Summary Of On Bullshit By Harry Frankfurt

Harry Frankfurt, of Princeton University, takes on the task of defining an ambiguous word used often in today’s modern culture: bullshit. Frankfurt’s essay, “On Bullshit,” was first written in 1986 then later was published in the book On Bullshit in 2005. The purpose of this writing piece is to uncover the true meaning of bullshit. Frankfurt attempts to achieve an accurate definition of the word by exploring how it relates to the writings of others, including Max Black, Longfellow, and St. Augustine. Frankfurt is successful in formulating his own unique definition of the word bullshit by adopting an investigative tone, cross-referencing and comparing many other definitions and passages and deferring his thesis statement until the essay comes

Although Frankfurt is unsure how closely related these two terms are, he focuses in on a definition of humbug to see if it has any applications to his pursuit for the definition of bullshit. In Max Black’s essay, The Prevalence of Humbug, humbug is given a description that provokes an analysis by Frankfurt. The first explanation listed by Black in the definition of humbug is “deceptive misrepresentation” ( 2). Frankfurt dislikes this and finds the definition itself to be deceiving. The use of the term “deceptive” to describe a misrepresentation is contradictive because the two terms are similar in meaning. Rather than “deceptive,” Frankfurt believes the first definition should be deliberate misrepresentation—and he decides that deliberate misrepresentation seems to also fall under the category of bullshit. Continuing with Black’s definition, Frankfurt picks apart the second phrase listed: short of lying. After examining this definition, he comes to the conclusion that there are different degrees of lying. While investigating the definition of humbug, Frankfurt has determined various parts that compare to his general view of bullshit—but many that do not relate. He takes this all into

Most people have been in a situation where another person is trying to make oneself seem better. This patriotic man may not be as patriotic as he appears, but the only thing that really matters is whether others believe he is. This brings Frankfurt to the conclusion that this man may essentially be more closely related to the word humbug than bullshit because he is aware of his intentions and exactly what he is doing. The function of this anecdote is to help both Frankfurt himself and the audience distinguish between what he believes is humbug and what he believes is