The debates

Bill C-16: compelled speech or a misreading of the law?

In 2016 he argued that Bill C-16 could compel speech and criminalise discussion of sex and identity, and said he would not let others decide what pronouns he used. Legal scholars disagreed. University of Toronto law professor Brenda Cossman said the human rights provisions carry fines or other remedies and never jail, and that misusing pronouns is nowhere close to hate speech as the courts read it.

His reading is that the issue was never pronouns as such but the principle of the state compelling speech. In October 2016 on TVO he said he would reconsider if a pronoun consensus emerged that did not blur singular and plural. He holds that contentious questions must stay open for debate in universities.

The Canadian Encyclopedia · VICE, 24 Oct 2016 · The Varsity, 21 Nov 2016 · Wikipedia

Gender, the pay gap and the Channel 4 interview

In January 2018 he told Channel 4 News that a multivariate analysis shows the pay gap does not exist as commonly claimed, attributing much of it to personality differences. Philosopher Kate Manne called his work misogynistic. After the interview Cathy Newman received abuse online and Channel 4 brought in security experts.

He maintains that sex differences in personality are real and measurable. Many commentators said Newman had mischaracterised his claims. He urged his followers to keep criticism civil and asked Channel 4 to make the threats public so people could judge them. He threatened to sue Manne for defamation.

Wikipedia · Wikipedia, 12 Rules for Life · The Varsity, 29 Jan 2018 · The Varsity, 21 Nov 2016 · Channel 4 News

Does he get postmodernism wrong?

He blames “postmodern neo-Marxism” for much of today’s identity politics and has told students to be wary of some humanities fields. Critics say this collapses thinkers who rejected Marxism into one label. Patrick West wrote in spiked that Foucault and Derrida would not recognise the picture. Pankaj Mishra called his wider project fascist mysticism. Daniel Burston argues it places him on the right of the campus culture wars.

West himself conceded that Foucault’s ideas about invisible power may have had a baleful influence on campus politics. Peterson’s case is that these ideas, passed through the academy, undermine the culture he wants to defend. He took the argument to a public debate with Slavoj Žižek in Toronto in April 2019.

Wikipedia · Patrick West, spiked, 12 Jul 2022 · Wikipedia, 12 Rules for Life · Žižek debate, 2019

Climate science

On The Joe Rogan Experience in January 2022 he questioned whether climate is a coherent concept and how climate models choose their variables. Climate scientist Michael Mann called the comments nonsensical and false. NASA’s Gavin Schmidt said he did not seem to understand how the models work, and Zeke Hausfather pointed to the track record of past projections.

His position is less about the physics than about priorities and cost. He has argued that there are more important priorities than costly emergency emissions cuts, called halving emissions by 2050 preposterous and cited Bjorn Lomborg and Marian Tupy in support.

CNN via KVIA, 27 Jan 2022 · The Tyee, 5 Sep 2022

The College of Psychologists case

In November 2022 the College of Psychologists of Ontario ordered him to take coaching on professionalism in public statements, after complaints about posts on politicians, a plus-size model and the actor Elliot Page. In August 2023 the Divisional Court unanimously upheld the order, saying it was not disciplinary and had a minimal impact on his free expression. The Court of Appeal agreed in January 2024 and the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear his appeal in August 2024.

He argued that his public comments were off-duty opinion and that no client had complained. He said he had done nothing wrong and called free speech sacred. He agreed to take the training but said he would not do it in secret.

CBC News, Aug 2023 · CTV News (The Canadian Press), 23 Aug 2023 · Radio Canada International, Aug 2024 · Wikipedia · The Canadian Encyclopedia

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