week 1. introduction to bullshit

What is bullshit? Concepts and categories of bullshit. The art, science, and moral imperative of calling bullshit. Brandolini’s Bullshit Asymmetry Principle.

• Harry Frankfurt (1986) On Bullshit. Raritan Quarterly Review 6(2)

Supplementary readings

• G. A. Cohen (2002) Deeper into Bullshit. Buss and Overton, eds., Contours of Agency: Themes from the Philosophy of Harry Frankfurt Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
• Philip Eubanks and John D. Schaeffer (2008) A kind word for bullshit: The problem of academic writing. College Composition and Communication 59(3): 372-388
• J. L. Austin Performative Utterance, in Austin, Urmson, and Warnock (1979) Philosophical Papers. Clarendon.

Videos

1.1 Introduction to Bullshit.

Bullshit is everywhere, and we've had enough. We want to teach people to detect and defuse bullshit where ever it may arise.

1.2 Calling Bullshit on Ourselves.
Jevin uses data graphics to boast about explosive growth at our website callingbullshit.org — and Carl calls bullshit. Old-school bullshit versus new-school bullshit.

1.3 Brandolini's Bullshit Asymmetry Principle.
Lecture 1.3 "The amount of effort necessary to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it."

1.4 Classroom Discussion.
Students discuss: What is bullshit anyway?

1.5 The Philosophy of Bullshit.
How do we define bullshit? Does intention matter? Calling bullshit as a speech act.