Book comparison
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck vs 12 Rules for Life
Read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck for the tighter and more immediately useful book, and 12 Rules for Life only if you want a much longer argument with a worldview attached — and know that its author is politically polarising.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Mark Manson
2016 · 4h 15m
Mark Manson's argument is that the relentless pursuit of positivity is itself a source of misery.
12 Rules for Life
Jordan Peterson
2018 · 8h 0m
12 Rules for Life is Jordan Peterson's attempt to distill what clinical psychology, comparative mythology, the Bible, and evolutionary biology say about how to live.
Where they agree
Both are self-help books that open by attacking self-help, published within two years of each other, and both sold enormously to readers who were tired of positive thinking and self-esteem. They share a core claim: suffering is not optional, the goal of avoiding it is incoherent, and the real question is which problems are worth having. Both are also, in practice, addressed largely to young men who feel they have been sold a story that did not come true.
Where they differ
Manson’s book is short, profane and pragmatic. You have limited attention, so choose a small number of things to care about deliberately, pick better values to measure yourself by, and take responsibility for problems you did not cause because nobody else is going to. Peterson’s is far longer and far more discursive, drawing on clinical practice, Jungian archetypes, biblical readings and evolutionary claims — including the much-quoted comparison with lobster serotonin — to build a picture of order and chaos from which the twelve rules are meant to follow. Manson gives you a technique; Peterson wants you to accept a metaphysics first. It is also worth being plain that Peterson became a public figure through political controversy, particularly over Canadian speech legislation, and most readers’ reaction to the book tracks what they already think of him; critics have found the argument grandiose and some of the science stretched.
Which to read first
The Subtle Art. It is a few hours, and you will know quickly whether this whole register works for you. 12 Rules for Life asks considerably more time and repays it only if you actually enjoy the digressions into myth and scripture rather than tolerating them.
Read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck if
You want the blunt, compact version: fewer things to care about, chosen on purpose, and no pretence that you can avoid the cost.
Read the summary →Read 12 Rules for Life if
You want the long version with mythology and moral weight behind it, and the author’s politics are not going to get in your way.
Read the summary →Common questions
Should I read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck or 12 Rules for Life?
Read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck for the tighter and more immediately useful book, and 12 Rules for Life only if you want a much longer argument with a worldview attached — and know that its author is politically polarising.
What is the difference between The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and 12 Rules for Life?
Manson’s book is short, profane and pragmatic. You have limited attention, so choose a small number of things to care about deliberately, pick better values to measure yourself by, and take responsibility for problems you did not cause because nobody else is going to. Peterson’s is far longer and far more discursive, drawing on clinical practice, Jungian archetypes, biblical readings and evolutionary claims — including the much-quoted comparison with lobster serotonin — to build a picture of order and chaos from which the twelve rules are meant to follow. Manson gives you a technique; Peterson wants you to accept a metaphysics first. It is also worth being plain that Peterson became a public figure through political controversy, particularly over Canadian speech legislation, and most readers’ reaction to the book tracks what they already think of him; critics have found the argument grandiose and some of the science stretched.
Which should I read first, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck or 12 Rules for Life?
The Subtle Art. It is a few hours, and you will know quickly whether this whole register works for you. 12 Rules for Life asks considerably more time and repays it only if you actually enjoy the digressions into myth and scripture rather than tolerating them.
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