Alexander Hynes Bullshit may be the single greatest threat to the academic endeavors of modern society. In order to under this, it is necessary to understand what bullshit is. Unfortunately, this is neither a simple nor straightforward task. Bullshit is an abstract term that can encompass a great multitude of forms. In this essay, we will start by examining how Harry Frankfurt defines the terms “bullshit” and “bullshitter,” and improving on the definitions that he reaches in his essay, “On Bullshit.” Then, we will look at how the definitions can be applied to Plato’s “Meno.” Finally, we will take a look at how bullshit impacts the modern world. Finally, we will bring all of this information together in order to reach a clearer understanding of what bullshit is and how to spot it.
Bullshit is not an easy term to comprehend. It turns out to be quite a difficult word to define…show more content… For example, in Plato’s “Meno,” Meno is certainly a bullshitter. This can be seen by how easily he forgets his purpose for starting the dialogue in the first place. Meno opens the dialogue by asking, “Can you tell me, Socrates, can virtue be taught? (Meno, 70b)” Shortly thereafter, Socrates is able to change the subject by asking “Meno, by the Gods, what do you yourself say that virtue is? (Meno, 71d)” Despite his original intentions, Meno is pulled into this trap rather easily, which shows that he has very little concern for the truth about whether or not virtue can be taught. If he actually had an appreciable amount of concern for this truth, he would not have let Socrates change the subject so easily, and he would have demanded answer to the question quickly rather than get sucked into a lengthy discussion regarding what virtue is. This initial lack of concern provides the first evidence that suggests that Meno is a