If any of you have not read Harry Frankfurt’s wonderful book On Bullshit, I highly recommend that you do. It’s available everywhere, very short (67 half-sized pages) and around $10. It is about the difference between bullshitting and lying, and in particular about how bullshitting is in many ways more corrosive than lying. The liar has at least to have a concern for the truth in that he wants to substitute for it an untruth. The bullshitter is someone who speaks or writes without respect or concern for the truth. It occurs to me that this problem mirrors the problem that Plato saw in the study of sophistry or rhetoric, as these are abilities that can be used equally to defend truth or falsity.

Anyone on this site ought to be interested in the quiet and exact clarification that Frankfurt brings.

Looking at the webpage for his book, I noticed that there were some linked videos of a short interview he had about the subject.

HERE are all the linked videos. I would recommend just seeing the whole thing, it’s a little over ten minutes long.

what is the odds of you posting this? I recently said I purchased 11 books and this was one of them (I also bought On Truth). On top of it, I read it the day you posted this! This proves God exists and his name is Doug!

I got the CD this summer for and enjoyed it.  However, you have to be in the right mood to wade through the discussion.

Which CD? What discussion? I’d be interested to hear. If it’s an audiobook I expect it’s pretty short.

The one on B.S.—yes it was short—and I think $10.00 as well…

Great book, thank you Doug.

Love the avatar, BTW, morgantj. Socrates is one of my heroes. His Apology (even if it is transcribed through Plato’s eyes many years after the fact) is one of the most profound works of western literature, IMO.