Bullshit

FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Bullshit(alsobullcrap)isacommonEnglishexpletivewhichmaybe
Lookupbullshitin
shortenedtotheeuphemismbullortheinitialismBS.InBritishEnglish,
Wiktionary,thefree
"bollocks"isacomparableexpletive,although"bullshit"ismorecommon.Itis
dictionary.
aslangprofanitytermmeaning"nonsense",especiallyinarebukingresponseto
communicationoractionsviewedasdeceiving,misleading,disingenuous,orfalse.Aswithmanyexpletives,theterm
canbeusedasaninterjectionorasmanyotherpartsofspeech,andcancarryawidevarietyofmeanings.
Itcanbeusedeitherasanounorasaverbasinthequestion"areyoubullshittingme?".Whilethewordisgenerally
usedinadeprecatingsense,itmayimplyameasureofrespectforlanguageskills,orfrivolity,amongvariousother
benignusages.Inphilosophy,HarryFrankfurt,amongothers,analyzedtheconceptofbullshitasrelatedtobutdistinct
fromlying.
Outsideofthephilosophicalanddiscursivestudies,theeverydayphrasebullshitconveysameasureofdissatisfaction
withsomethingorsomeone,butoftendoesnotdescribeanyroleoftruthinthematter.

Contents
1Etymology
2Inthephilosophyoftruthandrhetoric
2.1Assertionsoffact
2.1.1Distinguishedfromlying
2.2HarryFrankfurt'sconcept
3Ineverydaylanguage
4Bullshitasymmetryprinciple
5Seealso
6References
6.1Notes
6.2Bibliography

Etymology
"Bull",meaningnonsense,datesfromthe17thcentury,[1]whiletheterm"bullshit"hasbeenusedasearlyas1915in
Americanslang,[2]andcameintopopularusageonlyduringWorldWarII.Theword"bull"itselfmayhavederived
fromtheOldFrenchboulmeaning"fraud,deceit".[2]Theterm"horseshit"isanearsynonym.TheSouthAfrican
Englishequivalentis"bulldust".
TheearliestattestationmentionedbytheConciseOxfordEnglishDictionaryisinfactT.S.Eliot,whobetween1910
and1916wroteanearlypoemtowhichhegavethetitle"TheTriumphofBullshit",writtenintheformofaballade.
Thewordbullshitdoesnotappearinthetextofthepoem,andEliothimselfneverpublishedthepoem.[3]
AstoearlieretymologytheOxfordEnglishDictionarycitesbullwiththemeaning"trivial,insincere,untruthfultalkor
writing,nonsense".Itdescribesthisusageasbeingofunknownorigin,butnotesthatinOldFrench,thewordcould
mean"boul,boule,bolefraud,deceit,trickerymod.Icelbull'nonsense'alsoMEbullBUL'falsehood',andBULL

verb,tobefool,mock,cheat."[4]
Althoughthereisnoconfirmedetymologicalconnection,itshouldbenotedthattheseoldermeaningsaresynonymous
withthemodernexpression"bull",generallyconsideredandusedasacontractionof"bullshit"
Anotherproposal,accordingtothelexicographerEricPartridge,isthatthetermwaspopularisedbytheAustralianand
NewZealandtroopsfromabout1916arrivingatthefrontduringWorldWarI.PartridgeclaimsthattheBritish
commandingofficers'placedemphasisonbullthatis,attentiontoappearances,evenwhenitwasahindranceto
wagingwar.TheforeignDiggersallegedlyridiculedtheBritishbycallingitbullshit.[5]

Inthephilosophyoftruthandrhetoric
Assertionsoffact
Bullshitiscommonlyusedtodescribestatementsmadebypeoplemoreconcernedwiththeresponseoftheaudience
thanintruthandaccuracy,suchasgoalorientedstatementsmadeinthefieldofpoliticsoradvertising.Onone
prominentoccasion,theworditselfwaspartofacontroversialadvertisement.Duringthe1980U.S.presidential
campaign,theCitizensPartycandidateBarryCommonerranaradioadvertisementthatbeganwithanactor
exclaiming:"Bullshit!Carter,ReaganandAnderson,it'sallbullshit!"NBCrefusedtoruntheadvertisementbecauseof
itsuseoftheexpletive,butCommoner'scampaignsuccessfullyappealedtotheFederalCommunicationsCommission
toallowtheadvertisementtorununedited.[6]
Distinguishedfromlying
"Bullshit"doesnotnecessarilyhavetobeacompletefabricationwithonlybasicknowledgeaboutatopic,bullshitis
oftenusedtomaketheaudiencebelievethatoneknowsfarmoreaboutthetopicbyfeigningtotalcertaintyormaking
probablepredictions.Itmayalsomerelybe"filler"ornonsensethat,byvirtueofitsstyleorwording,givesthe
impressionthatitactuallymeanssomething.
Inhisessayonthesubject,WilliamG.Perrycalledbull[shit]"relevancies,howeverrelevant,withoutdata"andgavea
definitionoftheverb"tobull[shit]"asfollows:
Todiscourseuponthecontexts,framesofreferenceandpointsofobservationwhichwoulddeterminethe
origin,nature,andmeaningofdataifonehadany.Topresentevidenceofanunderstandingofforminthe
hopethatthereadermaybedeceivedintosupposingafamiliaritywithcontent.[7]
Thebullshittergenerallyeitherknowsthestatementsarelikelyfalse,exaggerated,andinotherwaysmisleadingorhas
nointerestintheirfactualaccuracyonewayortheother."Talkingbullshit"isthusalesserformoflying,andislikely
toelicitacorrespondinglyweakeremotionalresponse:whereasanobviousliarmaybegreetedwithderision,outrage,
oranger,anexponentofbullshittendstobedismissedwithanindifferentsneer.

HarryFrankfurt'sconcept
InhisessayOnBullshit(originallywrittenin1986,andpublishedasamonographin2005),philosopherHarry
FrankfurtofPrincetonUniversitycharacterizesbullshitasaformoffalsehooddistinctfromlying.Theliar,Frankfurt
holds,knowsandcaresaboutthetruth,butdeliberatelysetsouttomisleadinsteadoftellingthetruth.The"bullshitter",
ontheotherhand,doesnotcareaboutthetruthandisonlyseekingtoimpress:[8]

Itisimpossibleforsomeonetolieunlesshethinksheknowsthetruth.Producingbullshitrequiresnosuch
conviction.Apersonwholiesistherebyrespondingtothetruth,andheistothatextentrespectfulofit.
Whenanhonestmanspeaks,hesaysonlywhathebelievestobetrueandfortheliar,itis
correspondinglyindispensablethatheconsidershisstatementstobefalse.Forthebullshitter,however,all
thesebetsareoff:heisneitheronthesideofthetruenoronthesideofthefalse.Hiseyeisnotonthe
factsatall,astheeyesofthehonestmanandoftheliarare,exceptinsofarastheymaybepertinenttohis
interestingettingawaywithwhathesays.Hedoesnotcarewhetherthethingshesaysdescribereality
correctly.Hejustpicksthemout,ormakesthemup,tosuithispurpose.
FrankfurtconnectsthisanalysisofbullshitwithLudwigWittgenstein'sdisdainof"nonsense"talk,andwiththe
popularconceptofa"bullsession"inwhichspeakersmaytryoutunusualviewswithoutcommitment.Hefixesthe
blamefortheprevalenceof"bullshit"inmodernsocietyuponantirealismanduponthegrowingfrequencyof
situationsinwhichpeopleareexpectedtospeakorhaveopinionswithoutappropriateknowledgeofthesubjectmatter.
GeraldCohen,in"DeeperintoBullshit",contrastedthekindof"bullshit"Frankfurtdescribeswithadifferentsort:
nonsensediscoursepresentedassense.Cohenpointsoutthatthissortofbullshitcanbeproducedeitheraccidentallyor
deliberately.Whilesomewritersdodeliberatelyproducebullshit,apersoncanalsoaimatsenseandproducenonsense
bymistakeorapersondeceivedbyapieceofbullshitcanrepeatitinnocently,withoutintenttodeceiveothers.[9]
CohengivestheexampleofAlanSokal's"TransgressingtheBoundaries"asapieceofdeliberatebullshit.Sokal'saim
increatingit,however,wastoshowthatthe"postmodernist"editorswhoacceptedhispaperforpublicationcouldnot
distinguishnonsensefromsense,andtherebybyimplicationthattheirfieldwas"bullshit".

Ineverydaylanguage
Outsideoftheacademicworld,amongnaturalspeakersofNorthAmericanEnglish,asaninterjectionoradjective,
bullshitconveysgeneraldispleasure,anobjectionto,orpointstounfairnesswithin,somestateofaffairs.This
colloquialusageof"bullshit",whichbeganinthis20thcentury,doesnotassignatruthscoretoanother'sdiscourse.It
simplylabelssomethingthatthespeakerdoesnotlikeandfeelsheisunabletochange.

Bullshitasymmetryprinciple
PubliclyformulatedthefirsttimeonJanuary2013[10]byAlbertoBrandolini,anItalianprogrammer,theBullshit
AsymmetryPrinciple(alsoknownasBrandolinislaw[11])statesthat:
Theamountofenergyneededtorefutebullshitisanorderofmagnitudebiggerthantoproduceit.
ItbecameespeciallypopularafterapictureofapresentationbyBrandoliniatXP2014onMay30,2014waspostedon
Twitter.[12]
Similarthoughtswereformulatedinthepast[13]buttheymostlyfocusedonthespeedofpropagationofbullshit,
whereasBrandolini'sstatementfocusesonthedifficultyofdebunkingit.[14]

Seealso
Chickenshit

Confabulation
Humbug
Talltale
Notevenwrong
Waffle(speech)
Bullshitbingo

Wikiquotehasquotations
relatedto:Bullshit

References
Notes
1. ConciseOxfordEnglishDictionary
2. "OnlineEtymologyDictionary"(http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=bullshit).Etymonline.com.Retrieved
20111112.
3. Eliot,T.S.InventionsoftheMarchHare:Poems19091917(Harcourt,1997)ISBN0151002746
4. MarkLiberman(20050817)."Bullshit:inventedbyT.S.Eliotin1910?"
(http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002404.html).LanguageLog.
5. PeterHartcher(20121106)."USlooksDownUndertostoppollrot"(http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/uslooks
downundertostoppollrot2012110528tz1.html).SydneyMorningHerald.Retrieved20131105.
6. PaulSiegel(2007).CommunicationLawinAmerica(http://books.google.com/books?
id=tKGXrbaBWEAC&pg=PA507&lpg=PA507&dq=Barry+Commoner+Bullshit).PaulSiegel.pp.507508.ISBN07425
53876.
7. Perry,WilliamG.(1967).ExamsmanshipandtheLiberalArts
(http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1161594.files/BSC%20PUB%20
%20Examsmanship%20and%20the%20Liberal%20Arts.pdf).OriginallypublishedinHarvardCollege:ACollectionof
EssaysbyMembersoftheHarvardFaculty.
8. "HarryFrankfurtonbullshit"(http://web.archive.org/web/20050308024618/http://www.tauroscatology.com/frankfurt.htm).
Archivedfromtheoriginal(http://www.tauroscatology.com/frankfurt.htm)on20050308.Retrieved20131105.
9. Cohen,G.A.,"DeeperintoBullshit".OriginallyappearedinBussandOverton,eds.,ContoursofAgency:Themesfromthe
PhilosophyofHarryFrankfurt(Cambridge,Massachusetts:MITPress,2002).ReprintedinHardcastleandReich,Bullshit
andPhilosophy(Chicago:OpenCourt,2006),ISBN0812696115.
10. Brandolini,Alberto."BullshitAsymmetryPrincipleTwitter"(https://twitter.com/ziobrando/status/289635060758507521).
https://twitter.com/.Retrieved1March2015.
11. "Brandolinislaw"(http://ordrespontane.blogspot.fr/2014/07/brandolinislaw.html).Ordrespontanonblogspot.Retrieved
1March2015."Hereiswhatseemstobetheveryfirstappearanceofwhatmust,fromnowon,beknownastheBrandolinis
law"
12. Farley,Tim."Bullshitasymmetryprinciple"(https://twitter.com/krelnik/status/472046082135162881).Twitter.Retrieved
1March2015.
13. Rationalwikihttp://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Bullshit#cite_note0.Retrieved1March2015.Missingorempty|title=(help)
14. "Brandolinislaw"(http://ordrespontane.blogspot.fr/2014/07/brandolinislaw.html).Ordrespontanonblogspot.Retrieved
1March2015."itsnotthatmuchaboutthespeedofdisseminationofbullshitbutratherabouttheinherentdifficultytorefute
bullshit."

Bibliography
Eliot,T.S.InventionsoftheMarchHare:Poems19091917(Harcourt,1997)ISBN0151002746
Frankfurt,HarryG.(2005).OnBullshit.Princeton,NJ:PrincetonUniversityPress.ISBN0691122946.
HarryFrankfurt'sdetailedanalysisoftheconceptofbullshit.
Hardcastle,GaryL.Reisch,GeorgeA.,eds.(2006).BullshitandPhilosophy.Chicago:OpenCourt(Carus
Publishing).ISBN0812696115.
Holt,Jim,SayAnything(http://www.newyorker.com/critics/atlarge/articles/050822crat_atlarge),oneofhis
CriticAtLargeessaysfromTheNewYorker,(August22,2005)
Penny,Laura(2005).YourCallIsImportantToUs:TheTruthAboutBullshit.RandomHouse.ISBN14000
81033.HalifaxacademicLauraPenny'sstudyofthephenomenonofbullshitanditsimpactonmodern
society.

Weingartner,C.(1975).Publicdoublespeak:everylittlemovementhasameaningallofitsown.College
English,Vol.37,No.1(Sep.,1975),pp.5461.
Retrievedfrom"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bullshit&oldid=661360184"
Categories: Profanity Feces Interjections Deception
Thispagewaslastmodifiedon8May2015,at04:31.
TextisavailableundertheCreativeCommonsAttributionShareAlikeLicenseadditionaltermsmayapply.By
usingthissite,youagreetotheTermsofUseandPrivacyPolicy.Wikipediaisaregisteredtrademarkofthe
WikimediaFoundation,Inc.,anonprofitorganization.