Jordan Peterson has joined his daughter Mikhaila’s podcast to interview Coleman Hughes, a columnist and writer described by the psychologist as “one of the most promising young intellectuals on the American scene”. For Peterson, it became his first podcast with someone other than his daughter in nearly two years, Mikhaila revealed, as she was ready to “set up” everything for her dad to be back in the game.
“I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. We covered some of the global issues caused by polarising opinions in race, politics, and Western culture,” Mikhaila said on Twitter, when sharing the podcast.
I'm thrilled to release Episode 34 of The Mikhaila Peterson Podcast with @coldxman and co-host @jordanbpeterson. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. We covered some of the global issues caused by polarizing opinions in race, politics, and western culture https://t.co/c0YlZ6ee05
— Mikhaila Peterson (@MikhailaAleksis) November 29, 2020
During the talk with the Petersons, Hughes detailed his thoughts on his upcoming book, where he had defended the concept of “colour-blindness” in regards to race. According to the author, this idea implies that racial categories should not be defining when it comes to public policies.
Hughes notes that it does not mean that the race is not something “physically” unobserved, as it would be “naïve and utopian” to believe that this would ever be the case. However, he argues that “we should strive to treat people without regards to race” and any laws on the subject should remain neutral - an idea, he insists, that remains “unpopular” in elite circles.
“Damn, he sounds good. Glad he’s back having these type of convos”, one user commented on YouTube upon the episode’s release.
Great conversation, welcome back!
— Andrew Smith 🧢 (@andrewdsmith89) November 30, 2020
Loved it Dr Peterson, great to see you back. Can't wait for the Wim Hoff interview. :)
— Alex Morgan (@AlexMorgan1984) November 30, 2020
Loved it! Welcome back Mr. Peterson!
— Valerie Martin (@Valerie36946599) November 29, 2020
Peterson’s interview with Hughes, although initiated by his daughter, became his first major online appearance since he had returned home from Serbia. There he had been rehabilitating from akathisia, a condition caused by his dependency on, and rapid withdrawal from, benzodiazepine, an anti-anxiety drug he was prescribed back in 2016. The dosage of the medication was increased after his wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer last year. However, for the professor, the treatment of the anxiety had led to far more severe consequences that the condition itself, even eventually leaving him in an unconscious state for nine days while he was undergoing treatment in Russia.
Peterson, who gained international recognition in 2016 after he had criticised Canadian legislation that it had made it mandatory to use gender-neutral pronouns in relation to people who identify as non-binary, has now been back to Canada, resuming his work. The news about the publication of his upcoming book “Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life” has already received some strong reactions from the staff at his publisher Penguin Random House Canada, according to reports, but was treated with ecstasy among his large base of supporters.
