The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
545. Reaction to Harvard: Scam? | Dr. Jordan B. Peterson
Thu, 8 May 2025
Dr. Jordan Peterson breaks down what the media has framed as a battle between Harvard University and the Trump administration—but it's much deeper than that. Peterson exposes the ideological decay at the heart of elite academic institutions, driven by the dogma of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and enforced through cowardice, corruption, and groupthink. From firsthand experience at Harvard, McGill, and the University of Toronto, Peterson connects the dots between academia's collapse and its ripple effect on society. With insights into why DEI statements are eroding scientific credibility, how universities became ideological factories, and why the future of higher education may lie in alternatives like Peterson Academy, this episode is a must-watch for anyone who cares about truth, merit, and intellectual freedom. This episode was filmed on April 30th, 2025. Privacy Policy: https://www.dailywire.com/privacy
Chapter 1: What is the main conflict discussed in this episode?
Hello, everybody. So in recent weeks, there's been a well-publicized war between, in principle, Harvard University and the Trump administration, or at least that's how it's been framed by the remnants, the pathetic and sad remnants of the legacy media, most particularly the utterly despicable New York Times.
Now, you see, this isn't really a war between Harvard, that august institution, and the mega Trump administration. This is a much deeper problem. And the reason that it seems to me that you should all know about it is because whatever the universities are doing that's corrupt and appalling spills over into the broader culture in a way that's cataclysmic.
the people who end up running everything come from the universities, particularly the Ivy Leagues. And so what that means is that if those institutions become corrupt, and they have become corrupt, make no bones about it, then everything they feed into becomes corrupt in exactly the same manner.
And so now we could be thinking that it's Harvard, that august institution, against the strange mega Trump conservatives. Or we could be thinking that this is a way deeper problem that concerns everyone. And so we're going to investigate that today. I'm going to give you some facts.
Chapter 2: How are universities affecting broader culture?
and some opinions, and I'm going to read to you from the New York Times covering this debacle, and also from the Montreal Gazette concerning McGill University in Canada, which Canadians like to regard as the Harvard of the North. Now, you see, I also taught at most of those. I was a student at McGill, and I taught there.
as a teaching assistant and running my own seminars for my graduate student friends. And then I worked at Harvard for six years in the 90s, when it was truly an outstanding place. And then, as many of you know, I worked as a professor for about two decades at the University of Toronto, which has become equally corrupt.
And so I know what I'm talking about, or you might make that case, although I suppose there are people who would disagree. So, I can't tell you how important this topic is for you to understand, and in some detail. I should also point out that I haven't exactly been sitting around in consequence of believing that this is a vital issue. My family and I
My son helped me in the beginning with a broader project in this regard. And then my daughter and her husband, Michaela Fuller and Jordan Fuller, have taken over over the last four years, I suppose, to produce Peterson Academy. And we're trying to bring the best professors in the world to the public stage.
and to bring what they know to everyone at the highest possible quality and at the lowest possible price, which we estimate, by the way, at the moment, at 1% of an Ivy League education. So I'm putting my money and my time where my mouth is, and you can make of that where you will. Okay, so let's delve into this topic.
I'm going to do some reading, and I'm going to do some opining, and, well, bear with me. Let's see how this goes. Harvard University is locked in a high-stakes conflict with the Trump administration and conservative critics, centered on accusations of antisemitism, ideological bias, and the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion, DEI programs.
Let's talk about those for a minute, DEI programs, diversity, equity, and inclusion. It sounds pretty good, you know, diversity, who would be against that? Equity, man, that sounds like a lot like equality of opportunity, although it actually means equality of outcome.
And that means that everyone ends up in the same place, no matter how hard they work, for example, or how competent they are, which is a hell of a good deal for people who don't work at all, and they're so incompetent that it's a kind of miracle. And then inclusion, well, you know, Some people should be included and some people shouldn't be included.
And if you're doing something difficult and demanding and goal-oriented, then inclusion shouldn't exactly be the principle. The principle should be, if you can bloody well do the job, then you should be hired. And anything other than that is absolute nonsense. And that's particularly the case if the way that you define whether something has been inclusive enough, diverse enough, equitable enough,
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