Jordan Peterson’s Biblical Sacrifice

Jordan Peterson draws immense meaning out of the short story of Cain and Abel in Genesis. One of the main concepts in this story is the idea of sacrificing that which you value most, embodied by Abel’s sacrifice of his best animals.  Cain, on the other hand, sacrifices a pile of vegetables.

While both brothers offer sacrifices, God only finds favor with Abel’s sacrifice. It is a bigger (actual?) sacrifice, and it is sincere. Abel is “all in” when it comes to foregoing present enjoyment for future (or spiritual) enjoyment. Cain, on the other hand, isn’t offering his best, so can he be said to be truly sacrificing anything?

What struck me the first time I heard Peterson articulate the evolutionary significance of humans learning to practice sacrifice (stay tuned for Part 2) is that it is exactly Hans Hoppe’s description of Time Preference.

Hoppe notes that the basis of savings (and all of civilization) is the willingness to sacrifice present enjoyment for future enjoyment. Even better, in a honest system, this sacrifice results in MORE future enjoyment than what is sacrificed in the present. Exactly as the story of Cain and Abel describes.

Peterson could shorten his description of “sacrificing that which you value most” by using Hoppe’s simpler phrase of “the present moment” or “present enjoyment”. Perhaps the phrase “present pleasure” would be even stronger.

Cain wasn’t really sacrificing enjoyment by burning some plants, but Abel was burning a delicious fatted calf that I’m sure was making he and his brother’s mouths water. Cain was sacrificing the present SUFFERING of choking down plants, but Abel was sacrificing the present ENJOYMENT of marbled steak.

There can only be one type of sacrifice – sacrifice of what you value MOST, right NOW. Both parts are necessary or it isn’t sacrifice. When you have plenty of money, saving doesn’t feel like a sacrifice, and it isn’t. You reap a reward measured in small percentages. But the reward you get from taking the first step in saving the FIRST dollar, the act of forming the habit, is the ENTIRE VALUE of the savings, not just the interest.

Reprinted with permission from Patriot’s Lament.

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