The average citizen's exposure to bullshit is growing by the millisecond. We all know this. But do we really apprehend its true nature? This confusing question is posed in a mere 67 pages entitled 'On Bullshit' by Harry J. Frankfurt. In this amusing yet cautionary treatise, this moral philosopher contends that it presents a very real danger that warrants our attention.

At first glance, the diminutive book looks to be a beside table collection of daily affirmations for the infirm. Deceptively and rightly so, it is actually a theoretical analysis of bullshit, and the bullshitters who bullshit us.

Initially seeking to define BS and the surreal psychology behind it, Frankfurt gracefully distinguishes between a load of bull and interlopers such pretension, imposture, humbug and hooey. He then insists that most crucial difference is between that of bullshit and outright lies, because they are diametrically opposed .

When an individual tells a flat out faslsehood, he comprehends the difference etween the two but opts for the latter. Conversely, the bullshitter has no regard for the truth because he perceives it only as a malleable tool that can help him convey a particular impression of himself. It is a means to an end, the idea of fact versus fiction doesn’t enter into the equation.

Frankfurt cites a variety of philosophers and writers to support his point that it is this erosion of the "ideal of correctness" that could serve as our ultimate downfalland an eventual inability to recognize what is true. He eschews discussing the rhetorical ill-uses of bullshit, rather allowing the reader to apply his theory to, well, everything. If we take a moment to consider the political significance of his findings, we encounter an Orwellian nightmare of big, fat, juicy proportions.

On Bullshit by Harry G. Frankfurt can be found at Anagram Book Shop Týn 4, Prague 1

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