A colleague once asked me, ‘Why are you so interested in bullshit? Are you afraid that someone might find out that you are just selling bullshit?’
I was surprised with the tone of the question, so I replied, ‘Well, yes, I sometimes succumb to the temptation to give bullshit. But, I cannot say that we always do it. It's just that we can't help it. We talk about some things that we honestly have no knowledge of what it is about. We often talk as if we really know what we are saying. But the question is, “Why do we do it? Why do we make bullshit?” This is something I'm rather interested in.’
What I'm really saying to my colleague is this. We all know that we do not know everything. But we still talk as if we do. So, we often talk about things that we really know nothing of. But why do we do it?
I
I would like to do two things in this article. First, with the help of the Princeton philosopher Harry Frankfurt, I want to provide a brief philosophical account of a phenomenon that is so prevalent in this present info-crazy world of ours; the phenomenon lovingly labelled as ‘bullshit’. Second, I want to make some practical tips on how we could deal with this phenomenon.
I wish to consider the following questions. What, exactly, is bullshit? Is it the same as a lie? What is its relationship with the concept of truth? How is it possible to commit it? Why is it so prevalent in our society? Why do we tolerate it? Can we really do away with it entirely? The latter four questions will be developed towards the end of this article, while the former three will be addressed first.
It is curious to note that bullshit may be seen as a symptom of a malady that our present society has. Our society is so enamoured with the creation and proliferation of information; information that may or may not be of any value to each and every one of us. But because we are so engrossed with the hunger to ‘know’ things and events, we feel that this hunger must be feed by any means necessary. Feeding this hunger leads us to take in whatever information may be offered us, whether it is true or not. So, yes! We often eat bullshit! And that is our problem.
Thinking nowadays is such a cumbersome task. As such, we stop doing it. But if we stop thinking and just accept any information whatsoever, then we may have to take in bullshit as well. So, bullshit is here. It is here because we stopped thinking. And because we stopped thinking, we are now in a deep pile of bullshit.
The challenge, therefore, is to do away entirely with bullshit or to accept it wholesale. If we were to do away with it completely, it may hinder some social relations (e.g. employee–employer relations). If we were to accommodate it, then possible problems may occur (e.g. a culture of nonsense). Whatever choice we make there is a trade-off between good outcomes and bad outcomes. But there is a middle path that may be taken. And that is what I wish to suggest later on.
II
So what is bullshit?
It is very difficult to put a finger on what ‘bullshit’ exactly means because we use it in so many different speech situations. Here are some examples of how we use them:
1. ‘That's a load of bullshit.’ (Expression of Frustration)
2. ‘What you're saying is bullshit.’ (Expression of Anger)
3. ‘Wow, that's a bullshit car you have there.’ (Expression of Admiration)
We often associate bullshit with words like ‘nonsense’, ‘meaningless’, and ‘stupid’. So, are these ‘meanings’ what we mean when we utter the expression, ‘Someone is bullshitting’, or ‘That's bullshit’? Is it that we express feelings, or that we call something meaningless whenever we say that something is bullshit?
Although in some cases we use the word ‘bullshit’ as an expression of our feelings or a ridicule we give to something meaningless, it is not to be inferred from this that they are the only uses of the word. There is a more important use of the word that we need to understand. And this use would give us an idea why bullshitting is something we should be on the lookout for.
Bullshit comes from a very large family of pejoratives. Some of its close relatives are ‘horseshit’, ‘hogwash, ‘bullocks’, and ‘palaver’.
Consider this exchange between a student and his teacher. (This happened to me, personally.)
Prof.: How's your thesis going? You have to submit it later this afternoon.
Student: It's doing alright. I'll just print it out.
Prof.: Great! So, I would be expecting a good thesis paper?
Student: Yup! It's something unique and enjoyable.
Prof.: OK. See you later.
As it turns out, the student has yet to finish writing his paper. And he was cramming like crazy just to beat the deadline. Fortunately (or unfortunately), he turned in his paper later that afternoon. And, yes, his thesis paper was something unique and enjoyable.
Did the student lie? He did not lie because he was able to print and submit his paper. And his paper was indeed unique and enjoyable. Did he then tell the truth? Not necessarily. At the time he uttered those words, he was not telling the truth. But he was able to ‘get away with the truth’. So, what exactly was he doing? Well, he was bullshitting.
From this example, we could extract what bullshit is. And we could ask the help of Harry Frankfurt, a Princeton philosopher and author of the best-selling book On Bullshit, to aid our understanding of what bullshit really means.
Contrary to our common beliefs about it, bullshit is not the same as lying. Consider the fact, as Frankfurt points out, that ‘it is impossible for someone to lie unless he thinks he knows the truth’. That's something! We can never tell a lie if we do not know, or we do not think that we know, the truth. Of course! How can one say something false if she does not know what is true? A lie is something that is the contradictory of the truth after all. So, we could not say that, ‘There are no people here’ is a lie if we do not think that we know that ‘There are people here’ is true. Thus, a person who tells a lie knows, or at least she thinks she knows, the truth. So far so good!
Of course it is obvious that bullshitting is not telling the truth. To tell the truth is to say something that is based on facts. It may be facts based on experience, the sciences, or whatnot. It is the act of stating how things really are. But bullshitting is not after the facts nor is it after stating how things really are. Its purpose is something else.
What, now, is bullshit? It is not lying and it is not telling the truth. But these are negative descriptions. We need a positive (albeit tentative) definition of it. Frankfurt tells us that the act of bullshitting is the act of being indifferent about truths and falsehoods. The purpose of it is ‘getting away with what was said’.
Let's see what we have so far. Bullshit is not lying because to lie is to be concerned, in the broadest sense of the word, with the truth. Bullshit is not truth-telling because no concerted effort was made to be true to the facts. Now, bullshit is not caring for the truth. Its main goal is to get away with what was said. OK? We could say that to bullshit someone is to give him or her something that would satisfy him or her. It would not matter whether what was given to him or her is true or false. So, bullshitting is really an indifference to the truth. Or in Frankfurt's words, ‘It is the lack of connection to a concern with truth – an indifference of how things really are.’
Bullshit does not lie in between on the spectrum of truth and lies since it does not concern itself with stating any truth. As it goes, bullshit may turn out to be true after all, like our student's unique and enjoyable thesis. To bullshit is to pay no attention to the truth at all.
III
So how does someone commit bullshit?
As we have shown, bullshit does not depend on the outcomes of what was said because the outcomes may turn out to be true. It does, however, depend on the process by which we create them.
There are two kinds of people who make the bullshit phenomenon possible. There are those who produce it, and there are those who consume it. The role of the producer is to sell their crap to others, while the role of the consumer is to accept those craps joyfully. Those who produce it would continue to produce it so long as there is a demand for it. And, as far as I can see, there is still a huge demand for it.
Frankfurt notes that ‘people are frequently impelled – whether by their own propensities or by the demands of others – to speak extensively about matters of which they are to some degree ignorant’. We know of a lot of people who take on the responsibility to talk and talk and talk. And it is sometimes funny to think that most of the time what they're saying is merely air. That is, they talk bullshit. But what is not funny about it is that we tolerate it.
Bullshit is possible because there is a need for it. There is a craving for a ton of senseless, and often destructive, information. Thus, we have gossip-oriented TV and radio shows. (My wife and I often have qualms during Sundays because of this.) We have a Philippine president who told us that she would not run for re-election, but as it turns out, she was sorry for it. We have a US president who waged war against some nation because ‘The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.’ We have TV network wars. We have politicians who promise the same old stuff, and we continually vote for them. And, yes folks, we have tons more. But still we do nothing about it. And that's the sad truth.
Most bullshits that we swallow wholly are really harmful and detrimental. And we have to do something about it. We need to rid ourselves of them. The harm that they may cause ranges from a great obliteration of a nation to a simple betrayal of trust.
But I am not saying that all bullshits are harmful. Some are in fact entertaining. Inasmuch as not all truths are important. Some truths are really trivial and boring. The truth that ‘Manila is the capital of the Philippines’ is not something really of value, except for those Mayors and Councilpersons who benefit from this fact.
Some bullshits are not harmful, like a call-centre agent telling a client, ‘I will do the best that I can to help you sir’, or an employee telling her boss, ‘Good morning sir, I hope you'll have a great day ahead.’ These kinds of bullshit may be passed over since it helps to lubricate our relationships with one another.
For that matter, even some lies may also be tolerated, like some lovers whispering sweet nothings, and saying certain white lies (e.g., ‘Honey, you're not that fat… It could be worse’). But we should emphasize, again and again, that there are clear-cut bullshit cases that are really disreputable, and this needs to be rectified. Bullshits that are harmful and destructive to human beings are a case in point.
IV
Philosophers, like Harry Frankfurt, are keen to combat the dangers that some bullshits may cause. Frankfurt notes that:
The bullshitter (ignores the demands of endeavoring to be true to the facts.) He does not reject the authority of the truth, as the liar does … He pays no attention to it at all. By virtue of this, bullshit is a greater enemy of the truth than lies are.
Yes, some bullshit artists are, to some extent, more dangerous than liars, especially in this day and age where soundbyting, gossip, and bullshit are our main sources of information. Bullshits are given because of the feeling that we need to ‘inform’ others. But such information would come at a high price.
But how can we deal with bullshit?
There are several methods. And I think the critical thinking skills that we have gained from our education would help us. Here I can only provide you with some tips.
To escape being bullshitted:
1. Do not accept anything without checking its truth and value, even if it is presented as if you are to benefit from it.
2. Question the assumptions of what is being offered.
3. Inquire for its evidence or justification.
(These tips, I think, would be helpful, especially when you are offered some ‘wonder’ product.)
To avoid bullshitting:
1. Be truthful. (But not in all cases. Some cases would merit a lie (e.g. love-life scenario); others some bullshit (e.g. ordinary social interactions).)
2. Avoid flattering others. (This may cause you to make statements that are not truth-regarding.)
3. In cases where you really do not know anything about the subject matter being discussed, especially if that subject matter is a delicate one, say that ‘I DO NOT KNOW, BUT I WANT TO KNOW’ (It's better to be honest, than to bullshit.)
We can avoid accepting or proliferating bullshit by just thinking things through, and by being honest about what we know. There is no harm in being truthful. And there's surely nothing wrong with being attentive to the truth.
