On Bullshit
On Bullshit is a 1986 essay, reprinted as a 2005 book, by philosopher Harry G. Frankfurt which presents a theory of bullshit that defines the concept and analyzes the applications of bullshit in the context of communication. Frankfurt determines that bullshit is speech intended to persuade without regard for truth. The liar cares about the truth and attempts to hide it; the bullshitter doesn't care if what they say is true or false, nor does the bullshitter care whether the listener knows that the bullshitter is lying, but rather only cares whether their listener is persuaded to accept what he or she is saying regardless of its truth value.[1]
History
Frankfurt originally published the essay "On Bullshit" in the Raritan Quarterly Review journal in 1986. Nineteen years later, the essay was published as the book On Bullshit (2005), which proved popular among lay readers; the book appeared for 27 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list,[2] and was discussed on the television show The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,[3][4] as well as in an interview with a representative of the publisher, Princeton University Press.[5][6] On Bullshit (2005) served as the basis for Professor Frankfurt's follow-up book On Truth (2006).
Publication history
- "On Bullshit". Raritan Quarterly Review. 6 (2): 81–100. Fall 1986.
- "On Bullshit". The Importance of What We Care About: Philosophical Essays. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1988. pp. 117–133. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511818172.011. ISBN 0-521-33324-5. (hardback), ISBN 0-521-33611-2 (paperback).
- On Bullshit. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. 2005. ISBN 0-691-12294-6.
See also
References
- ^ On Bullshit (2005), by Harry Frankfurt. p. 61.
- ^ Wallace, Niamh (2005-10-11), On College, Bullshit, and Love, UWM Post, archived from the original on 2016-03-06, retrieved 2008-08-11
- ^ Frankfurt, Harry G. (2005-03-14), The Daily Show
- ^ Blessing, Kimberly; Marren, Joseph (2013), "More Bullshit: Political Spin and the PR-ization of Media", in Holt, Jason (ed.), The Ultimate Daily Show and Philosophy: More Moments of Zen, More Indecision Theory, Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 139–1154, ISBN 978-1-118-39768-8
- ^ Frankfurt, Harry G. (January 2005), "On Bullshit (Part 1; 6m12s): A Conversation with Harry G. Frankfurt", youtube.com, Princeton University Press, retrieved July 16, 2017. Interview conducted by Ben Tate, Director of Subsidiary Rights, Princeton University Press
- ^ Frankfurt, Harry G. (January 2005), "On Bullshit (Part 2; 5m20s): A Conversation with Harry G. Frankfurt", youtube.com, Princeton University Press, retrieved July 16, 2017. Interview conducted by Ben Tate, Director of Subsidiary Rights, Princeton University Press
Further reading
- Blessing, Kimberly A.; Marren, Joseph J. (2007). "Bullshit and Political Spin: Is the Medium the Massage?". In Holt, Jason (ed.). The Daily Show and Philosophy: Moments of Zen in the Art of Fake News. Malden, MA: Blackwell. pp. 133–145. ISBN 978-1-4051-6314-9.
- Sneddon, Andrew (2007). "Bullshitting Bullshitters and the Bullshit They Say". In Holt, Jason (ed.). The Daily Show and Philosophy: Moments of Zen in the Art of Fake News. Malden, MA: Blackwell. pp. 146–157. ISBN 978-1-4051-6314-9.
- Pfeifer, Karl (Summer 2006). "On Bullshit". Book Reviews. Dialogue. 45 (3): 617–620. doi:10.1017/S0012217300001189.
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