On Bullshit

This is a philosophy book, but its popularity is a fascinating study in psychology. You've gotta figure that because it's short, different, and boasts the word "sh-t" in its title that people are willing to give it a read. Once they do, I can't imagine many of them truly like it, but I think they're afraid that saying they don't like it will make them seem unsophisticated. I'm here to absolve you of any such feelings of inadequacy.

This "book" is a actually a philosophy paper - which is fine; it isn't a very good philosophy paper - which isn't fine. After making the unsupported statement that "bullsh-t" is overwhelmingly pervasive in our society, Frankfurt spends 7/8 of this paper defining what exactly that "bullsh-t" is. I'll save you the reading: Bullsh-t is less than a lie, but is actually worse; you see, a liar knows the truth and respects it as the adversary of his/her statement. A bull-sh-tter, on the other hand, doesn't care if his/her statement is true or not, and thus has no concern whatever for the truth and is really far more dangerous than an outright liar.

I know this isn't a long book, but you could be 100 pages into a good book by the time you finish this one. Save yourself all of the comparing and contrasting of "bullsh-t" with "humbug" and "hokum" (I'm not making this up!) and spare yourself getting trapped into saying you liked this book to seem sophisticated and intellectual for people who haven't even read it.

Skim this one if you absolutely must know what everyone is reading, otherwise skip it and get 100 pages into a good book instead. Either way, don't feel like you have to say this is a great book.

Frankfurt starts strong: "One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much BS. Laugh aloud in the beginning but wait for it. Then he goes about defining a theoretical understanding of BS. Really? S#IT is a powerful word but BS is less insulting than a LIE. The source might be cheerful ignorance but to lie you need to know the truth. Can we know the TRUTH? Here comes a punch: "Our nature is elusively insubstantial… sincerity itself is BS". I’m crying here :-)

Enjoyed the little expository quite a lot and thought it was very descriptive of the subject while lacking in some magical predictive value useful for avoiding the subject - but was also left with a nagging feeling the expository itself was BS... but how could that be?

Harry Frankfurt writes a witty yet serious discussion focusing on how to distinguish BS from other forms of deception. Originally published as a journal article, this book is one of the few academic pieces that actually made a few bucks. Attractive volume with cloth covered boards and a library binding. Really a fun book to show to friends.

It was illuminating in the sense that bullshiter's will do as they please without regard to the truth; similiarly, that bullshiter's known and unknown to me will be unmasked, and that they will be taken into consideration differently than before.

An introduction to valuable concept of how much bs people and ourselves spread , how much we talk about things we don't know about and the importance of understanding this, accept it but with full awareness

Great book for quite time reading, loved the honesty and facts that this book points out. Good gift for a thinker. Great product and is exactly what I was looking for here on the store. I was very happy with it overall and have suggested it to many of my friends. Great value and a heck of a deal compared to my local stores. I will be shopping here if I need any more. !

A moral philosopher, and perhaps a closet satirist - I was handed this read in response to said “BS” in a post-baccalaureate class. It has certainly illuminated the ubiquitous nature of this expletive, and deepened my appreciation for those who employ readily employ it’s report as a means to ground shameless attempts to improve one’s enterprise...wrecklessly. Highly recommended, and fun!

A short, enjoyable read about bulls*** and how a bulls***ter interacts with the world and, more importantly, the truth. By drawing distinctions between the Liar and the Bulls***ter, Frankfurt argues that bulls*** is disinterested in truth claims, and is used to deceive others not about facts, but about the actors sincerity in pursuing some goal or activity. By speaking without regard to facts, the bulls***ter hopes to deceive others about his intentions to get away with something. The bulls***ter often speaks at length about topics which he has not enough knowledge.

A great read in an election year, though every year has plenty of bulls***, and this book may help you identify it.

I thank myself for avidly reading the English Internet and taking an interest in the U.S. presidential election, thanks to both this book owes a place on my virtual bookshelf. I guess I wouldn't have discovered it otherwise. Now I embark on a new adventure: "The Reasons of Love" (*thrilled!*) and later I hope to read "The Importance of What We Care About" as well.

This is a great little book for understanding the highfalutin and ungrammatical bloviations emanated by the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and his staff. Alternative facts indeed! Lets call it them what they are!

I revisited this book just after inauguration day, and found Professor Frankfurt's observations astute, spot-on, and very pertinent.

I thank myself for avidly reading the English Internet and taking an interest in the U.S. presidential election, thanks to both this book owes a place on my virtual bookshelf. I guess I wouldn't have discovered it otherwise. Now I embark on a new adventure: "The Reasons of Love" (*thrilled!*) and later I hope to read "The Importance of What We Care About" as well.

This is a great little book for understanding the highfalutin and ungrammatical bloviations emanated by the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and his staff. Alternative facts indeed! Lets call it them what they are!

I revisited this book just after inauguration day, and found Professor Frankfurt's observations astute, spot-on, and very pertinent.

I enjoyed the book very much. Raised some interesting points i.e. someone is lying if they tell something that is true that they think it is false and are telling it to deceive. Worth a second read.

As a student and enthusiast of philosophy, I picked up this book both out of curiosity in the subject and want of inspiration for my own writing. I found On Bulls*** to be a great analysis of the use of the word and it's application to today's society. I came away wishing that Frankfurt would have gone farther in his application; the book could have been longer and more in depth. However, this is my only criticism.

Frankfurt took a very interesting, seemingly simple topic, and proceeded to conflate it into a rather confusing, esoteric academic explanation. I chose to read this essay for pleasure, as it was referenced in a political news article about bulls***ter supreme Donald Trump. I suppose, though, that to a more academic audience this would be an appropriate and useful essay.

Highly Useful for understanding the Trump Administration. Frankfurt's classic teaches that purveyors of "bullxxxx" sell it for the mere fact of seeing if they can get away with it. In order to see your way through the "bullxxxx", you first have to be able to recognize what "bullxxxx" is. The first line is directed towards modern Americans with, "The most salient feature of our culture is that there is so much bullxxxx." Agreed. In an age where bullxxxx is stacked past the ceiling, this may be a useful oxygen tank.