Description

The inspirational sequel to 12 RULES FOR LIFE, which has sold over 10 million copies around the world – now in paperback

In 12 Rules for Life, acclaimed public thinker and clinical psychologist Jordan B. Peterson offered an antidote to the chaos in our lives: eternal truths applied to modern anxieties. His insights have helped millions of readers and resonated powerfully around the world.

Now in this long-awaited sequel, Peterson goes further, showing that part of life’s meaning comes from reaching out into the domain beyond what we know, and adapting to an ever-transforming world. While an excess of chaos threatens us with uncertainty, an excess of order leads to a lack of curiosity and creative vitality. Beyond Order therefore calls on us to balance the two fundamental principles of reality – order and chaos – and reveals the profound meaning that can be found on the path that divides them.

In times of instability and suffering, Peterson reminds us that there are sources of strength on which we can all draw: insights borrowed from psychology, philosophy, and humanity’s greatest myths and stories. Drawing on the hard-won truths of ancient wisdom, as well as deeply personal lessons from his own life and clinical practice, Peterson offers twelve new principles to guide readers towards a more courageous, truthful and meaningful life.

Publisher Review

The advice in Beyond Order reflects some new and painful awareness of mortality. But it was always Peterson's intimate, self-revealing style that made his life advice so powerful, so energising, and so hard to reduce to politics * Telegraph * A sui generis kind of personal trainer for the soul.... It's a good thing that there's space on the self-help shelves for a book as bracingly pessimistic as this one... Peterson offers an invaluable reminder that we're finite and inherently imperfect -- Oliver Burkeman * Guardian (Book of the Week) * Life-changingly inspirational * The Times * Full of sensible, humane advice, and shows he is still very much on top... The book is a validation of his own role; as he observes, being able to articulate what many people instinctively feel but can't articulate is a valuable role for a public intellectual -- Melanie McDonagh * Evening Standard * Most immediately interesting for its account of what happened to the author in the past year... All this is related with remarkable equanimity... The book contains the most lucid and touching prose Peterson has written -- James Marriott * The Times * In telling us that life is suffering (as all major religions do) and that the goal is to find meaning rather than happiness, he does have something to say. ... wisdom combined with good advice. Peterson is at his best when telling stories of his clinical practice - he comes across as an empathetic non-judgmental listener -- Suzanne Moore * Telegraph * More trenchant life advice from the bestselling author of 12 Rules for Life... bound to be a bestseller * The Times * Reliably thought-provoking, often engrossing ... Peterson has a sharp eye for the vagaries of human nature, and he can be a compelling storyteller, especially when narrating his own experiences and those he has observed from life. There is a fair amount of wisdom in Beyond Order, of the kind that used to be called common sense -- Jenny McCartney * UnHerd * For a generation that has lost its faith in religion and politics, Peterson is one of notably few prominent figures willing to confront the most fundamental questions of existence: What's the point of being alive? What kind of personal journey endows our existence with meaning? -- Helen Lewis * The Atlantic * Part quest, part adventure, part lecture and part polemic... There's masses of passion, masses of wisdom and a deep, deep yearning for us all to seek the beauty, truth and meaning Peterson has sometimes glimpsed and is desperate for us to find. He has had tens of thousands of letters from people who say he has helped them to find it. How many writers can say they have done that? -- Christina Patterson * Sunday Times * [Peterson is] enlightening as a clinical psychologist... Peterson's rules are an attempt to locate people within society, to acknowledge the systems and structures that have long existed and, instead of seeking to tear them down, encourage his readers to find their most functional position within them -- Andrew Anthony * Observer * Beyond Order showcases Peterson's extraordinary gift for storytelling, as well as for extrapolating complex psychological themes and deriving lessons and meaning from them in ways lay readers can understand... A delight to read... Peterson is a world class communicator... Beyond Order is a compelling and ultimately life-affirming read for anyone willing to challenge their own ideas and face up to the untapped potential in their lives -- Greg Jameson * Entertainment Focus * Gratitude, he says, is "something in which you can discover part of the antidote to the abyss and the darkness". As I read this last line, I found myself saying "amen". And I realised what Jordan Peterson really is. He has suffered more than most of us. He has seen the abyss. And he has emerged from it not a top public intellectual but a highly driven, intelligent, complex and deservedly successful preacher -- Lucy Kellaway * Financial Times * In an age of moral relativism, here is a father figure who takes his audience seriously. And here is a grander narrative about truth, being, order and chaos that stretches back to the dawn of human consciousness -- Johanna Thomas-Corr * New Statesman * [Beyond Order] has psychological value and if you want homespun common sense that is mixed with the wisdom of the ages then this is the book for you. The 12 new rules are clearly laid out with a mix of literature, mythology, philosophy, religion and psychology used to support the significance of each... It's worth reading to equip you to live a more purposeful and a more meaningful life -- Stella O'Malley * Irish Independent * 'With Beyond Order, Jordan Peterson has given us an astonishingly illuminating look at the human condition. Rule by rule, he digs into the cornerstones of our psyche and culture as he seeks to explain why we behave the way we do' -- Hannah Gal * Quillette * Peterson is a deep thinker with tremendous powers of articulation and a captivating sense of wonder. A master storyteller, he draws on a multitude of sources, including his personal life, clinical practice and long marriage to enlighten readers about the fundamentals of human behavior and our civilization. Beyond Order is a call for action and self-improvement. It is a mind-blowing journey where the lessons learnt are lessons for life * The Jerusalem Post *