The other day, I saw an ad for a college-level course on Nietzsche, taught by Jordan Peterson. Having recently read Beyond Good and Evil and Thus Spoke Zarathustra, I was curious about his interpretation. I’ve also read Peterson’s Twelve Rules for Life, a highly accessible book I’d recommend for its practical advice. However, my reaction to Nietzsche was entirely different—I wouldn’t advise anyone to study him beyond a cursory level without a solid grounding in psychological theories. While undeniably brilliant, Nietzsche strikes me as bitter and flawed, a thinker wrestling with existential frustration who, ultimately, misses the point of life. Peterson, however, treats him as if his every word is laden with timeless wisdom. This left me questioning: Was I missing something? Was there a layer of Nietzsche’s genius I hadn’t grasped?
Please understand, I admire Dr. Peterson. His approach to self-discipline and child-rearing is valuable for cultivating responsible, productive members of society. However, where he falls short is in the meaning and purpose he assigns to this endeavor. His intense reverence for Nietzsche exposes a significant blind spot in his own philosophy.
Nietzsche’s Übermensch and Hierarchical Individualism
In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche presents the concept of the Übermensch, an individual who transcends conventional morality, rejects herd mentality, and creates their own values. Zarathustra’s quest represents his search for this ideal, but it ultimately ends in failure. The people he meets aim for greatness but fall short, lacking the self-mastery, independence, and creativity necessary to become the Übermensch. This failure symbolizes Nietzsche’s critique of humanity’s attachment to traditional values and its resistance to transformation.
Zarathustra’s journey becomes one of profound frustration. Though he preaches the necessity of transcending humanity’s limitations, the people he encounters are too entrenched in societal constraints to realize their potential. This failure to find the Übermensch reflects humanity’s reluctance to embrace true self-overcoming, and ultimately, Zarathustra’s isolation mirrors Nietzsche’s own struggles as a misunderstood philosopher, frustrated by society’s resistance to radical transformation.
While Nietzsche’s vision of a transcendent Übermensch is provocative, Nietzsche’s solitary figure rising above society is ultimately limited. His critique of herd mentality and slave morality is compelling, encouraging self-determination. But to what end? The ultimate goal of Nietzsche’s Übermensch is personal greatness, neglecting the deeper truth of human excellence—our capacity for deep connection with others. His elitism and rejection of empathy and cooperation are deeply flawed.
Modern psychology tells us that well-being and fulfillment are rooted in human connection—a crucial element absent from Nietzsche’s isolated ideal. By misunderstanding this, Nietzsche’s vision misses what truly makes us flourish: the ability to form meaningful, cooperative relationships that ground us and elevate our personal growth. His narrow focus on individual greatness undermines the real path to human thriving, which depends on our ability to connect, empathize, and collaborate with those around us.
Nietzsche’s Inability to “Meet Minds”
Nietzsche’s frustration in not finding intellectual equals reflects a personal and philosophical failure. His isolation, both intellectual and emotional, ultimately led to madness. Most notably, Zarathustra never meets the Übermensch. Nietzsche sought intellectual superiority over human connection, dismissing the value of relationships essential to a fulfilled life. The fact that most humans are not equipped to live a life of intellectual striving leaves the reader wondering if Nietzsche even sees the rest of us. His floating above us breathing the rarified air of intellectual superiority should not make us wish to join him, but rather to realize we are much happier down here making friends with the hoi polloi. This failure to connect with humanity undermines Nietzsche’s philosophy, revealing that true flourishing depends not on dominance, but on collaboration and shared growth.
Peterson’s Views on Nietzsche: Admiration with Blind Spots
Peterson views Nietzsche as a profound thinker, particularly in his analysis of nihilism and the death of God. He praises Nietzsche’s willingness to confront societal collapse, yet fails to fully acknowledge Nietzsche’s downfall into isolation and madness. Peterson’s blind spot lies in his overemphasis on individual greatness and hierarchies, which echoes Nietzsche’s missteps. While Peterson values charity and compassion as part of his Christian worldview, his fascination with dominance structures contradicts these principles.
By overstating Nietzsche’s brilliance, Peterson risks perpetuating a philosophy that undervalues human connection—an oversight that limits his own teachings. Peterson’s points about personal responsibility, competence, and success in navigating hierarchies are valid and insightful, but they leave off where the true opportunity for growth lies: building deep, meaningful connections as equals once societal contributions have been established. This is Peterson’s blind spot—the transition to post-conventional morality, where socialization and cooperation, not hierarchy, become the ultimate goals of human interaction.
Peterson’s Success vs. Nietzsche’s Failure
Unlike Nietzsche, Jordan Peterson has achieved remarkable commercial and public success. His books, including Twelve Rules for Life, have sold millions of copies, and his lectures draw large audiences. Peterson has built a thriving public career and a strong family life, a sharp contrast to Nietzsche, who spent much of his life isolated and unrecognized.
Peterson’s philosophy centers on competence hierarchies, which he believes are essential to navigating modern life. In Twelve Rules for Life, Peterson famously uses the lobster analogy to explain that hierarchies are natural and ancient. He points out that lobsters, through their dominance hierarchies regulated by serotonin, gain confidence and status, while submissive lobsters suffer stress and insecurity. Peterson extends this to humans, arguing that success in social hierarchies, driven by responsibility and competence, is crucial for personal well-being and mental health.
However, like Nietzsche, Peterson places heavy emphasis on dominance and intellect, at the expense of other values like empathy and emotional intelligence. His philosophy provides a roadmap for success, but it stops short of the more profound human goal of reaching a level where hierarchies are transcended and equal, meaningful relationships can be cultivated.
Peterson’s Christian values of compassion are at odds with his endorsement of hierarchical thinking. This contradiction undermines the cooperative and charitable qualities he otherwise advocates.
The Path to True Human Flourishing
Instead of Nietzsche’s bitter and isolated approach to human flourishing, let’s take a look at two of his contemporaries who rose in prominence as his works gained popularity: Carl Jung and Alfred Adler. Both foundational psychologists were known to have studied Nietzsche, incorporating aspects of his thinking into their own ideas. However, both ultimately moved beyond Nietzsche’s fixation on the Will to Power and emphasized the importance of connection and emotional growth.
While Nietzsche celebrated self-overcoming, Jung and Adler recognized that interpersonal relationships are essential for psychological health. Adler understood the initial striving for hierarchy and dominance in the immature mind, but believed that most psychological issues stemmed not from a lack of superiority, but from interpersonal difficulties. He taught that by moving beyond this striving, we could achieve true personal fulfillment. Jung, similarly, highlighted the importance of the inward journey and integration of the self, which leads to emotional depth and connection with others.
Nietzsche and Peterson: A Cautionary Approach
For those interested in Jordan Peterson’s work, it’s crucial to engage with his ideas in the right order. Peterson’s philosophy emphasizes meaning through responsibility and self-organization, which are foundational for personal growth. Rather than delving into Nietzsche immediately, readers should first understand these core aspects of Peterson’s teachings. From there, it’s helpful to progress to the ideas of Carl Jung and Alfred Adler, who emphasize emotional growth, interpersonal relationships, and cooperation. Adding a healthy dose of Viktor Frankl’s exploration of meaning through responsibility to others can further enrich one’s understanding.
Once this foundation is built, revisiting Nietzsche as a historical influence provides valuable context without overemphasizing his problematic ideas about superiority and domination.
Conclusion: Rethinking the Lobster Analogy
Peterson’s lobster analogy is intended to demonstrate that hierarchies are natural and necessary. While this may hold true for lobsters, humans are primarily wired for cooperation. In lobsters, serotonin reinforces dominance hierarchies. Peterson uses this as a justification for human hierarchies, but the human reward system is far more complex. Oxytocin, not serotonin, is the molecule humans possess that promotes social bonding and trust—qualities that lead to a level of success and flourishing that even happy lobsters cannot comprehend.
Rather than focusing on the dominance-driven morality of serotonin-based behavior, Peterson should consider the importance of oxytocin in human interactions. Oxytocin fosters compassion and emotional security, rewarding us for building strong connections. If Peterson shifted his focus from serotonin-driven hierarchies to oxytocin-based collaboration, his philosophy would better reflect the true nature of human flourishing.
To develop a more comprehensive view of human nature, Peterson must move beyond his fixation on dominance. By embracing shared experiences and egalitarianism, Peterson can offer a richer, more fulfilling roadmap for navigating life’s complexities.
Peterson’s insights into personal responsibility are valuable, but his philosophy could evolve by recognizing the primacy of connection over competition. Like Nietzsche, Peterson risks missing the essential truth that humans thrive through collaboration and connection, not isolation or dominance.
Reading List for this Article
- Twelve Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos – Jordan Peterson
Practical advice on self-discipline and responsibility
- Understanding Human Nature – Alfred Adler
Explores inferiority, social interest, and overcoming interpersonal difficulties
- The Courage to Be Disliked – Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga
A modern introduction to Adler’s psychology and the rejection of societal expectations
- Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl
Reflections on finding purpose through suffering and responsibility to others
- Memories, Dreams, Reflections – Carl Jung
Jung’s later theories on individuation, the collective unconscious, and self-actualization
Once you’ve tackled the rest, it might not hurt to read Nietzsche
- Thus Spoke Zarathustra – Friedrich Nietzsche
Nietzsche’s vision of the Übermensch and self-overcoming is thought-provoking but must be approached with caution. His focus on isolation and dominance can mislead without a strong grounding in the ideas of cooperation and connection found in earlier readings.
