Summary 4: On Bullshit by Harry Frankfurt
Not many have ventured into finding a true definition for bullshit. Most people encounter bullshit on an almost daily basis. It comes in many shapes and forms and it is often employed loosely, with no general meaning (Frankfurt 1). The Oxford English Dictionary does however have an entry for bullshit. It also has many entries for bull and other similar words. One of the words that could be analogous to “bullshit” is the word, “Humbug”. In an essay written by Max Black, he offers a formal definition of humbug. Humbug: Deceptive misrepresentation, short of lying, especially by pretentious word or deed of somebody’s own thoughts, feelings, or attitudes (Frankfurt 3) Frankfurt then breaks down each part …show more content…
This means that when are person is being humbug they are deliberately misrepresenting themselves. The process of deliberately misrepresenting themselves is very similar to lying (Frankfurt 3). Lying, by some accounts, is not actually lying unless a false statement is made. In other accounts, a person may be lying even if the statement is made is true as long as this person believes that the statement is false and intends to deceive (Frankfurt 3). Humbug is “short of lying” because lying and humbug are not two different things rather they are on the same “continuum” with humbug coming before lying. The next part in Black’s definition is “Especially by pretentious word or deed.” This basically identifies humbug to be of both actions and of speech. The last part of the definition of Humbug is the notion of misrepresentation. Humbug is a misrepresentation of somebodies own thoughts, feelings, or attitudes (Frankfurt 4). When a person deliberately misrepresents whatever he is talking about he is misrepresenting at least two different things. He misrepresents what he is saying in his speech and what his true beliefs and feelings are. Thus, when lying or participating in “humbug” …show more content…
This is defined in the OED as an, “Informal conversation or discussion, esp. of a group of males” (Frankfurt 10). In a “bull-session”, people tend to talk about very personal and emotional topics. People often are reluctant to talk about these subjects because they are afraid they will be taken too seriously. However, it is a preconception in a bull session that the statements people make are not necessarily what they believe (Frankfurt 11). So in essence bull sessions are meaningless conversations between people. “Hot-air” is something that could be mentioned in accordance with bull sessions. What is meant by “hot-air” is that what comes out of a person’s mouth is only that. It has no true substance and is strictly hot
Not many have ventured into finding a true definition for bullshit. Most people encounter bullshit on an almost daily basis. It comes in many shapes and forms and it is often employed loosely, with no general meaning (Frankfurt 1). The Oxford English Dictionary does however have an entry for bullshit. It also has many entries for bull and other similar words. One of the words that could be analogous to “bullshit” is the word, “Humbug”. In an essay written by Max Black, he offers a formal definition of humbug. Humbug: Deceptive misrepresentation, short of lying, especially by pretentious word or deed of somebody’s own thoughts, feelings, or attitudes (Frankfurt 3) Frankfurt then breaks down each part …show more content…
This means that when are person is being humbug they are deliberately misrepresenting themselves. The process of deliberately misrepresenting themselves is very similar to lying (Frankfurt 3). Lying, by some accounts, is not actually lying unless a false statement is made. In other accounts, a person may be lying even if the statement is made is true as long as this person believes that the statement is false and intends to deceive (Frankfurt 3). Humbug is “short of lying” because lying and humbug are not two different things rather they are on the same “continuum” with humbug coming before lying. The next part in Black’s definition is “Especially by pretentious word or deed.” This basically identifies humbug to be of both actions and of speech. The last part of the definition of Humbug is the notion of misrepresentation. Humbug is a misrepresentation of somebodies own thoughts, feelings, or attitudes (Frankfurt 4). When a person deliberately misrepresents whatever he is talking about he is misrepresenting at least two different things. He misrepresents what he is saying in his speech and what his true beliefs and feelings are. Thus, when lying or participating in “humbug” …show more content…
This is defined in the OED as an, “Informal conversation or discussion, esp. of a group of males” (Frankfurt 10). In a “bull-session”, people tend to talk about very personal and emotional topics. People often are reluctant to talk about these subjects because they are afraid they will be taken too seriously. However, it is a preconception in a bull session that the statements people make are not necessarily what they believe (Frankfurt 11). So in essence bull sessions are meaningless conversations between people. “Hot-air” is something that could be mentioned in accordance with bull sessions. What is meant by “hot-air” is that what comes out of a person’s mouth is only that. It has no true substance and is strictly hot