Jordan Peterson and the cult of tidiness

The world is obsessed with clutter. Today, untidiness is seen as a moral failure and messy people are cast as incontinent reprobates lacking in all self-discipline. In his new book, Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life, Jordan Peterson tells readers that cleaning up their homes and offices is nothing less than a ‘moral obligation’.

Brits seem to agree. Princess Anne was recently criticised and urged to declutter after viewers glimpsed her living room at Gatcombe Park, whilst Channel 5 is planning a new TV show in which Nick Knowles helps messy homeowners tidy up. With the end of lockdown in sight, UK charity shops are expecting a huge boom in donations as Britons rush to declutter.

For Peterson, ‘mak[ing] one room in your home as beautiful as possible’ is the first step to taking control of your life. But he equates beauty strictly with tidiness, arguing that ‘proper order’, at home or in the office, not only helps you ‘take care of yourself more effectively’ but is ‘an invitation to the divine’.