Jordan Peterson criticised the Communist Manifesto of 1848 in the famous Toronto meeting of 2019. Peterson made false assumptions and misinterpretations about Marx's analysis of capitalist social relations. A detailed examination of Marx's Manifesto is made here, looking at the historic context, predictions and aspirations of the communists. This review reveals that the Manifesto contains insights and useful theoretical concepts, but also errors and misleading claims. The main problem with the Manifesto is something extraordinary, and rarely, if ever identified. The Communist Manifesto is not what it aspires to be. That conclusion has implications for the ideological battles of contemporary politics.

The hyped public encounter between Jordan Peterson and Slavoj Zizek in Toronto in 2019 was an uneventful farce. Yet, there is something to learn from this event, in terms of how Karl Marx and his famous Communist Manifesto was misrepresented by Peterson and remained undefended by Zizek. 

Thinkbomb provides a Tear Down of Zizek's performance, and especially of Peterson's claims, showing that Marx's contribution to modern history cannot easily be dismissed.

Transcript will be made available. Commentary and critique from listeners is encouraged.