Thursday, December 28, 2017

Jordan Peterson 'Hatred For Being Itself'

Since I posted Jordan Peterson on Root of Evil  I have been going over many more of his lectures. JBP constantly repeats various aspects of his insights as they intersect with his latest discussion.  So that led me to listen again to Biblical Series II to see if there were inconsistencies. There were none that I spotted. However that led to correcting several portions of the transcriptions. I think it is now 100% but with stammers excluded.

Then after absorbing many of the cross-references, it occurred to me that there was more to say about how his view in this area -- exploring existence -- intersects with my own.

What JBP left out and what he instilled in me to express more clearly is what has prompted this essay. I pray that some of you might gain something -- comfort? -- from reading it.

First of all there is his conclusion that the hatred of being is at the root of malevolence. See, the desire to cause pain, suffering and destruction for the joy of inflicting it is only a symptom of the subject: the hatred.  

In order to comprehend the depths of that hatred, one must answer the question "what is being?"

Well, the ultimate form of being is existence itself. There could be no greater evil committed by anyone -- if they could - than to end existence itself. Such a villain has placed his will above the rights of every other creature alive.


One need not be religious to accept philosophically that existence itself is fundamental to the book of Genesis, which opens
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth." 
That's the beginning of existence as we perceive it on a macro scale as told in many a myth and tale.

What I find amazing is so few have concluded what I've long noted about the foundational grammatical parallel in John. For God's sake thinkers, it talks about The Word!
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
 Why is it not clear to every religious man and philosopher what Word that is?

For there to be existence, there had to be some action taken for it to come to being. That is a verb.
Basic grammar, the infinite variations of any verb begins with its infinitive.
  1. Thus The Word in the beginning, standing all alone, must be the infinitive "To Be."
  2. The next step would be The Potential Prime Mover -- God if you will allow the substitution -- pondering the Word and thus turning the infinitive into the interrogative "To be?" This would be the where the Word was with God.
  3. The final step is The Potential Prime Mover turns the interrogative to the Imperative. "Be!" And the Word was God.
This is further supported as related in Exodus by the answer given to Moses when he asked "What is your name." Answer: "I Am that I am."

That is the first person singular of Being. What Professor Peterson has gotten very close to but has not stated outright that I know is demonstrated below.

When Peterson concluded the portion on the root of malevolence he said:
"It wasn't unconscious. [The Columbine killers,] they'd been dwelling on this for months, plotting their revenge. And it was against for being itself, for the crime of being. "
What Professor Peterson could have said, but perhaps left for us students to realize is this
"It was against Being Himself."
Oh how I wish JBP would explore more deeply along these lines. He has a short transition to make because, as I recounted in the link above, he said this in the video that inspired my last two posts:
2:10:15.8 the root for malevolence is the desire for revenge against God for creation itself.

Conclusions
For those for whom this is merely a philosophical consideration, can you see the danger posed by those for whom existence itself is hated? Most especially if, in a moment of laxity, you fail to consider the existential threat of humanity permitting one of its own concentrated power for any stated and possibly fabricated crisis? Such as Sustainability. Should you fail to explore the downside in full measure you are failing philosophers. Unquestioned love of sophs that lead to ultimate destruction is hardly philo.

For those who have faith in Him, you really need to consider this view. The hatred of being is the hatred for Being. Failing to call out the haters for that hatred sure seems sinful. Allow the philosophers their lack of faith, and try to recruit them on their level so that they can lay the groundwork on secular grounds to awaken the misled seated near the rotten in high places. That would surely be a virtuous calling.


1 comment:

  1. Hatred is an all consuming emotion and those who cannot appreciate and comprehend that simple logic are those who will be consumed by it.

    I visit Sputnik News and there is much hatred from many commenters on that site whenever the Jew, Israel and the United States are mentioned - at times the hatred is so rabid that it hits me between the eyes like a sledgehammer. I can actually feel the negativity from reading the words that is still able to shock me.

    Even my own country will get hate filled rants aimed at it whenever it gets a mention.

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