Via Legal Insurrection, a review of On Bullshit by Harry G. Frankfurt
One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit. Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes his share. But we tend to take the situation for granted. Most people are rather confident of their ability to recognize bullshit and to avoid being taken in by it. So the phenomenon has not aroused much deliberate concern. We have no clear understanding of what bullshit is, why there is so much of it, or what functions it serves. And we lack a conscientiously developed appreciation of what it means to us. In other words, as Harry Frankfurt writes, “we have no theory.”
Frankfurt, one of the world’s most influential moral philosophers, attempts to build such a theory here. With his characteristic combination of philosophical acuity, psychological insight, and wry humor, Frankfurt proceeds by exploring how bullshit and the related concept of humbug are distinct from lying. He argues that bullshitters misrepresent themselves to their audience not as liars do, that is, by deliberately making false claims about what is true. In fact, bullshit need not be untrue at all.
Rather, bullshitters seek to convey a certain impression of themselves without being concerned about whether anything at all is true. They quietly change the rules governing their end of the conversation so that claims about truth and falsity are irrelevant. Frankfurt concludes that although bullshit can take many innocent forms, excessive indulgence in it can eventually undermine the practitioner’s capacity to tell the truth in a way that lying does not. Liars at least acknowledge that it matters what is true. By virtue of this, Frankfurt writes, bullshit is a greater enemy of the truth than lies are.
The best way I can define the difference between lying and bullshitting is that a lie is a single discrete intentionally untrue statement whereas “bullshit” is a constant mixed stream of lie, truth, half-truth and omission along with irrelevancies and distractions. A liar wants to convince you of something that is not true. A bullshitter doesn’t care whether it’s true or not.
In other words, Barack Obama.
Yes, I am still alive. I have been asleep all day. I finally wake up and now I discover that the Giants game is not on television.
I should have added:
A politician wants you to vote for him. He really doesn’t care WHY you vote for him. If you vote for him because you like him, and/or agree with his policies, that’s fine.
But it’s equally fine if you vote for him because you dislike the other candidate and/or disagree with the other candidate’s policies. Or if you vote for him because of the party he belongs to, what some movie star thinks, because he has cool ads or because all your friends like him.
Yeah, but why are Americans so prone to accept bullshit? I think that Americans don’t like the discomfort of hearing the truth.
I think most societies engage in bullshit, but I think like the professor said, marketing has made our culture more accepting of bullshit. It permeates though our daily life.
The problem with a bullshitter usually spews feel good bullshit that may be corrosive and destructive of the truth, such as “hope and change”. We knew it was bullshit, but how can one be against it? And calling it doesn’t help because it makes one sound like a naysayer, trying to destroy something good. It’s difficult to destroy bullshit and the bullshitter. Maybe it’s accepted in our country because it eases the discomfort of hearing the truth. Most Americans agree about the 47%, but when Romney says it, he was vilified. The message was not delivered with “elegance”, a.k.a. bullshit.
Correction: when Romney said it, he was vilified.
When he was vilified, it was bullshit.
Univision is hell bent on clearing the BS. Check this out!
O.M.G!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t know how to separate this clip from the story but CHECK IT UT!
It’s the Univision preview for its F&F investigation airing tomorrow night.
This is unbelievable! It could torpedo the POS’s chances with Hispanics.
http://hotair.com/archives/2012/09/29/video-univisions-bombshell-report-on-fast-furious/
talk about bull shit
the black caucus is giving holder an award for being a good role model
http://weaselzippers.us/2012/09/29/congressional-black-caucus-honors-eric-holder-for-being-a-role-model-and-outstanding-contributions-to-our-nation/
It looks like an excellent documentary. We’ll see if it has legs.
Frontpaged
all tv’s should should have this equipment. when ever a politician speaks it should go off. especial backtrack
The game is on NBC here in Oakland
I don’t get Oakland channels. 😥
I have not really paid attention to the chavez election
but for that county’s sake I hope this guy is not another backtrack
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/chavez-rattled-by-heartthrob-rival-8191056.html
I think most independent polls give Chavez the edge. It’s funny that despite all the bad things that are said about Chavez in the U.S., he wins his elections. He is elected through a democracy.
Chavez has the “victim” vote in his corner. From the Independent article:
insidious BULLSHIT http://m.vanityfair.com/politics/2012/09/america-self-regard-reality-check-mate?wpisrc=nl_lunchln
How come Vile Progs never see the future as a golden age?
Mark Steyn:
Jesus, I hadn’t even heard about Camp Bastion. WTF?
I blame Mitt Romney
That’s the camp where Prince Harry is stationed.
I read about it, but it was a one day news. Prince Harry was okay, so the news disappeared. Here is the NYT article
Ir was the single largest loss of aircraft since Vietnam. Since fucking Vietnam. And total media blackout on it.
” teams of militants wearing American Army uniform” tells me all I need to know. WTF!