An Evening With Sam Harris, Jordan Peterson & Douglas Murray was billed as the Woodstock of live speaking and debate. Held at the O2 arena, which holds a capacity of 20,000, the Spectator claimed 8,000 people were in attendance. The audience was predominately white, male and relatively young.

Sat dotted around the corners of the Mastercard-sponsored VIP lounge, nursing pints of lager in the dim light of the exclusive waiting area, crisp packets and books written by tonight’s speakers are strewn in front of them in the place of their companions. Who needs anyone when you have unconventional wisdom?

“When I looked around, in the audience there were quite a lot of angry white men,” says a British-educated Russian, who attended the London leg of Peterson’s 12 Rules For Life Tour - An Antidote To Chaos at Hammersmith Apollo in May. “He does have a bit of a cult following. I don’t know how dangerous that is,” the 28-year old continues. “Someone did ask him about the far-right question, and, again, even on stage, he didn’t specifically distance himself or denounce that. He just said, 'Look, guys, I’m here. You need to be an individual, have your own characteristics, don’t follow these things.'"

Peterson, a psychology professor, became what some people deem an intellectual rock star almost overnight with his straight-talking self-help appraisals that urge men to stand up straight (with their shoulders back) in order to enjoy success in life. Others have called his views dangerous because they normalise, to put it straight, horrible opinions – like 4chan in real life.

Sam Harris © Getty Images

“Peterson’s constellation of beliefs attracts a heterogeneous audience that includes Christian conservatives, atheist libertarians, centrist pundits and neo-Nazis,” wrote Dorian Lynskey in the Guardian earlier this year. The pop-philosopher originally catapulted himself into the spotlight in various broadcast interviews opposing a bill that intended to bolster the rights of trans people. He was criticised for grossly misrepresenting the proposals, which he characterised as an attack on free speech because they would compel you to use people’s preferred pronouns.

From then he became a cause célèbre for a group of disaffected young men, many of whom are in attendance tonight. Some of whom, like the man I spoke to, staunchly believe there are only two genders – even though an increasing number of countries offer a third gender option on official forms.

“What I like the most is basically his anti-PC culture,” explains a man, as he nibbles on his third bag of popcorn. “He’s just like, 'No, I’m not having any of that.' People should be able to speak their minds without any fear of repercussions based on ideas. The ability to criticise an idea, just a no-nonsense approach to that, is what I like most.” Peterson, Harris and Murray give young men some respite from what they perceive as a neo-Marxist straitjacket of a modern society that tries not to allow you to be prejudiced any more.

As the beginning of the debate neared, one young man after another was appearing live from the hall onto the big screen to be asked what question they would ask during the Q&A and why they came. Some are searching for an “atheist moral consensus”, while one young man, who had travelled from Wisconsin to London, said he’d like to hear Peterson and Murray “steelman” (argue more effectively about) “the identity politics, social justice ideology and then hopefully tear it apart also”. He sloped back to his seat to rapturous applause.

Douglas Murray © Getty Images

The lights then began to dim until just three throne-like black single-seater Chesterfield chairs sat illuminated beneath the spotlight awaiting the arrival of the three men along with the two-thirds-full arena. Soon enough, they emerged and engaged in convoluted discussions about the gradual disappearance of religion from some people’s lives, while continually referring disparagingly to Islam and mentioning jihadists for no apparent reason. Harris argued that humankind can outgrow its desire for a god to provide meaning to our lives and that we do not need to put false certainties in its place. Peterson, however, thinks many of the attendees are present because they want that void filled. If the audience is anything to go by tonight, young white guys are looking for meaning.

“It’s dark but something tells me I may be the only female POC in this entire stadium. Also, this panel desperately needed a woman for all these (male) ideas of how women view masculinity,” tweeted Julia Macfarlane, a reporter for ABC. “What is interesting about all this is, amid this search for which disciplines of historic collective wisdom have the most validity yet not even a hint of acknowledgement that all of history, religion, philosophy, the record of human experience is entirely through the prism of men.”

Another attendee tweeted, “What a diverse group of people… No wonder [Peterson, Harris and Murray] always talk about race/IQ relation, dangers of #MeToo and stopping non-white immigration to West!”

As the debate – well, it was more of a conversation really – ambled to a conclusion, I asked an attendee who won, to which he replied, “It’s not a question of winning or losing. My view of the world and of the truth, I align more towards Peterson. It’s comforting because sometimes he makes me feel like, ‘Oh, I’m not the only one who sees things like that.’”

But how? “That would take too long to explain. It’s just my reaction when he speaks. That’s my experience and its very rare,” he says, explaining he came from Spain just to see "Jordan" live and direct.

Jordan Peterson © Getty Images

My companion spotted an acquaintance and beckoned him over to join us. It didn’t take long before he revealed the true fascination with Peterson and his ilk. “It’s the fact that people aren’t talking about these issues – religion, certain ideologies, subjects that make people uncomfortable,” he says. “If you say anything about certain religions, I think we all deep down understand why they get death threats. Sam Harris’ views and attacks on certain religions may make certain Christians or Muslims, especially, very uncomfortable, or Jordan Peterson’s views on transgenderism or gender roles may make other people uncomfortable. And Douglas Murray’s views on politics and Islam in particular will also make many uncomfortable.”

“Aren’t those views regressive?” I asked.

“Well, you’re only going to find out if you actually have a conversation,” he demurred.

Traversing the corridors with Peterson aficionados, we somehow managed to gatecrash the post-debate book signing. I knew I’d only have time for one question, and, sure, as you like, when I declared I was a journalist writing for GQ, the security guards tried to shuffle me along.

“Why did so many people come out tonight to hear intellectuals converse?” I queried as his charming-yet-icy stare bore into my eyes.

Because they want to listen to people “in reasonable conversation, that’s why. To talk about responsibility and meanings,” he drawled.

“I don’t know, but I’m very happy they did,” mused Harris in response to the same question. “People are just starved of long-form conversation on important topics.”

Well, it depends what you’re talking about.

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