Life and career

1962 · Born in Alberta. Born in Edmonton on 12 June 1962 and raised in Fairview, a small town in northern Alberta. His father taught school and his mother was a college librarian. At 14 he came within 13 votes of becoming a vice-president of the Alberta NDP. (The Canadian Encyclopedia)
1982 to 1984 · University of Alberta. Studied political science and then psychology, graduating with a BA in each. (Wikipedia · The Canadian Encyclopedia)
1991 · PhD at McGill. Took a PhD in clinical psychology at McGill University under Robert O. Pihl. His thesis looked at psychological markers for a predisposition to alcoholism. A postdoctoral fellowship at McGill’s Douglas Hospital followed until 1993. (Wikipedia)
1993 · Harvard. Joined Harvard’s psychology department as an assistant professor. His early research was on alcohol and drug abuse. (Wikipedia · The Canadian Encyclopedia)
Late 1990s · Back to Toronto. Returned to Canada as a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. He also kept a clinical practice, at one point seeing about 20 patients a week. (Wikipedia · The Canadian Encyclopedia)
1999 to 2004 · Maps of Meaning. Published Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief with Routledge in 1999. A 13-part TVO television series based on the book followed in 2004. (The Canadian Encyclopedia · Wikipedia)
2016 · Bill C-16 and the pronoun debate. On 27 September he posted the first of a three-part video series criticising political correctness and Bill C-16. The debate made him a national and then global figure. In December he started his podcast. (The Canadian Encyclopedia · Wikipedia · Jordan B Peterson channel)
2017 · Senate testimony and the Biblical Series. Testified against Bill C-16 before a Senate committee in May. The bill passed that summer. In May he also began his lecture series on the psychological meaning of biblical stories. (Wikipedia · The Canadian Encyclopedia · Jordan B Peterson channel)
2018 · 12 Rules for Life. Published in January. A Channel 4 News interview the same month drew millions of views. He toured 160 cities in support of the book. (Wikipedia, 12 Rules for Life · The Canadian Encyclopedia · The Varsity, 29 Jan 2018)
2021 to 2022 · Beyond Order and leaving the university. Beyond Order was published on 2 March 2021. He then left his tenured post and became professor emeritus. In a National Post essay in January 2022 he said diversity, equity and inclusion mandates had made his job morally untenable. (Penguin Random House announcement, Beyond Order · National Post essay, quoted by Legal Insurrection, 20 Jan 2022 · Inside Higher Ed, 8 May 2022)
2022 · Daily Wire, Ralston and the College order. Became chancellor of Ralston College in May and signed a distribution deal with the Daily Wire in June. In November the College of Psychologists of Ontario ordered him to take coaching on professionalism in his public statements. (Wikipedia)
2023 · ARC. Co-founded the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship with Baroness Stroud and John Anderson and opened its first conference. In August the Ontario Divisional Court upheld the College’s order. (Wikipedia · The Canadian Encyclopedia · CBC News, Aug 2023)
2024 · We Who Wrestle with God and Peterson Academy. Published his book on the Bible and co-founded Peterson Academy, an online university, with his daughter. In August the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear his appeal and he agreed to the training. In December he announced a move to the United States. (Wikipedia · The Canadian Encyclopedia · Radio Canada International, Aug 2024)
2025 · Still debating. Returned to The Joe Rogan Experience in April and debated 20 atheists on Jubilee’s Surrounded format in May. (TVmaze, JRE #2308 · Jubilee)

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