Legends of The Thomas Guide
“Something we cannot see protects us from something we do not understand.”
Jordan Peterson in Maps of Meaning
When I read the opening sentence of Map of Meaning I instantly knew we were in for a doozy of a book. I’m somewhat familiar with Peterson’s more current writings, social media posts, podcasts, blogs, and YouTube videos. As well, I’ve spent a little bit of time with his 2018 work 12 Rules for Life, but, admittedly, gave up as quickly as I began. For sure, Peterson is absolutely brilliant, like Joseph Campbell brilliant, but not quite my cup of tea (with more milk than tea, because he’s from Canada!).
In the realm of modern intellectual discourse, few figures have garnered as much attention and controversy as Jordan Peterson. Renowned for his profound insights into psychology, philosophy, and the human condition, Peterson has developed a compelling framework known as the “Map of Meaning.” This intricate model/map for navigating the complexities of life is less like the digital Google Maps and more like the old school/analog Thomas Guide by Rand McNally.
Remember those? Remember needed to get to somewhere unfamiliar, and all we had was a bounded, oversized book of maps? Each corner of the map would have an arrow next to a bolded number, directing you to another page in the Thomas Guide where, you hope and pray, the map would continue where it left off.
Talk about confusing! Talk about a stressful season in the early days of my marriage! Denise and I almost didn’t make it to 33 years of wedded bliss because of the numerous times we needed to navigate a Thomas Guide. We likened it to an ancient piece of literature such as the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh or the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi, with its codes, keys, and hieroglyphics. Ironically, ancient texts such as these might very well be a good segue into Maps of Meaning, which explores the complexities of human belief systems and the meaning we derive from them, and offers a comprehensive analysis of the role of myths, religion, and culture in shaping our understanding of the world.
Peterson believes myths provide a model of how the world is to function and how individuals are to behave. We become the stories we believe and tell, both the known and the unknown. The known is the familiar. It comprises all things we can easily make sense of, either because we’ve encountered them before, or because we can access shared cultural knowledge about them. In this known, explored territory, we feel calm and safe.
The unknown, on the other hand, is everything we don’t understand yet: a brand new situation, an unexplained phenomenon, an unexpected behavior – in short, what Peterson denotes as an anomaly. Anomalies cause us to adapt, and major anomalies require of us revolutionary adaptation. When anomalies keep piling up, and they always seem to do so, it’s an indication that our map of the world might not be working for us any longer. Like a rat in a new cage, anomalies (the unknown) tend to stop us in our tracks. Stories, or maps, therefore help us navigate the world out of the chaos, and into a place of meaning.
The primary “map” that Jordan Peterson utilizes is that of Mother, Father and Son, as mythological representations of the world. The Mother is the Unknown. The Father is the Knower. The Son is the Known Hero. This all smacks of Joseph Campbell’s A Hero with a Thousand Faces. In similar fashion, Peterson, follows the narrative archetype found in mythologies across cultures to argue that these archetypes reflect the universal human experience of confronting chaos and facing challenges. He does not shy away from drawing narratives from biblical texts and Christian religion, although I do not agree with many of his interpretations of Scripture and understandings of God. However, if one didn’t know of Peterson’s spiritual journey, you might be persuaded, due to the plentiful scriptural references, that he is a born-again believer, and yet, that verdict is still out. I am, admittedly, interested in his forthcoming book (November 2024) entitled We Who Wrestle With God. Social commentators have been perceiving a spiritual warming of sorts in Peterson since his early days, which are recounted in great detail in the Preface of Maps of Meaning. He certainly had a religious upbringing – one that mapped meaning for him, for better or for worse.
I was particularly struck by Peterson’s opening stream-of-consciousness replete with spiritual imagery and enchantment, including that of intense apocalyptic dreams and visions. I was equally struck by the vulnerable and child-like (albeit from a bonafide genius) letter to his father in November 1986 found near the end of the book. These opening and closing “bookends” somehow served to humanize Peterson, whom, before reading the letter to his father, I could have swore was a cyborg robot, a mythical beast in his own right! But here I see a son writing to his Dad, explaining in technical, yet compassionate terms, what his boy has been working on for a number of years. As a dad of four and grandpa of four more, I love that. That’s a good story.
The only thing that would make this story better would be to discover whether or not Jordan Peterson is married, because I simply cannot imagine someone who can handle (ie: put up with) a brain like Petersons. Give me a moment…
Welp, Wikipedia says her name is Tammy and they have been married since 1989. That’s an unexpected, yet, good story. That means that in their early days of marriage they TOO would have had to wrestle with a not-so-little thing called The Rand McNally Thomas Guide.
Talk about confronting chaos and facing challenges!
About the Author
John Fehlen
John Fehlen is currently the Lead Pastor of West Salem Foursquare Church. Prior to that he served at churches in Washington and California. A graduate of Life Pacific University in San Dimas, CA in Pastoral Ministry, and Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA with a Masters in Leadership and Spirituality. He and his wife Denise have four grown children and four grandchildren. John is the author of "Don't Give Up: Encouragement for Weary Souls in Challenging Times," a book for pastoral leaders, a children's book called "The Way I See You," and the forthcoming "Leave A Mark: The Jouney of Intentional Parenting." You can connect with John on Instagram (@johnfehlen) as well as at johnfehlen.substack.com.6 responses to “Legends of The Thomas Guide”
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Yes, Peterson was a bit of a slog to get through… I actually listened to is 2 hour introductory lecture and found his style to be much more entertaining and empathetic.
I really had been unfamiliar with his academic work until this week, which, I guess means I live under a rock. I am curious about your statement that he was not your cup of tea. Was that because of his public reputation, his dense “cyborg” like style, his ambiguous, theological stances or… what?
Primarily due to his, as you put it, “ambiguous, theological stances.” Which is interesting for to even say, because there are times where Peterson is pretty dogmatic and unapologetic in his beliefs.
So, perhaps, if I were being truly honest: he intimates me.
🙂
I remember Thomas Guides. It was my “Bible” working in driving jobs in Southern California as a young adult.
But… you had to know what page to start on to understand what page you needed to get to. Maybe I missed it in my inspectional reading, but I feel like Peterson didn’t have a good starting point for us, just a large, thick book with suggested maps you could use as you see fit.
And that would have got me lost in 1988 Los Angeles!
Hi John,
I too, appreciated the personal touches like the letter to his parents that helped me see Peterson’s humanity and heart. I am new to him and I think I’m interested in reading his new book as well after watching a number of his talks and interviews. My favorite was when he talked about his wife’s recovery from cancer. He is a son, a husband, a father, a grandfather and a very human, human being. I think he takes those relationship very seriously and is a sensitive soul!
You humanized Peterson! Everything I’ve encountered of his online reminded me of a scary sociology teacher I had in college. I was intimidated by his intellect and dropped the major, only to reclaim it as I got to know the professor as human, and boy is he human. Peterson makes me tired and honestly, I feel inadequate to understand him. I can only “feel” what he is saying and it didn’t sit right, perhaps my fast brain thinking or gut instinct from Sway. I appreciate you and a few others who found the person in him. My husband LOVES those maps, he keeps one we had from our early marriage, though he isn’t allowed to use them on vacations:)
Loved this post John, the anamolies portion was really insightful, appreciated that you focused in on that part, which I missed along the way. You quoted, “Anomalies cause us to adapt, and major anomalies require of us revolutionary adaptation. When anomalies keep piling up, and they always seem to do so, it’s an indication that our map of the world might not be working for us any longer.” This is helpful in my NPO for my section on
“Stages of Faith”. As I’ve seen a lot of people discuss on here, it seems that Peterson has been having a spiritual evolution and has been experiencing or running into some anamolies causing him to rethink some things. Great post man!