| Topic: |
Science > Philosophy |
| User: |
"BS" |
| Date: |
09 Apr 2005 02:41:54 PM |
| Object: |
On ***** |
This is to recommend a book which I have just recently read: ON *****,
Harry G. Frankfurt, Princeton University Press. It is a very brief book (80
small pages). I will not attempt to summarize it (which would be *****),
in part because that would leave out all of the fun. It is the funniest
book I have read for some years. And it is very much to the point.
BS
.
|
|
| User: "Sir Frederick" |
|
| Title: Re: On ***** |
09 Apr 2005 03:28:29 PM |
|
|
On Sat, 9 Apr 2005 12:41:54 -0700, "BS" <wsnyder@sciti.com> wrote:
This is to recommend a book which I have just recently read: ON *****,
Harry G. Frankfurt, Princeton University Press. It is a very brief book (80
small pages). I will not attempt to summarize it (which would be *****),
in part because that would leave out all of the fun. It is the funniest
book I have read for some years. And it is very much to the point.
BS
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0691122946/qid=1113078069/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-8020104-5797642
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
"One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much
*****," Harry G. Frankfurt writes, in what must surely be the most
eyebrow-raising opener in modern philosophical prose. "Everyone knows this. Each
of us contributes his share. But we tend to take the situation for granted."
This compact little book, as pungent as the phenomenon it explores, attempts to
articulate a theory of this contemporary scourge--what it is, what it does, and
why there's so much of it. The result is entertaining and enlightening in almost
equal measure. It can't be denied; part of the book's charm is the puerile
pleasure of reading classic academic discourse punctuated at regular intervals
by the word "*****." More pertinent is Frankfurt's focus on intentions--the
practice of *****, rather than its end result. Bullshitting, as he notes, is
not exactly lying, and ***** remains ***** whether it's true or false. The
difference lies in the bullshitter's complete disregard for whether what he's
saying corresponds to facts in the physical world: he "does not reject the
authority of the truth, as the liar does, and oppose himself to it. He pays no
attention to it at all. By virtue of this, ***** is a greater enemy of the
truth than lies are."
This may sound all too familiar to those of use who still live in the
"reality-based community" and must deal with a world convulsed by those who do
not. But Frankfurt leaves such political implications to his readers. Instead,
he points to one source of *****'s unprecedented expansion in recent years,
the postmodern skepticism of objective truth in favor of sincerity, or as he
defines it, staying true to subjective experience. But what makes us think that
anything in our nature is more stable or inherent than what lies outside it?
Thus, Frankfurt concludes, with an observation as tiny and perfect as the rest
of this exquisite book, "sincerity itself is *****." --Mary Park
Product Description:
One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much
*****. Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes his share. But we tend to
take the situation for granted. Most people are rather confident of their
ability to recognize ***** and to avoid being taken in by it. So the
phenomenon has not aroused much deliberate concern. We have no clear
understanding of what ***** is, why there is so much of it, or what functions
it serves. And we lack a conscientiously developed appreciation of what it means
to us. In other words, as Harry Frankfurt writes, "we have no theory."
Frankfurt, one of the world's most influential moral philosophers, attempts to
build such a theory here. With his characteristic combination of philosophical
acuity, psychological insight, and wry humor, Frankfurt proceeds by exploring
how ***** 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,
***** need not be untrue at all.
Rather, bullshitters seek to convey a certain 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
falsity are irrelevant. Frankfurt concludes that although ***** 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, ***** is a greater enemy of the truth than lies are.
See all Editorial Reviews
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product Details
Hardcover: 80 pages
Publisher: Princeton University Press (January 10, 2005)
ISBN: 0691122946
Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.5 x 0.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.8 ounces. (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: based on 18 reviews. (Write a review)
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #50 in Books
(Publishers and authors: improve your sales)
Spotlight Reviews
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
71 of 84 people found the following review helpful:
Short and Sweet, March 16, 2005
Reviewer: Pedram Agharokh (Laguna Hills, CA USA) - See all my reviews
I got this book after seeing Prof. Frankfurt on the Daily Show with John
Stewart. Having a bachelors degree in philosophy I was intrigued. Here are some
of my observations:
1) This book is not traditionally funny. If you are looking for a joke book get
one, this is a work of philosophy and as such has a degree of intellectual
humor. Some of the observations and comments are funny but overall this is not a
joke book, rather it is designed with a specific philosophical purpose... (he's
an "ivy league" Philosophy Professor and published by Princeton)
2) Very short but to the point. I read the whole book in less than an hour. That
being said there is a lot of content which deserves meaningful reflection... its
one of those books that you will probably end up going "ahhh haaa" at least at
one point.
3) Inexpensive. Its under ten bucks... some may say that its pricey for such a
small book but if you enjoy it, whose to say what the intrinsic value will be to
you down the road.
4) Warning... this is not the most complex or even dense piece of philosophy.
Certainly its not like reading Hegel or another "headache philosopher" but this
is a work of philosphy. As long as you know that going into this there should be
no problems. A friend of mine read this book thinking it would be comical and
fun, almost expecting jokes and punch-lines... he was disappointed.
The last thing I will say is that I really enjoyed the book and I can imagine
many people really reading this book a couple of times and really liking it. I
am already recommending it to some of my friends and lawschool professors... If
you do decide to buy this book... ENJOY!
Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)
41 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
A well-fertilised discussion, March 10, 2005
Reviewer: Kurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my
reviews
My first surprise about this book (other than the title, which I cannot add to
this review due to the propriety involved) is its brevity. Given the vastness,
at least in potential, of the subject matter, the book could fill volumes. Of
course, the author Harry Frankfurt might argue that there are indeed already
volumes and volumes of balderdash. He states at the beginning that 'One of the
most salient features of our culture is that there is so much', er, humbug.
'Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes his share.'
Frankfurt claims that the issue has not attracted sustained inquiry (he
obviously has not been part of the committee meetings I've attended in the past
few decades). This book, or rather booklet, is more of a brief essay or primer
on the subject, looking at the issue from a linguistic standpoint as well as
conceptual framework. There are many synonyms that come close; words such as
humbug and balderdash (already used in this review) approximate the title term.
Quoting Max Black's essay, 'The Prevalence of Humbug', Frankfurt suggests other
closely related words such as claptrap, hokum, drivel, and such. Drawing from
the OED definitions, he analyses the key elements of humbug, including
misrepresentation just short of lying, elements of pomposity and pretentiousness
(loosely applicable), and a possibility of embodiment in feeling or in thought.
Frankfurt also explores the issue of the title term in relation to an incident
between Ludwig Wittgenstein (whose philosophical work reaches great heights in
clarity and precision, particularly with regard to language and locution) and
Fania Pascal. Wittgenstein's substitute term for the title term might have been
'nonsense', and he was diligent at working against such forms of language that
might fall into disarray. When is a joke not a joke? Perhaps when it is uttered
by Wittgenstein. Or perhaps when it is misinterpreted by Pascal.
Frankfurt looks at the title term in pieces. He looks at the term 'bull' and the
later half separately, seeing what difference they make to each other. A 'bull'
session is generally unstructured, personal, emotion-dominated. The other term
is similarly unstructured for the most part, indicative of waste and odour, and
generally not useful, save in very particular circumstances. There is a general
lack of importance about it. But is this really true?
Frankfurt quotes the OED's use of the title term as verb (previously he had been
looking at it from the standpoint of a noun), drawing Ezra Pound's Cantos into
the mix, and the Bible as well. There is a sense of bluffing - one could easily
use the title term in regard to something someone says that probably is not
going to be true, or not going to be done.
Frankfurt even draws St. Augustine into the mix, attaching the title term to the
rarest form of lying among Augustine's construct of the eight types of lying. It
isn't necessarily lying to attain a goal, but rather for its own sake. But then,
what becomes of the definition of humbug, offered earlier, that claims to stop
just short of lying.
Frankfurt claims that the title term, perhaps as a thing or an act, 'is
unavoidable whenever circumstances require someone to talk without knowing what
he is talking about.' This comes close to being a universal truth. Frankfurt
proceeds to talk about anti-realist doctrines, sincerity versus correctness, and
finally, to making a declaration that makes the reader wonder, was this entire
thing an exercise in seeing just how much of the title term he could get away
with as an author? If so, he is brilliantly tapping into the postmodern ethos.
Or perhaps that is all hokum, too.
--
Best,
Frederick Martin McNeill
Poway, California, United States of America
mmcneill@fuzzysys.com
http://www.fuzzysys.com
http://members.cox.net/fmmcneill/
*************************
Phrase of the week :
We are the offspring of history, and must establish our own paths
in this most diverse and interesting of conceivable universes --
one indifferent to our suffering, and therefore offering us
maximal freedom to thrive, or to fail, in our own chosen way.
-- Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002)
:-))))Snort!)
*************************
.
|
|
|
| User: "BS" |
|
| Title: Re: On ***** |
09 Apr 2005 05:56:36 PM |
|
|
Thanks, Fred, for illustrating my point about summaries of the book. Each
of you tell YOUR story and have little interest or concern with accurately
summarizing Frankfurt's story. One of you was even embarrassed by the
book's being so funny. I say to others on the newsgroup, you really find
little or nothing about why the book is worth reading from the reviews
posted by Fred. The only way you can do that is READ IT. Then make up your
own story; it will be just as valid as Fred's.
BS
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
