On Bullshit
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On Bullshit (ISBN 0-691-12294-6) is an essay by Princeton University professor emeritus Harry Frankfurt. The essay, originally published in the journal Raritan in 1986, was republished as a separate volume in 2005 and became a nonfiction bestseller.
In the essay, Frankfurt sketches a theory of bullshit, defining the concept and analyzing its applications. In particular, Frankfurt contrasts bullshitting and lying. Where the liar makes deliberately false claims, the bullshitter is simply uninterested in the truth. Rather, bullshitters aim primarily to impress their audiences. Whereas the liar needs to know the truth the better to conceal it, the bullshitter, interested solely in pretense, has no use for the truth. By virtue of this, Frankfurt claims, "bullshit is a greater enemy of the truth than lies are."
[edit] Criticism
A critic for the Daily Telegraph has argued that Frankfurt's academic cachet sold the book: "Part of its attraction lies in watching a first-rate mind dissect a second-rate concept."
[edit] Notes
- ↑ "Humbug, hokum and balderdash... An essay on bullshit has become a surprise bestseller", Daily Telegraph, March 19, 2005.
[edit] External link
- On Bullshit full text
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