Kerby Anderson

A growing alliance of heretics now populates what has been somewhat jokingly called the “Intellectual Dark Web.” You have probably heard some of their names. For example, there is the new atheist and neuroscientist Sam Harris. There is Canadian clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson.   These men (and others in this group) are very different from each other in so many ways, other than having PhDs. What put them in this category is the fact they are renegades from the politically correct culture. Some even refer to them as “intellectual refuseniks.” They refuse to toe the line of the mainstream academic culture.

Sam Harris was driven out of the intellectual community for being willing to say the obvious about radical Islam. One of the quotes that was seen as most offensive was his observation that “Islam at the moment is the mother lode of bad ideas.” Just watch the YouTube clip from Bill Maher’s Real Timeprogram in which Ben Affleck is outraged and horrified by his analysis. So are many other progressives.

The Left’s reaction of Jordan Peterson is even more over the top. In the past, he has been appreciated for his work and writing. One example would be his complex tome, Maps of Meaning. But he was cast out of the liberal intelligentsia for his unwillingness to use transgender pronouns. And he is really in trouble now for making the case that men and women are different. And he is also criticized for talking about dominance hierarchies and competence hierarchies.

Do as I have done and pick up his latest book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote for Chaos. You will immediately notice how many of his prescriptions are principles we Christians would probably list. He frequently arrives at biblical conclusions because he uses common sense and observes common grace. Perhaps now you can see why the Left has excommunicated him and others.