Jordan Peterson’s ARC at the O2
Review by Vinay Kapoor
Last month I attended ‘ARC at the O2: A New Vision of the Future’ at the O2 Arena, London (1 November 2023). The event marked the climax of the inaugural ARC (Alliance for Responsible Citizenship) conference that had taken place over the previous three days, featuring international heavyweights across artistic, political, philosophical, and religious divides. The O2 event was the conference’s public-facing event, which, perhaps unsurprisingly, saw over 12,000 people come to hear Dr Peterson and his fellow luminaries speak. It is noteworthy that he is the first public intellectual to ‘play’ the UK’s largest indoor arena.
The musical prelude performed by David Cotter set the proper tone, encouraged us to aim upwards, and served as an appropriate appetiser for the three-hour treat that lay ahead. Momentum was built via Bach, a stunning rendition of Boccherini’s Fandango with orchestral backing, and an electric version of Ravel’s Bolero using just one instrument but many pedals to emulate a full orchestra, accompanied by arresting visuals.
As David himself puts it, ‘musical patterns are both the sonic manifestation of the substructure of the universe, and the portal to the transcendent’ and these paved the way for Dr Peterson to take to the stage to rapturous applause. This is a man who has changed many thousands of lives and to be amongst them, as a fellow fan or jobbing journalist, is undeniably startling.
Dr Peterson began with a lecture, summarising the questions that gave birth to the ARC. Whilst I was expecting political matters to underpin the talk, these somewhat naive assumptions were replaced with pleasant surprise upon learning how Peterson’s philosophy had informed ARC’s vision. Dr Peterson focused on the role of the agentic individual; one who has the conceivable potential to orient themselves towards the highest good, and subsequently change the direction of their life. His encouraging and inspiring words acted as an invitational calling to the individual, probing what is possible when abiding to this maxim at a familial, communal, social, and national level.
As an obvious example, it was this ethic and these words on a previous occasion hearing Peterson speak that made me reflect on my own life, and more specifically embark on co-founding Speak Easy, a student-led national free speech movement based in the UK with regional branches across three universities, including my own at Warwick. While waiting for the show to start I had been discussing the process of overcoming the setbacks we had faced in fostering a meaningful vision forward. During the course of Dr Peterson’s talk, he meditated on the essence of invitation and hospitality in any enterprise, and how notions predicated on truth enhance chances of success. These are the notions that now guide us forth into the future, and evidently brought the ARC into being.
While other reviewers have shown active disdain toward the inclusion of Douglas Murray, Jonathan Pageau, Bjorn Lomberg, and surprise guest Ben Shapiro in the Q&A that followed Peterson’s lecture, this format enabled a counterpoint of idea generation that may not have occurred with Peterson left to his own devices. Their lively contributions, allied much with the spirit of the underlying ethos of Dr Peterson’s talk, centred on the theoretical and practical possibilities of shaping a better future. Douglas Murray brought his wit to centre stage, claiming ‘you can say all the lies of your era and you’ll have an easier life in some ways, but it will also be a boring life and crucially, it won’t be your life.’ Crucial advice for our society and the moral crossroads that we face.
The night ended with a final push from Dr Peterson, an encouraging monologue exploring the endless possibilities of responsibility, which was met with further standing ovation. In spite of the reaction of other journalists to this most unusual event, it is an undeniable honour to witness one of the greatest minds of our time. Perhaps Peterson is right, in that if we each play our part and aim for the highest possible good then we will have the adventure of our lives. Let that maxim guide us forth unto that land.
Vinay Kapoor (University of Warwick) is President of Warwick Speak Easy, serves on the Speak Easy National Committee, and is the Events and Mactaggart Assistant for the Free Speech Union.
Your review make want to learn more about ARC…which is the sign of a good review. 🙂