Episode description

Welcome to the Jordan B Peterson podcast season 4, episode 54. This episode was recorded on June 14th, 2021. 

Dr. Clay Routledge is an existential psychologist, writer, and professor at North Dakota State University. He's also a senior research fellow at the Archbridge Institute and an editor for Profectus magazine. Dr. Routledge studies basic psychological needs and how they're shaped by family, social bonds, economics, and broader cultural worldviews. He has published over 100 scholarly papers, co-edited three books on existential psychology, and written several books, including Nostalgia: A Psychological Resource, Supernatural: Death, Meaning, and the Power of the Invisible World. 

A lot of Dr. Routledge’s work - like Dr. Peterson's - focuses on the need for meaning. The two had a wide-ranging conversation about loneliness, meaning, nostalgia, Terror Management Theory, and existential psychology. They also shared views on human progress, responsibility, religion, and UFOs.

Dr. Clay Routledge Website: https://www.clayroutledge.com/

Dr. Rouledge Article on Meaning: https://www.archbridgeinstitute.org/2020/05/28/why-meaning-matters-for-freedom-and-flourishing/

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[00:00] Intro 

[00:18] Jordan B. Peterson introduces guest Dr. Clay Routledge

[01:55] How Dr. Clay Routledge got into his work

[09:43] Terror Management Theory

[18:33] The resistance to Terror Management Theory

[22:01] Existential Psychology

[27:09] The psychology of nostalgia

[34:31] What elicits nostalgia

[40:36] Pain responses

[44:58] Reminiscence therapy and nostalgia

[47:47] Collective nostalgia

[54:48] Religion and its cultural impact

[01:04:03] Secularism and UFOs 

[01:08:33] Politics, control, and meaning

[01:16:36] The different kinds of meaning and the freedom of restraint

[01:24:17] Filling the hole of religion

[01:28:34] Human progress

[01:32:38] Dr. Routldge's survey of American progress amongst university students and the apocalypse

[01:43:43] Meaning across different cultures

[01:48:18] Religion in free-market societies and ethical principles

[01:51:56] Dr. Routledge's qualitative taxonomy on meaning

[01:55:18] Responsibility and meaning

[02:02:12] Loneliness

[02:07:35] Dr. Routledge’s purpose with his work

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#JordanPeterson #Nostalgia #TerrorManagementTheory #Loneliness #Meaning

Visit www.jordanbpeterson.com to view more information about Jordan, his books, lectures, social media, blog posts, and more.

Jordan B. Peterson is a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, a clinical psychologist, and the author of the multi-million copy bestseller 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, #1 for nonfiction in 2018 in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, the Netherlands, Brazil, and Norway, and slated for translation into 50 languages.

Dr. Peterson has appeared on many popular podcasts and shows, including the Joe Rogan Experience (#877, #958, #1006), The Rubin Report (12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, Free Speech, Psychology, Gender Pronouns), H3H3 (#37), and many more. Dr. Peterson’s own podcast has focused mainly on his lecture series, covering a great deal of psychology and historical content. Jordan is expanding his current podcast from lectures to interviews with influential people around the world. We hope you enjoy this episode and more to come from Dr. Peterson in the future.