Potential and Counterfeit-Love
“How do know the love of God is not a counterfeit-love?” This was asked by a teenager in a recent youth meeting on Wednesday night. The youth leader came up to me after the meeting and asked how I would answer that question. I thought about it for a moment then said, “If you know that there is counterfeit-love then it means that there is a true expression of love. We know of love because God is love and God is the truest expression of love.” This story came to mind as I encounter the argument of Jordan B. Peterson in Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief. In it, Peterson argues that there are different ways of knowing and discovering meaning that can have severe consequences when removed.[1]
Summary
Map of Meaning is a dense exploration of belief and meaning drawing from various academic fields and reflected in Peterson’s own story of leaving religious myth behind only to struggle with existential despair.[2] Given the complexity of Peterson’s lengthy exploration, I turned to ChatGPT to offer some insight into the them of the book. ChatGPT offered, “The central theme of “Maps of Meaning” revolves around the exploration of meaning and belief systems, particularly their psychological and cultural underpinnings.”[3]
Knowing What We know
Peterson makes the interesting distinction between two ways of knowing: forum for action and place of things.[4] Peterson argues that the “forum for action” is the place of mythology that provides meaning through story, social constructs, and symbolism.[5]. The second mode of interacting with the world is what he calls “place of things” which understands the world in a scientific manner subject to rigorous process.[6]. Peterson unpacks these distinctions to restore validity to religious and mythological symbolism as valid forms of knowing for humanity, even arguing that this type of knowing is encoded in the individual and society even if the person does not affirm religious belief.[7].
Peterson matures this argument in his series of lectures called the The Psychological Significance of the Biblical Stories. His lecture on Genesis begins by laying the foundation for consciousness being an a priori category of understanding the world that constructs meaning in the world.[8] In this series of videos, Peterson shortens “forum for action” to “potential.” He offers the different ways we find meaning when he observes, “…we tend to think that what you encounter when you’re looking at the world is the material world, but that isn’t how you act. You act as if you are in a place of potential.”[9]
Counterfeit-Love
The distinction between potential and the material world was not the subject of the teenager’s question, yet it reminded me of Peterson’s elevation of meaning as a “forum for action.” A question like, “How do you know you are loved” cannot be answered scientifically. We can try to demonstrate it by the evidence a person might exhibit, such has the frequency of his or a spoken “I love you” per day or week. To further complicate this type of approach is that God does not adhere to such empirical scrutiny. It would makes sense that a person might question the love of God if God does not give them four plus hugs per day, which is above the determined average; yet, as Peterson argues, a different type of meaning is just as valid (or more so). Therefore, to determine if a love is valid, a person might consider a moment in which love was determined valid and compare that experience to the current love that is considered, or conversely, compare a time when love was found invalid to abstract the potential.[10] Teenagers truly ask the most profound questions.
1. Jordan Peterson, Maps of Meaning : The Architecture of Belief (London: Routledge, 1999) p. 5-6.
2. Ibid., xix.
3. “Themes Maps of Meaning”, November 9, GPT-3.5, OpenAI, November 9 2023, chat.openai.com/chat
4. Peterson, 1.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid., 6.
8. Jordan B. Peterson, “The Psychological Significance of the Biblical Stories II: Genesis 1: Chaos & Order”, YouTube, November 9, 2023, educational video, 9:59, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdrLQ7DpiWs&list=PL22J3VaeABQD_IZs7y60I3lUrrFTzkpat&index=2
9. Ibid., 16:29.
10. Peterson, Maps of Meaning, 36-37.
About the Author
Chad McSwain
Chad is a systematic creative serving in pastoral ministry for nearly 20 years, Chad is a professional question-asker and white-board enthusiast, who enjoys helping people discover their own passions and purpose. A life-long learner, he has a B.A, Philosophy - Univ. Central Oklahoma, M.A Theology - Fuller Seminary, M.Div. Perkins School of Theology at SMU and is pursuing a Doctor of Leadership - George Fox University. He is an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church, currently serving as Lead Pastor of Whitesboro UMC. Chad and his wife, Brandi live in Prosper, Texas along with their three children, two pugs and a chameleon.6 responses to “Potential and Counterfeit-Love”
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Hey Chad,
I am glad you brought up what Peterson highlights: that the scientific conversation (the place of things) speaks to much of our existence, but not the full extent of it such as meaning (forum of action). I love your response to the student! Do you see Peterson’s content shaping future sermons?
Chad,
great reframe:
“If you know that there is counterfeit-love then it means that there is a true expression of love.”
Are you familiar with Love Languages? Is this material you use? I am curious if you have people in your youth group whose love language is touch? They need hugs. What would you say to a youth who wants to go and be with Jesus in order to get hugs from him?
Great Post Chad,
I am curious, have you come across this challenge of differentiating real and fake love in your own life? The youth might indeed struggle to know what is authentic and counterfeit love.
Chad,
Great post and conclusion. Well done!
My question back to the teen would be why do you need to validate this scientifically when you cant explain God scientifically?
If you are comparing apples to apples, you know because you feel him. You know because of the details that he maps out for us, before we can even put it together. You know because we have the writing of our ancestors.
Great job!
Chad,
Thank you for exploring this perspective in your reflection on this book. I so appreciate you picking out the concept of love. The way you describe the difference between a scientific kind of analysis of love and one from experience and story reminds me of how Jesus taught about love, his use of parables was intentional in the midst of a culture prescribed to a a set of laws.