February 15, 2005
A philosophical discussion on bullsh*t
If you have been looking for a book about bullsh*t -- search no more* ...
Harry G. Frankfurt, 76, a moral philosopher of international reputation and a professor emeritus at Princeton has authored of a book recently published by the Princeton University Press which is entitled simply On Bullsh*t. This book is not intended to be bullsh*t, but rather a serious philosophical work with the purpose of defining the true nature of [bull]. Read the excerpt from the book in the extended entry to find out how bullsh*tting is different from lying.
Totally unrelated to the subject matter of Mr. Frankfort's current book, it would appear that he might make a very good blogger. The reason that I say this is that his reason for becoming interested in philosophy is not much different from what draws me to blogging:
"... I could never make up my mind what I was interested in, and philosophy enabled you to be interested in anything."Disclaimer: This is not to say that all philosophers would make good bloggers [nor the converse], nor do I intend to imply that bloggers would be good bullsh*tters [nor the converse]. Certainly some of these statements might be true in certain instances, however, in some other circumstances, might lack the evidence to prove such. (My twenty-seven and a half years' experience in composing memorandums acceptable within a bureaucracy which was typified by the ponderous proliferation of paper for the purpose of providing justification for actions taken therein is perhaps evident at this point.)
What is [bull], after all? Mr. Frankfurt points out it is neither fish nor fowl. Those who produce it certainly aren't honest, but neither are they liars, given that the liar and the honest man are linked in their common, if not identical, regard for the truth.*but in case you were not seeking the book, but rather the substance thereof, please note that there is a Bullsh*t Generator available for your use. Posted by Susan R at February 15, 2005 04:52 PM"It is impossible for someone to lie unless he thinks he knows the truth," Mr. Frankfurt writes. "A person who lies is thereby responding to the truth, and he is to that extent respectful of it."
The bull artist, on the other hand, cares nothing for truth or falsehood. The only thing that matters to him is "getting away with what he says," Mr. Frankfurt writes. An advertiser or a politician or talk show host given to [bull] "does not reject the authority of the truth, as the liar does, and oppose himself to it," he writes. "He pays no attention to it at all."
And this makes him, Mr. Frankfurt says, potentially more harmful than any liar, because any culture and he means this culture rife with [bull] is one in danger of rejecting "the possibility of knowing how things truly are." It follows that any form of political argument or intellectual analysis or commercial appeal is only as legitimate, and true, as it is persuasive. There is no other court of appeal.
The reader is left to imagine a culture in which institutions, leaders, events, ethics feel improvised and lacking in substance. "All that is solid," as Marx once wrote, "melts into air."