Frankfurt’s On Bullshit

Harry Frankfurt was, by most accounts, an accomplished academic. 

Spending a better part of 40 years teaching moral philosophy, his long career as an Ivy League professor/philosopher might be surprising to some. Especially to those that solely judged him by the title of his most famous book. 

Published in 2005, On Bullshit is a thought-provoking and engaging book that received much attention in academic circles. Some attribute its popularity to its provocative title. Others have attributed its success to the insightful content, rather than the “inappropriate” title, of the book. 

We at Gudu fall in the latter camp and consider his understanding of bullshit to be particularly relevant to our Ethiopian readership. This is because Frankfurt didn't just describe what bullshit is. He also exposed the motives of its most habitual perpetrators.

Which is why On Bullshit is the book to read if we wish to truly understand conformist societies. I.e. societies where the consequences of nonconformity are much more serious than the consequences of lying. 

And whilst both the liar and the bullshitter aim to deceive, Frankfurt argues that the liar simply misrepresents the content of their statement. The bullshitter, on the other hand, is only concerned about how they are seen by others. And in their efforts to communicate a certain image of themselves, they are neither interested in understanding the truth nor are they interested in accurately reporting it. They are only concerned about how their statement strengthens their public image.    

So, what does this mean for societies like ours? What happens when the pressures of conformity and the consequences of deviancy leave little room for honestly communicating our thoughts? 

Well, it’s no surprise that a person who is forced to act a certain way is likely to be concerned about what others think of them. And a person who is threatened by stigmatization and ridicule is likely to create and maintain a socially acceptable public image. Authenticity and truth be damned. 

In this respect, On Bullshit is particularly helpful to those that wish to understand our loudly traditionalist yet ethically ambivalent countrymen. For in their efforts to appear respectable, acceptable and conventional, we find that they resort to a particular set of tactics. Tactics that are more concerned with convincingly portraying a certain image of themselves rather than any type of interest in communicating diverse, nuanced and informed perspectives about our culture. 

And although authors like ዘርዓያቆብ, ወልደ ሕይወት, ግርማቸው ተክለ ሐዋርያት, ከበደ ሚካኤል and ዓለማየሁ ሞገስ have long written about the personal toll of performing compliance, Frankfurt’s perspective gives us a better understanding of this phenomenon. Especially when it comes to the social price we pay for the mere appearance of conformity. For a society that relentlessly socializes, controls and punishes its members will also teach them how to fabricate and convincingly perform an acceptable public image.