I assumed the header for this post would cause you to read this. I would be doing the same. I decided to give my report over a strange but common topic. Bullshit. On Bullshit by Harry G. Frankfurt is an extremely perplex yet simple reading that peeked my interest. Frankfurt takes on the task of giving a philosophical definition to bullshit. His thoughts behind it are intriguing and amusing at the same time. One would think that a writing over something such as this would be pointless, but it is the complete opposite.
On Bullshit
On Bullshit by Harry G. Frankfurt was first a simple essay that he published in 1986. As time passed, one could see how interesting the topic itself was. This resulted in Frankfurt turning his simple essay into a book. This piece of art in my opinion allows us to see just how much bullshit we encounter in our everyday lives and what it is exactly. Frankfurt begins by introducing his topic as any writer would to clear the air and let the reader know what he or she is in for. He begins with a simple sentence. “One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit.” He continues telling us that he will give us the philosophical definition. Frankfurt is aware that the task he is soon to take on has not been evaluated by many and does not have an extensive background.
He decides to take excerpts from other passages to give somewhat of a foundation for bullshit. Pieces such as The Prevalence of Humbug by Max Black, allow one to begin comparing bullshit to similar terms. When it comes to this reading, the term humbug is used for comparison. It can be described as short of lying. He uses an example of a “patriotic” orator who elaborates on the founding of America and just how intense the situation is. One could say that he is “short of lying” since he is not interested in the history itself but in how everyone perceives him. The orator wants to be seen as a symbol of great patriotism. It is this that causes his whole presentation to be humbug. To clarify, it is not a lie in any way.
A piece of work that Frankfurt incorporates in his book to elaborate on what lying is would be the essay “Lying,” by Saint Augustine. In this essay Augustine describes the characteristics of lies. There is a total of eight descriptions. There is one description is which he clarifies what a real lie is. “The lie which is told solely for the pleasure of lying and deceiving, that is, the real lie.”
The reason behind Frankfurt incorporating this piece is very simple. He wants to clarify just what bullshit is. Since I have made you read this far, I believe that is about time that I allow you to know the philosophical definition of BULLSHIT. When it comes to this overused word, we think of many things. We think of someone who is just rambling on about something untrue. We use bullshit to describe college, a story a friend is telling us, or lies but what is it? Bullshit is a noun, not a verb. It is something that is neither the truth nor a lie. It has no boundaries. It is a topic that has branched off into its own realm. It is a simple statement with no evidence, no facts, and no true meaning other that that of which the speaker believes or imagines. It is all around us. “…sincerity itself is bullshit.”
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