13 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
Bradley Cooper's 2018 musical drama in which seasoned rock star Jackson Maine discovers and elevates unknown singer Ally, as his career and mental health simultaneously collapse — the fourth iteration of the story and the most commercially successful.
Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise's 1991 Disney animated film in which Belle voluntarily enters the Beast's castle and her love transforms the cursed prince — Peterson's primary popular cultural example of the feminine perceiving and redeeming the masculine shadow.
Fictional character from George Lucas's Star Wars — the former Jedi hero Anakin Skywalker who was seduced to the dark side and became the Galactic Empire's enforcer — functioning in MW discourse as the archetypal fallen hero whose redemption through love is the mythological core of the saga.
American actress known for roles in Training Day, Hitch, and Ghost Rider — and in the MW context primarily referenced in discussions of celebrity relationships and cultural attractiveness standards.
Jeff Kripal's 2011 study of American superhero comics as secular expressions of religious and paranormal experience — arguing that comics authors like Jack Kirby, Alan Moore, and Stan Lee drew on their own anomalous experiences to create characters (X-Men mutants, Dr. Manhattan, Silver Surfer) that encode genuine mystical insight.
1940 Disney animated film in which wooden puppet Pinocchio must prove himself brave, truthful, and unselfish to become a real boy — and whose lies make his nose grow — a narrative Peterson reads as the mythological map of conscience formation.
American actress who became a major cultural figure through her roles in Euphoria and The White Lotus — notable in the MW context for discussions about cultural beauty standards, modern celebrity, and the intersection of talent and social media presence.
1994 Disney animated film in which young lion Simba, traumatized by his father's murder, flees into exile until he is called back to confront his murderous uncle and assume his rightful place as king.
Benjamin Hoff's account of Taoist principles as illustrated by the characters in A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories — Pooh as the embodiment of wu wei (non-action).
James Cameron's 1984 science fiction film in which an artificial intelligence (Skynet) sends a cyborg assassin back in time to kill the mother of humanity's future resistance leader — a myth of technological creation turning against its creators.
Catherine Hardwicke's 2008 film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's novel about the romance between a human girl (Bella) and a vampire (Edward) — a defining cultural text for understanding female romantic fantasy and the 'dangerous man redeemed by love' archetype.
Superman is the archetypal American superhero introduced by DC Comics in 1938, representing the ideal of selfless power used in service of justice. As a cultural concept, Superman embodies the fantasy of godlike capability constrained by moral commitment.
The Unbelievers is a 2013 documentary directed by Gus Holwerda that follows Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss on a global speaking tour advocating for science and secularism. The film presents their arguments against religious belief and for scientific rationalism, featuring celebrity endorsements from figures including Woody Allen, Cameron Diaz, and Ricky Gervais.