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martinez_library 's review for:
On Bullshit
by Harry G. Frankfurt
An important little read, Harry G. Frankfurt’s essay, On Bullshit, establishes a theoretical framework for examining bullshit. What is bullshit? Why is there so much of it? What circumstances might proliferate bullshit on a societal scale, but also within our personal relationships? These are the central questions with which this book examines.
Chillingly, Frankfurt outlines the differences between liars and bullshitters. Lying, oddly enough, maintains a concern with the truth; bullshit, however, is wholly unconcerned with fact, by nature. Part of the insidious nature of bullshit is that it really does not hold a conviction to reality, so much as it is connected to the character of the bullshitter themselves.
“Bullshit is unavoidable whenever circumstances require someone to talk without knowing what he is talking about.” In that quote, Frankfurt illustrates the amorphous nature of bullshit; how it exists rampant in our political system, and even in the banality of our everyday interactions.
This book makes me want to do better; to be more conscious in how I respond and engage in conversation. It is okay to not know and to not have an opinion on everything; we are finite beings and we need to be okay with simply not knowing. Moreover, being aware of the fact that we cannot be knowledgeable of everything, can and should push us to grow, so that we might continue to expand our ability to communicate effectively and truthfully.
Chillingly, Frankfurt outlines the differences between liars and bullshitters. Lying, oddly enough, maintains a concern with the truth; bullshit, however, is wholly unconcerned with fact, by nature. Part of the insidious nature of bullshit is that it really does not hold a conviction to reality, so much as it is connected to the character of the bullshitter themselves.
“Bullshit is unavoidable whenever circumstances require someone to talk without knowing what he is talking about.” In that quote, Frankfurt illustrates the amorphous nature of bullshit; how it exists rampant in our political system, and even in the banality of our everyday interactions.
This book makes me want to do better; to be more conscious in how I respond and engage in conversation. It is okay to not know and to not have an opinion on everything; we are finite beings and we need to be okay with simply not knowing. Moreover, being aware of the fact that we cannot be knowledgeable of everything, can and should push us to grow, so that we might continue to expand our ability to communicate effectively and truthfully.