One of the books considered for Lafayette’s first-year reading, this review brought some of the book’s points back to me, and it also provides some context for it.
David Kellogg – The Bullshit Revival (Pedagogy)
The “defining characteristic” of bullshit is “indifference to truth”.
When I read this stuff I wonder about the author’s point in writing it, his motivation—either Frankfurter’s or Kellogg’s. On the other hand, Kellogg’s application of the term to the Bush administration is deft and perhaps useful.
Then I come across, “I cannot but hope that bullshit will proliferate as a key term in a wide range of fields in the humanities and beyond.” That seems like such (meta) bullshit!
Perhaps bullshit is in the eye of the beholder? Oh, wait. That’s not such a pretty picture.