About "On Bullshit"
One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit, Harry G. Frankfurt writes, in what must surely be the most eyebrow-raising opener in modern philosophical prose. Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes his share. But we tend to take the situation for granted. This compact little book, as pungent as the phenomenon it explores, attempts to articulate a theory of this contemporary scourge--what it is, what it does, and why there's so much of it. The result is entertaining and enlightening in almost equal measure. It can't be denied; part of the book's charm is the puerile pleasure of reading classic academic discourse punctuated at regular intervals by the word bullshit. More pertinent is Frankfurt's focus on intentions--the
practice of bullshit, rather than its end result. Bullshitting, as he notes, is not exactly lying, and bullshit remains bullshit whether it's true or false. The difference lies in the bullshitter's complete disregard for whether what he's saying corresponds to facts in the physical world: he does not reject the authority of the truth, as the liar does, and oppose himself to it. He pays no attention to it at all. By virtue of this, bullshit is a greater enemy of the truth than lies are.
This may sound all too familiar to those of use who still live in the reality-based community and must deal with a world convulsed by those who do not. But Frankfurt leaves such political implications to his readers. Instead, he points to one source of bullshit's unprecedented expansion in recent years, the postmodern skepticism of objective truth in favor of sincerity, or as he defines it, staying true to subjective experience. But what makes us think that anything in our nature is more stable or inherent than what lies outside it? Thus, Frankfurt concludes, with an observation as tiny and perfect as the rest of this exquisite book, sincerity itself is bullshit. --Mary Park
Reviews
10.08.2008 / John M. Ford / near DC, MD USA
Two Key Points -- No BS
This book has serious points to make, although the reader may wander through a few pages before becoming confident that it is not attempting a self-parody. Stay with it and glean at least two key concepts.
First, BS is not lying. A liar knows the truth and carefully crafts an alternat...
[> more]12.06.2008 / David Charles / Bozeman, Montana, USA
Cumbersome
This essay is educational but not engaging. I hesitate to level this criticism at such a "renowned moral philosopher," but I feel slighted for paying ten dollars for what I (incorrectly) assumed would at least be somewhat witty. Frankfurt does parse meanings with great care, but his academ...
[> more]23.03.2008 / Ba-Na-Na
Thin and Expensive but interesting
It is a quick and interesting read. The book isn't only insightful, but I also like the writing style. Yes, we are surrounded with BS, and I agree with the author that BS is probably bigger enemy of the truth than outright lies. At the same time, BS is so prevalent in our society nowadays that i...
[> more]The book "On Bullshit" belongs to the following genres:
Christian moral & pastoral theology Christianity Ethics & Moral Philosophy Ethics (Specific Aspects) Moral Theology Philosophy American Language and Literature On Bullshit Philosophy / Ethics & Moral Philosophy Sociology World History/Comparative History Truthfulness and falsehood
About Harry G. Frankfurt
Harry Gordon Frankfurt (born May 29, 1929) is a professor emeritus of philosophy at Princeton University. He previously taught at Yale University and Rockefeller University. He obtained his B.A. in 1949 and Ph.D. in 1954 from
Johns Hopkins University. His major areas of interest include moral philosophy, philosophy of mind and action, and 17th century rationalism. His 1986 paper On Bullshit, a philosophical investigation of the concept of "bullshit", was republished as a book in 2005 and became a surprise bestseller, leading to media appearances such as Jon Stewart's The Daily Show. In 2006 he released a companion book, On Truth, which explores society's loss of appreciation for truth.
Among philosophers, Frankfurt was for a time best known for his interpretation of Descartes's rationalism, his account of freedom of the will (on which he has written numerous important papers[Feinberg; Shafer-Landau: Reason &am...]
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