On Bullshit
by Harry G. Frankfurt · first published 2005
38% recommend59% neutral4% critical
Why HN recommends it
Short, readable philosophical essay that defines bullshit as speech indifferent to truth, distinct from lying. Useful for spotting it in politics, work, science and AI output; suits general readers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
A moral philosopher tries to nail down bullshit by distinguishing it from related concepts such as lying and humbug.
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FYI: Philosopher Harry Frankfurt wrote the classic essay "On Bullshit", defining the concept. Unlike lying/fraud, where falsehood is instrumental, Frankfurt defined bullshit as potentially false speech where the truth simply wasn't important. Bullshit is characterized…
on “Bullshit Ability as an Honest Signal of Intelligence” ↗One of my favorite reads that has helped me navigate this post fact society is the short essay “On Bullshit” by Harry Frankfurt. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Bullshit It truly nails down the argument that bullshitting is far more dangerous than lying. With the current political climate it helps make…
on “Bullshit.js” ↗Interesting article, and Frankfurt's On Equality is on the reading list. I enjoyed On Bullshit after I got through the first section. Certainly in 'water cooler conversations' the feeling that someone else has got a promotion or higher salary without (visible) extra work is deeply resented, even…
on “People Don’t Actually Want Equality, They Want Fairness” ↗> We must hear people out, even if they're wrong. So, I'm going to pull out good old Harry Frankfurt here and his "On Bullshit". If the one you debate is debating in good faith, you are right. If the one you debate is bullshitting, you are wrong. "Bullshitting" is not caring about true or false, but simply arguing for an effect.…
on “The YouTube ban is un-American, wrong, and will backfire” ↗I'm a big fan of Frankfurt's "On Bullshit", and love the reference. I think there's one significant distinction between a normal human bullshitter that Frankfurt originally envisioned, and the AI practicing Artificial Bullshit. The bullshitter…
on “Is DALL-E 2 ‘gluing things together’ without understanding their relationships?” ↗Read the essay "On Bullshit" by Harry Frankfurt (http://press.princeton.edu/titles/7929.html).
on “The White House's Response to SOPA” ↗Well, it is still a variation "On Bullshit" (Harry Frankfurt's excellent article). If someone in science is more interested in a position than whether the presented arguments individually holds up or not, that person is unscientifically invested…
on “The Unbearable Asymmetry of Bullshit” ↗…now say something else they believe to be true. The other is that they don't care about what's actually true, and are just saying whatever they think will engage or impress their listeners. Frankfurt's "On Bullshit" is a readable survey of this topic. The second kind is far more common. But the first kind is really important. When someone updates their views we should pay attention. Perhaps a member of the rationalist…
on “Did Thomas Kuhn Kill Truth? A review of Errol Morris's critique” ↗You should check out the book "On Bullshit" by philosopher Harry G. Frankfurt. He develops a similar theory.
on “Cal Newport on Why We'll Look Back at Our Smartphones Like Cigarettes” ↗I don't see the insult. I should have recommended the poster this book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/385.On_Bullshit
…philosophical writing is difficult or murky, because the author is grappling with concepts novel enough that it's hard to find ways to express them. But the best is quite clear. As an example, read Frankfurt's "On Bullshit", which takes an under-examined topic and adds significant clarity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Bullshit And there's definitely a point beyond what you claim. It's that Siskind is intentionally…
on “Beigeness, or How to Kill People with Bad Writing: The Scott Alexander Method” ↗I'd suggest that it is a problem. It's something that Harry G. Frankfurt examined in his essay "On Bullshit" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_bullshit and http://press.princeton.edu/titles/7929.html). I listened to an audio version of it and it was quite fascinating. As the Wikipedia article suggests, Frankfurt…
on “"Sufficiently advanced spam is indistinguishable from content"” ↗Brilliant. Now for an interesting theory of why there is so much bullshit see Harry Frankfurt's essay "On Bullshit" (Google it) :)
on “Bullshit” ↗…your low karma on this site, I suspect I'm not the only one who objects to your basic intellectual dishonesty. Indeed, Harry Frankfurt has written an excellent essay about people like you. It's called "On Bullshit" and you can read it, in full, here: https://athens.indymedia.org/local/webcast/uploads/frankfurt... His central point is that liars, while obviously dishonest, still maintain respect for the basic…
on “E-ZPasses Get Read All Over New York (Not Just At Toll Booths)” ↗Consider reading "On Bullshit" by Princeton's Harry Frankfurt. A distinguished moral philosopher, he regards bullshit itself as evidence of disrespect, not calling it out as such. https://www.stoa.org.uk/topics/bullshit/pdf/on-bullshit.pdf
on “Study Finds Link Between Profanity and Honesty” ↗