political career really for ever since I was like twelve, really for a long time- and I ve is decided against it, because it seems to me that the proper, level of analysis with regard to the solution of the problem that we are facing, isn't political? That's! Why gets a mistake when what I'm doing gets poetic either by mere others. I think that the way that you deal with this is to put yourself together. I really believe that is that, because I think that individual people are far more powerful. There certainly far more evil than their will who consider

there is also a sign of their unbelievable power. So I think that what you do is you aim high and yourself together and stay the hell away from the idiot logs Because their hiding their high behind. The walls are not able to come out and fight on their own behalf and so the way forward through the ecological mass and that's the lesson of western culture is to place the. Visual at the place of paramount importance and to make group identity only when necessary and secondarily, if ever so you can do that. You can do that now. You can do that tomorrow, like you, can put your life together and again, as as I mentioned to the other young man who asked the question, is you won't hurt anyone doing that right? You pick up your goddamn responsibility, sort yourself out fix up here. Family right and then you can be a force for good in the culture and if enough

people do that the ideological mass will just evaporate it'll just disappear. I think that's the way you show people the right path forward to is You say will look come we would light. We would like it so much if you could thrive as an individual drop. Your call like affiliation right- step out of the shadows: the demonic shadows, the radiological logical possession and step forward as a full develop person into the light. Do it by example. That's your that's your best bet man. So that's what like to me. I'm gonna take one more question and then I'm going to there is a young man from Kentucky here. Briand Brian here.

Ok. So I'm an answer, one more question, then: I'm gonna, let you take, might coquet right good. The two Petersen good evening. Everybody. I also want to thank you first for your lectures that I've been Following on you, too mainly and to say that they have been. Where life changing wouldn't be an overstatement great, and one of the crazy people increasing your views on you too, because they flew in from Belgium last night to be here, and it's like three, a m for me right now in english- is not my first language so bear with me. I would have many bird, questions to ask you, but I thought it was fair and sorry to pick one, and it would be this one. There are concepts that recur in your lectures, but this one, you only mentioned once in your early videos and Bill sister,

Steen about self esteem? You said you don't believe in the existence of self steam the went to teach children there all special! You think you boost their confidence. The only result is that some get narcissistic the reason why I am in stood in. That is about standing up for yourself and it is when I try to you know, do it. I see that rational arguments. Faith in rationality doesn't get the best result in negotiations. Why you learn how to be socialized by playing rough and tumble? It's not an intellectual conversation it's a socialized

Some also worrying that book suggested about by Stephen Hicks explaining Postmodernism, because I wasn't really familiar and I've been listening to a lot of euro job him later. This week's microphone I'm trying to read with fresh eyes because of being indoctrinated by you. Of course, a very critical And there is one more point that I have to agree with. The point modernist, and that is the world seems to me, as I observe it, a place where powers are at play It's not to delete that so when I'm in a weak position- and I want to fight back not to get resentful, I find But it's not a rational argument that will get me here. There is something else that I don't do and that I should be doing, and I dont know what it is

So you see the relation with self esteem seems to me that people who think of themselves start in a better position in in this game. So ok, ok, great or so. There's lot in that question. So the first thing is, there is a problem with the measurement of self esteem. Actually matters, because self esteem is the psychological concept, a scientific concept, if you like, and you have to get the measurement right, and you can predict self esteem almost perfectly by measuring someone's extra version and subtracting that their negative emotion melody earn eroticism. So it's actually just a combination of big five traits, and so people who are diverted who feel a lot of positive emotion and who are then who don't feel or negative emotion, score high on scales of self esteem. Ok, so. Conceptually it's a non starter, because you're not going to move,

people's levels of neurotic ism, let's say by trying to get them to feel good about themselves. Ok now, having said that, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't encourage people right now, there's this psychologist named Jerome Kagan, whose Quainter Great psychologist developmental psychologist, I think, the maritime at Harvard at the at them. At the moment he studied temperamental inhibited children, you can so they are basically kids who are high in is probably loan extra version and found that, if those chilled and you can identify them, is really is six months. Rights very, very inculcated in their temperament. He found that if you encourage them in the world, you could shift them into a stable personality configuration and what you basically do was when they were manifesting signs of distress instead, encouraging them to withdraw and retreat, which is what they might be attempting to do, use

encourage them to go out and explore. So, for example, if you have a temperamental inhibited child and you go to a playground and there's kids out there like, haven't extroverted emotionally stable kid three years old as you put them on the ground. Their feet are already moving right, like a puppy over water and you let them go, and they just run today to the kids and their there. And you have to drag them away. But if you temperamental inhibited child, the child was sort of stand around your legs and sort of peak out. You know and then What you do is wait it out. Let them watch encouraged them to move a little bit forward in urge them to take their steps out into the unknown and the strange land and don't let them withdraw like you can do you have that their slower to warm up, they'll warm up, they'll habituate and, if continually expose your inhibited child to the things. Make them anxious in measured doses, then you can transform their cycle physiological temperament now. You're, probably going to shift and way the hell out onto the extroverted emotion,

stable land, but you can make a big differ. That's very different than making them feel good about themselves which, as such you need to curse. You need curse. When you discuss that concept right so isn't that improve their self esteem. It isn't how you feel about yourself right, it's how you act effectively in the world and how you are trained to do that. So, ok, now you were talking about negotiation right and you said well, don't you said something like don't pay You feel good about themselves. Aren't able negotiate better and its did. I know that's a poor paraphrase. Excuse me, but negotiations are actually a practical issue to some degree like the first thing is that you to figure out what you want, because you were saying: well, it's not merely rational. It's like yeah yeah, that's for sure you have to bargain from vision of Authority- let's not power authorities a better word, You don't have authority unless you know what you're talking about and unless you can bring. Some

You can bring some let's say force, it's not! That's! Not the right word you and negotiate without anyone, unless you can say no. And you can't say no, unless you ve set yourself up with alternatives So when you go to your boss and you negotiate for arrays you to have the sort of save II that enables you to go, find another job and you have to have you see the prepared and you have to have looked for another job and you have to be able to get one because then. Go in there and say I'm not productive as I could be at my current level, remuneration, it's not reflective of what I able to do, and want this, and this is what will happen if you give me this, this will be the good things that happen and you think of that, and the person is going to even by the way that you hold yourself all you're having a discussion weather, you're, someone with options, and you can't say that while you can, but it's not helpful like it did you doesn't work for very many generations. You have to pay its aids, its

rational you preparing yourself for battle. That's what you're doing you can't be weak when you prefer prepare yourself for battle, because if the person says no giving you a raise, which is exactly what they should say, because what are they going to do just like sprinkle the money around You need to be able to say. Ok, then There will be consequences that you do like what it means to say no to someone no means. If you can t, to push this thing's war open that you dont like now. In that case, it'll, be all depart and take. My talents with me and if they don't care? While then, you are in the wrong business or you don't have any talents to begin with right, which is so it in Order to negotiate properly and in this is more difficult for people who are agreed about, for example, and because there tend to be more conflict averse. You have to put yourself in a position where you can You can push back as hard as you're going to be pushed on, and that means you have to open your. U have to open up here

base of available option, because otherwise the persons has no one. That's it you're done while you lose, then it's it's a straightforward is that now. With regard to self esteem parties practice on small things, because you bill skills forget about the self esteem it isn't about being confident, you're feeling confident or any of that it's about now, bloody! Well, how to negotiate. Star was small things So you'll notice that there are things in your relationships in particular that aren't the way you want them to be and that you could see could be improved, slight figure in how they can be improved, negotiate with your partner Make the incremental improvement keep doing that you'll get better and better at it, and then you'll be able to go out and have a hard negotiation in the world so too That is, skills there's an hour who'd behind it. You know when it's easier for some people than others, but fundamentally it's a set of skills, no problem.

Right now we had something interesting. And I expected to close this off with the floor- is yours Dr Peterson I'd like to say thank you for making your videos available online had a great effect on me over the last year, actually found them a few years ago, but sometime around July or August of last year I got hooked. I would wake up at like five, a dot m in the morning to watch your maps of meaning releases, the new ones. The old ones expect Xcetera.

I found myself inspired by both the academic and technical material, as well as what I might term the more fatherly directives or wisdom. I share this with my family and my friends as well as my girlfriend she's here tonight, as well. She's been following the biblical serious, but what I'd like to say is thank you for inspiring me to stand up and say something that I've been afraid of all my adult life and thank you for granting me the permission to ask this question here. It's actually from my girlfriend. Please stand up so some might say, given that we,

Couple of primates full of snakes, it's pretty miraculous that we haven't killed each other, but I think you're pretty great, and we ve been talking about commitment and I think, I'm ready. I know I'm ready to commit. To a life with you of sorting ourselves out, I'd like to kill, in some rooms with you. Even a scary as it is. Apples of marriage and have been made the same, does I'm thinkin about forever and simply amount. In my words, I love you dearly you feel like home. I never want to lose that. Will you marry me.

And if you want to come here you're Signorina, shackle yourself to me and never run away.

I shall suffer the rest of my life with you.