Bullshit is unavoidable whenever circumstance require someone to talk without knowing what he is talking about.
Harry FrankfurtRead
It is impossible for someone to lie unless he thinks he knows the truth. Producing bullshit requires no such conviction.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Lying requires knowledge of the truth, whereas creating falsehoods does not.
In this quote, Harry Frankfurt explores the distinction between lying and producing unsubstantiated claims, or what he refers to as 'bullshit.' He suggests that a liar must have an understanding of the truth in order to intentionally deceive, while someone who engages in disingenuous or unfounded statements lacks such knowledge or commitment to the truth.
Themes
TruthLieBullshitDeceptionPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared in a philosophy class discussion about ethics and truth.
More from Harry Frankfurt
All quotes βRecognizing truth requires selflessness. You have to leave yourself out of it so you can find out the way things are in themselves, not the way they look to you or how you feel about them or how you would like them to be.
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One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit.
Harry FrankfurtRead
The fact about himself that the liar hides is that he is attempting to lead us away from a correct apprehension of reality; we are not to know that he wants us to believe something he supposes to be false. The fact about himself that the bullshitter hides, on the other hand, is that the truth-values of his statements are of no central interest to him . . . He does not care whether the things he says describe reality correctly. He just picks them out, or makes them up, to suit his purpose.
Harry FrankfurtRead
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