On Bullshit

I can't use the word B.S. in an Amazon review, but you all know what B.S. stands for... This is a very short book, more a long essay on the subject of B.S., what it is, and how it differs from other forms of falsehood. It is something of a set up and introduction to his slightly longer book "On Truth" (also reviewed). B.S. seems to characterize much of our time from marketing and advertising campaigns, to scientific and (especially) political and social discourse. Dr. Frankfurt is a legend in the arena of philosophy of mind and the exploration of free will. This is a great book for anyone trying to understand the corrosive impact of Postmodernism on our lives.

“One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much BS.” BS can refer to a number of things, including pointless tasks or requirements, but the main topic of this book is the widespread disregard for truth in speech and writing.Frankfurt makes a distinction between lying and BSing. “It is impossible for someone to lie unless he thinks he knows the truth. Producing BS requires no such conviction.”“The liar is essentially someone who deliberately promulgates a falsehood… The essence of BS is not that it is false but that it is phony… to bluff one’s way through (something) by talking nonsense… Although it is produced without concern with the truth, it need not be false. The BSer is faking things. But this does not mean that he necessarily gets them wrong.”“Someone who lies and someone who tells the truth” are both responding to the facts. “The response of the one is guided by the authority of the truth, while the response of the other defies that authority and refuses to meet its demands. The BSer ignores these demands altogether… He pays no attention to it at all. By virtue of this, BS is a greater enemy of the truth than lies are.”“So why is there so much BS?”“BS is unavoidable whenever circumstances require someone to talk without knowing what he is talking about. Thus the production of BS is stimulated whenever a person’s obligations or opportunities to speak about some topic exceed his knowledge of the facts that are relevant to that topic. This discrepancy is common in public life, where people are frequently impelled–whether by their own propensities or by the demands of others—to speak extensively of which they are to some degree ignorant. Closely related instances arise from the widespread conviction that it is the responsibility of a citizen in a democracy to have opinions about everything, or at least everything that pertains to the conduct of his country’s affairs.” This reminds me of the Dunning-Kruger effect, a cognitive bias wherein incompetent people are overconfident.“The contemporary proliferation of BS also has deeper sources, in various forms of skepticism which deny that we can have any reliable access to an objective reality… One response to this loss of confidence has been a retreat from the discipline required by dedication to the ideal of correctness to a quite different sort of discipline, which is imposed by pursuit of an alternative ideal of sincerity.” This implies that political correctness and the academic climate of no wrong answers have played a role in making BS a socially acceptable alternative to truth.The author makes an amusing analogy between hot air and excrement. “Just as hot air is speech that has been emptied of all informative content, so excrement is matter from which everything nutritive has been removed.” However, given that manure is widely used as fertilizer, I think this statement is an unintentional example of BS.Frankfurt contradicts himself when he states on page 53 that BS “is less a matter of craft than of art. Hence the familiar notion of the ‘BS artist.’” On page 22 he made the opposite assertion. “The realms of advertising and of public relations, and the nowadays closely related realm of politics, are replete with instances of BS so unmitigated that they can serve among the most indisputable and classic paradigms of the concept. And in these realms there are exquisitely sophisticated craftsmen who—with the help of advanced and demanding techniques of market research, of public opinion polling, of psychological testing, and so forth—dedicate themselves tirelessly to getting every word and image they produce exactly right.”While only 67 4×6-inch pages, the book contains a lot of extraneous rambling before the author gets to his point. For example, on page five Frankfurt refers to Max Black, author of The Prevalence of Humbug. “Black suggests a number of synonyms for humbug, including the following: balderdash, claptrap, hokum, drivel, buncombe, imposture, and quackery. This list of quaint equivalents of is not very helpful.” If it is not helpful, then why bring it up? Frankfurt is a master of verbosity.This book has some giggle value as a gag gift. Or leave a copy on your coffee table to start a conversation.

This is a much needed book in a world where so many get away with incredibly disengenuous discourse and writing simply by omitting facts or by deliberate deception. Very easy to read, never gets too abstruse.

I bought this book based on John Cadogan's recommendation. He's an angry "STRALIAN" auto-vlogger from down under. Periodically he makes references to some automaker's b*llsh*t claims and that Harry G Frankfurt wrote the book on b*llsh*t and knows better. Either way, the book is decent, the recommendation was sound. This is NOT A FUNNY book. It's very matter of fact. Side note: if you want to hear a potty mouth auto-reviewer that is funny search for: AutoExpertTV

The author's a philosophy professor so this book is presented as a solemn philosophical treatise, even though the topic is a banal phenomenon of everyday life that normally wouldn't get this kind of treatment. This contrast is what makes the book humorous but it contains seriously insightful observations that are on point and very timely in light of the current political scene.

My first review was rejected, apparently because I included the name of the book, and that is considered profanity. Hilarious. I didn’t read it, on the recommendation of my husband, who did. He said it didn’t make its point, was boring, and was, basically, (insert the name of the book here).

A short, philosophical essay on a serious (really) subject. Frankfurt decomposes the compost pile and finds that BS is rarely outright lying but most often comports talking “out of school.” Our self-proclaimed “experts” opine on matters sublime and ridiculous whether they know anything about the subject at all. But opine they do. The author lays the blame on society’s increasing self-absorption and its declining lack of interest in objective standards. I would add that it thrives in an age that has forgotten the value of critical thinking. At 70 pages and about a half an hour of your time, it’s worth the small investment.

I really don't read much as I find it hard to get into a book, I can't sit still easily and focusing on reading is tricky (ADHD)But I read this whole book in 1 sitting and I really liked it

Not the fun light hearted read I thought it might be. Disappointed.

Good read

Brilliant little book. On bulls*** is an essay on human thinking and society. We are ALL so full of it. Made me realize better how relationships work. We are ALL so self centered. Only drawback that it needs an updated version on ONLINE bulls***. Highly recommended reading for everyone.

This works unmaks the spin doctors, politicians and other nafarious b**********s for what they are: people who make up untruths and try and pass them off as truthful and factual. And the prose is a joy to read.