Showing posts with label Princeton University Press. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Princeton University Press. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

On Bullshit by Harry G. Frankfurt

Isabel very kindly censored the title of this book but Ullshit is just not as interesting a title as On Bullshit, is it? So, the post is not censored, although you have to appreciate the pretty view.


On Bullshit by Harry G. Frankfurt is a tiny book (undersized and only 67 pages long) that explores the way we deceive other people and, sometimes in the process, ourselves.

My husband handed me his copy of On Bullshit when I was having a particularly frustrating day. Friends who are aligned with the political party I consider to be the more deceptive of the two were repeating misinformation and they absolutely, utterly believed everything they were saying, even though a few quick searches online easily proved all of that information false. I said, "I don't understand how they can fall for the spin," and my husband said, "Here, read this. It'll explain everything."

Sure enough, there is one particularly telling passage that fit the concept of baloney in politics. Unfortunately, it was about 8 - 10 pages' worth and you need to read the entire passage in order to grasp the concept of how even those who are doing the "bullshitting" are able to convince themselves that they are telling the truth. So, I'm not going to pull a quote out of this particular book. But, I do think it's worth reading if you're feeling overwhelmed by the fact that people around you are not only spouting nonsense but believe what they're saying.

Recommended with a note of caution - I found this particular book very helpful during a day of angst but it should be noted that if there's a large word available, Frankfurt has found it. So, the book is a little on the ponderous side. As I was reading, I realized it's a book that you need to read repeatedly in order to fully understand it. But, I enjoyed it and it eased my mind a bit. And, then I deactivated my Facebook account a few weeks later, anyway, because it really doesn't help knowing why people believe the bullshit. It still gets on your nerves.

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