From the editor : Frankfurt, one of the world's most influential philosophers, attempts to build a theory of the influence and power of "Bullshit" here. With his combination of philosophical acuity, psychological insight, and wry humor, Frankfurt proceeds by exploring how bullshit and the related concept of humbug are distinct from lying. He argues that bullshitters misrepresent themselves to their audience not as liars do, that is, by deliberately making false claims about what is true. In fact, bullshit need not be untrue at all.

Bullshitters seek to convey an impression of themselves without being concerned about whether anything at all is true. They quietly change the rules governing their end of the conversation so that claims about truth and lies are irrelevant. Frankfurt concludes that although bullshit can take many innocent forms, excessive indulgence in it can eventually undermine the practitioner's capacity to tell the truth in a way that lying does not. Liars at least acknowledge that it matters what is true. By virtue of this, Frankfurt writes, bullshit is a greater enemy of the truth than lies are.

Pages: 80, Hardback
Special Interest: Modern Media, Corporate America, C.E.O.s, Power Brokers, World Politics, Winning Elections, Law, Advertising.