From: jimruttshow8596
Hanzi Freinacht, a philosopher and writer, is one of the main developers of the ideas of political metamodernism [00:00:36]. His latest book, 12 Commandments for Extraordinary People to Master Ordinary Life, is presented as a direct response and engagement with Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life [00:02:01].
Motivation for the Metamodern Response
Freinacht’s academic and philosophical upbringing was in a “very postmodern setting” [00:02:24]. He desired to move beyond simply critiquing society and instead construct something new, drawing from Integral Theory and developmental psychology [00:03:01]. Discovering the term “metamodernism” provided a framework for a movement that “comes after postmodernism” [00:03:39]. This approach aims to combine the critical insights of postmodernism with spiritual and developmental perspectives to build something new, focusing on the inner growth of human beings to create “sane Societies or sustainable Societies” [00:04:40].
In 2017, Freinacht observed Jordan Peterson’s rise to prominence as a response to postmodernism [00:06:10]. However, Freinacht perceived Peterson’s underlying political philosophy – often formalized as conservatism or classical liberalism [00:06:25] – as a “step back” or a “regression backwards” to modern values [00:06:48]. While Peterson’s critique of postmodernism was “timely and in many ways useful” [00:08:19], it did not incorporate “all the gains of or the moral sensibilities of postmodernism” [00:08:27]. Freinacht believes that a genuinely satisfying intellectual and spiritual movement that the world needs has not yet emerged from this response [00:08:51].
To offer a metamodern alternative, Freinacht chose to operate “on the same game board” as Peterson by writing a self-help book [00:09:27]. He states that while there is “significant” overlap in thinking, his book’s “underlying sentimentality,” “aesthetics,” and “form of life” are different [01:10:16]. He describes his vision as “somewhat more laid back,” “more hopeful,” “more secular and skeptical,” and “more deeply spiritual or religious” [01:10:37]. Jim Rutt characterizes Peterson’s approach as a “reactionary response” that seeks to “return to 1965” [01:12:04], which Jim argues was “not a good place” in many ways despite feeling “safe” compared to cultural nihilism [01:12:30]. The metamodern approach, in contrast, aims to move forward, integrating useful elements from both modernism and postmodernism [01:12:47].
Addressing the “Meaning Crisis” and the Role of Magic
Freinacht emphasizes a worldview “entirely devoid of all magic and all miracles” and “no Supernatural God” [01:15:29]. Jim Rutt connects this “radical enlightenmentism” [01:15:43] to the “meaning crisis” [01:15:52] (referencing John Vervaeke’s work) and the challenge of finding “Solid Ground” after rejecting “two World thinking” and the supernatural [01:16:31].
Freinacht clarifies that while enlightenment involves removing superstition, “magical thinking” can surprisingly appear in “highly developed people” [01:17:16]. This paradox arises because direct phenomenology, the experience of a richer, more vibrant, and mysterious world, can outpace cognitive capacities to explain these phenomena, creating a “gap” filled with “magic” [01:19:05]. Conversely, if rational capacities outpace phenomenological experience, the world can feel “dead matter or somehow dull or mundane,” leading to “reductionism” [01:21:03].
The central task, according to Freinacht, is to learn to oscillate between these seeming opposites – skepticism (irony) and spiritual experience (sincerity/magical belief) [01:22:02]. Initially difficult, this oscillation can become faster and eventually lead to a “superposition where both are true simultaneously” [01:25:23]. From this perspective, “the more ruthless you become in your scientific scrutiny of reality the farther you can safely travel into the magical realm” [01:25:40].
Key Commandments and Concepts
Commandment 1: Live in a Mess Moderately
This commandment directly challenges Peterson’s “clean up your room” ethos [00:40:53]. Freinacht states that one doesn’t “owe having a neat home to anybody” or need “a life in perfect order to valuably partake in society and work for its improvements” [00:41:00]. Jim Rutt notes that this aligns with research suggesting intelligent people tend to be messier [00:41:25]. Freinacht also addresses the “symmetrical argument” to Peterson’s focus on individual responsibility: while Peterson critiques “social reductionism” (reducing individual issues to social problems), Freinacht highlights “individualist reductionism” (turning a social issue into an individual responsibility) [00:42:57], using Jim Crow laws as an example [00:43:14].
Commandment 2: Fuck like a Beast (Cosmo-eroticism)
This chapter delves into “cosmo-eroticism,” a term Freinacht attributes to Mark Gaffney [00:44:09]. It’s about reconnecting to life and reality through the body, overcoming inhibitions, and healing emotional traumas [00:45:11]. Freinacht suggests that instead of living life “on mute” due to unhealed issues, one can “unlock our sense of aliveness” by facing difficulties and addressing blockages [00:46:49]. This process allows for greater “free flow” and the ability to “think without inhibition” and “do what your heart desires” [00:48:12].
Commandment 3: Live Sincerely Ironically
This concept is central to metamodernism and relates to the oscillation between skepticism and sincerity [00:50:36]. Freinacht argues that one “cannot be sincere enough if you are not entirely ironic as well” [00:50:46]. Irony involves holding two stances at once, allowing for distance and skepticism, recognizing that one’s beliefs might be wrong [00:51:05]. However, being “stuck in irony” leads to having “nothing to live for” [00:52:25]. Conversely, “sincerity without irony is just not real sincerity” [00:55:32], as true sincerity requires checking facts and acknowledging the possibility of being wrong, avoiding the pitfalls of uncritical belief that can lead to “cults” [00:54:19]. Jim Rutt echoes this with his personal motto: “My opinions are strongly stated but weakly held” [00:55:40].
Commandment 5: Quit
This commandment highlights the underemphasized virtue of quitting [01:01:04]. Freinacht argues that quitting is the “basis of Freedom” [01:01:44], as knowing one can quit a job, project, or relationship allows for greater commitment to chosen paths [01:01:59]. He acknowledges that quitting, especially significant life aspects like marriage, takes courage [01:02:50]. Practicing quitting “little things” builds this skill, leading to new, more optimized opportunities [01:03:17]. Jim Rutt shares his “Shoot the Puppy” philosophy, emphasizing that staying stuck out of pride wastes life energy and opportunities [00:59:22].
Commandment 6: Do the Walk of Shame
This “Walk of Shame” is not a public event, but an internal “walk through your own gallery of shameful Memories” [01:05:16]. Shame, as an inhibitory feeling, can paralyze and close one down [01:05:47]. The goal is to “feel through the shame until you get used to it until it leaves your body” [01:06:53]. Freinacht suggests that by revisiting these memories, one can gain new perspective and perhaps realize that some shame was unjustified [01:08:23]. This chapter also includes an “inventory of guilt,” which Freinacht distinguishes from shame, noting that guilt often involves “obfuscations of the mind” to avoid responsibility [01:08:56].
Commandment 7: Sacrifice Immortality
This commandment addresses the “fear of death” [01:10:59]. Freinacht discusses the lingering nature of this fear, rooted in the deep-seated stages of human and cultural development that incorporated concepts of hell and eternal damnation [01:14:30]. He introduces “reverse death therapy” [01:13:07], which involves systematically stripping away one’s perceived “gifts” or successes to confront what remains when those are gone [01:17:51]. This process helps in letting go of reliance on external achievements for self-worth.
Commandment 8: Heal with Justice
This commandment marks a turning point in the book’s arc, connecting inner work to social action [01:18:24]. Freinacht argues that once one has addressed personal shame, guilt, and fear, they can become a “Righteous Rebel” [01:19:08]. Justice, defined as “wholeness” or “proportional” social relations [01:19:54], becomes the “true north” for action in the world [01:21:05]. Healing the world means fighting for justice by aligning “words… with actions… with perceptions… with emotions” in transpersonal interactions [01:21:40]. Freinacht links this to Carl Rogers’ concept of congruence [01:23:33], where one’s deep values align with their lived actions. He criticizes “hypocritical” social justice efforts, advocating for “non-hypocritical social justice from within” that then flows outward [01:26:05]. He also points out that an excessive use of adjectives in descriptions can be a “tell” of hidden injustice [01:27:01].
Commandment 9: Burn your Maps
This commandment encourages challenging one’s “fundamental worldview” or “map” of reality [01:28:45]. Freinacht asserts that human maps are “very, very, very limited” [01:30:54], and holding onto them uncritically can lead to wasted effort or even harm [01:31:20]. By cultivating inner spaciousness and peace (achieved through the previous commandments), one can hold their map “less hysterically” [01:32:14] and “ironically sincerely imagine other possible worlds” [01:32:20]. Jim Rutt states he has “radically refactored” his world map at least five times [01:34:05], noting the common human tendency to believe one’s own map is the “best possible map” [01:34:26].
Commandment 11: Kill Your Guru and Find Your Others
Freinacht expresses disdain for the “guru game” [01:36:35], which he sees as individuals seeking to gain power or money through claims of “secret knowledge” [01:36:39]. He notes the tendency for people to become “guru enthralled” and passively consume content rather than actively exploring and engaging with the world [01:37:55]. This can be a “pseudo participation” that prevents individuals from “blossoming in your unique gift” [01:39:26]. He references the Zen Buddhist saying, “if you see the Buddha in the street kill the Buddha” [01:40:52]. Instead of following gurus, the commandment suggests finding “loyal friends” who are on the same wavelength and can “play laterally” [01:41:08], fostering “coherence” and exponential power through collaborative teamwork [01:42:56].
Commandment 12: Play for Forgiveness
The book’s arc culminates in this final commandment [01:43:51]. “Play for forgiveness” does not mean immediate or forced forgiveness, but rather a journey towards a state where “the whole thing is Forgiven when it no longer has a grip on your soul” [01:46:19]. Freinacht argues that an “accomplished life” involves forgiving the world for its imperfections and injustices [01:46:34]. Being “resentful against the world” is seen as “fighting reality,” which is ultimately futile [01:47:18]. He calls this “reverse Christianity,” where instead of God forgiving sins, “you should forgive God” or the “imperfections of reality” [01:47:53]. The chapter breaks down forgiveness into sub-steps, acknowledging that it’s a gradual process, leading towards a “primordial wholeness” where “there is nothing to forgive” in a meaningless universe where “good stuff and bad stuff… just happens” [01:50:08]. The ultimate goal is to achieve “peace of mind” and “come home to this world” [01:48:26].