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| On Bullshit | 
| Author: Harry G. Frankfurt
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $9.95
Buy New: $4.96
You Save: $4.99 (50%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  174 reviews
Sales Rank: 6195
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 80
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 6.1 x 4.1 x 0.5
ISBN: 0691122946
Dewey Decimal Number: 177.3
UPC: 218681122946
EAN: 9780691122946
ASIN: 0691122946
Publication Date: January 10, 2005
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| Customer Reviews:
 Two Key Points -- No BS August 10, 2008
This book has serious points to make, although the reader may wander through a few pages before becoming confident that it is not attempting a self-parody. Stay with it and glean at least two key concepts.
First, BS is not lying. A liar knows the truth and carefully crafts an alternative to it to further some agenda. The BSer operates without regard for--perhaps even knowledge of--the truth. The BS is created to achieve an effect, to please the ego or ear, or perhaps just to fill some conversational space the speaker feels unable to neglect with silence. To the BSer, the offered BS even has some non-zero chance of being true--if it were only worth the bother to check.
The second insight is that certain organizational roles create pressure to engage in BS more than others. The author points to leaders who have frequent opportunities or demands to speak about their organizations' accomplishments without being very involved in the planning, production or evaluation of said accomplishments. Much of what these leaders say will be BS, to the sorrow and pain of those who must live with the consequences.
I'll close with a recommendation and a plea. I recommend that you buy a copy of this book for your own intellectual and moral development. It is brief, readable and encourages us to think seriously about both the truth and consequences of what we claim to know. Satisfied readers will also value an encounter with the author's related book, On Truth.
I then plead with you to purchase a second copy and mail it anonymously to the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia where Senior Executives for the Federal government are trained. Only good can come from some of them reading it. Members of the Senior Executive Service are selected based on general leadership ability and assigned jobs under the theory that specific technical program knowledge is far less important than this general ability. These conditions make them particularly likely to become chronic BSers. Let's try to help them--and ourselves.
 Cumbersome June 12, 2008
This essay is educational but not engaging. I hesitate to level this criticism at such a "renowned moral philosopher," but I feel slighted for paying ten dollars for what I (incorrectly) assumed would at least be somewhat witty. Frankfurt does parse meanings with great care, but his academic style of writing is nothing if not cumbersome. He ultimately leads the reader to a better understanding of b***s***, distinguishing it from lying and a genuine concern for the truth. For that insight, though, I should have just borrowed the book from the library.
Thin and Expensive but interesting March 23, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
It is a quick and interesting read. The book isn't only insightful, but I also like the writing style. Yes, we are surrounded with BS, and I agree with the author that BS is probably bigger enemy of the truth than outright lies. At the same time, BS is so prevalent in our society nowadays that it is almost impossible to escape it, no matter where you go.
I think that the price is a little high to pay for 80 pages. But, on the other hand, it is comparable to the cost of coffee and a snack in an average cafeteria, so it is worth the fun.
I also recommend Why Do Men Have Nipples? Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini
 Eternally Grateful January 15, 2008
1 out of 9 found this review helpful
I shall be eternally grateful that the incomprehensible cosmic forces that influence us all happened to guide me to read this essay by Professor Harry G. Frankfurt. They could have made me sit through one of his lectures, or even worse, had him corner me at some cocktail party!.
Have we been "had"? January 8, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've never written a book review in my life, but I couldn't resist with this one. It was given to me by a friend who was intrigued by the title. It's a quick read, but by the middle it became like slogging through mud. If it had been longer, I would have stopped reading and written it off. I also fully expected the last paragraph to say something along the lines of, "Congratulations! You have now spent money on, read, and thought seriously about a professional work of BS".
This little essay had some good points and thoughts that made me laugh in reference to the political scene, and a story about a father telling his son that it was never necessary to lie if you could BS your way through something. Still,in the end I was left wondering whether the author had written a serious essay or whether the entire point was to expect his audience to just "get" the fact that they'd just been BS'd by a pro! Read it in this light and see what you think.
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