Harry G. Frankfurt's Books

On Bullshit

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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#1 New York Times bestseller Featured on The Daily Show and 60 Minutes The acclaimed book that illuminates our world and its politics by revealing why bullshit is more dangerous than lying One of the most prominent features of our world is that there is so much bullshit. Yet we have no clear understanding of what bullshit is, how it’s distinct from lying, what functions it serves, and what it means. In his acclaimed bestseller On Bullshit, Harry Frankfurt, who was one of the world’s most influential moral philosophers, explores this important subject, which has become a central problem of politics and our world. With his characteristic combination of philosophical acuity, psychological insight, and wry humor, Frankfurt argues that bullshitters misrepresent themselves to their audience not as liars do, that is, by deliberately making false claims about what is true. Rather, bullshitters seek to convey a certain impression of themselves without being concerned about whether anything at all is true. They quietly change the rules governing their end of the conversation so that claims about truth and falsity are irrelevant. Although bullshit can take many innocent forms, excessive indulgence in it can eventually undermine the bullshitter’s capacity to tell the truth in a way that lying does not. Liars at least acknowledge that the truth matters. Because of this, bullshit is a greater enemy of the truth than lies are. Remarkably prescient and insightful, On Bullshit is a small book that explains a great deal about our time.

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Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1400826535

ISBN 13

9781400826537

On Truth

By: Harry Frankfurt

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On Truth

By: Harry Frankfurt

Having outlined a theory of bullshit and falsehood, Harry G. Frankfurt turns to what lies beyond them: the truth, a concept not as obvious as some might expect.Our culture's devotion to bullshit may seem much stronger than our apparently halfhearted attachment to truth. Some people (professional thinkers) won't even acknowledge "true" and "false" as meaningful categories, and even those who claim to love truth cause the rest of us to wonder whether they, too, aren't simply full of it. Practically speaking, many of us deploy the truth only when absolutely necessary, often finding alternatives to be more saleable, and yet somehow civilization seems to be muddling along. But where are we headed? Is our fast and easy way with the facts actually crippling us? Or is it "all good"? Really, what's the use of truth, anyway?With the same leavening wit and commonsense wisdom that animates his pathbreaking work On Bullshit, Frankfurt encourages us to take another look at the truth: there may be something there that is perhaps too plain to notice but for which we have a mostly unacknowledged yet deep-seated passion. His book will have sentient beings across America asking, "The truth—why didn't I think of that?

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114

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Knopf

Published Date

ISBN 10

030726422X

ISBN 13

9780307264220

The Reasons of Love

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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The Reasons of Love

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller On Bullshit, a profound meditation on how and why we love In The Reasons of Love, leading moral philosopher and bestselling author Harry Frankfurt argues that the key to a fulfilled life is to pursue wholeheartedly what one cares about, that love is the most authoritative form of caring, and that the purest form of love is, in a complicated way, self-love. Through caring, we infuse the world with meaning. Caring provides us with stable ambitions and concerns, and it shapes the framework of aims and interests within which we lead our lives. Love is a nonvoluntary, disinterested concern for the flourishing of what we love—and self-love, as distinct from self-indulgence, is at heart of this concern. The most elementary form of self-love is no more than the desire to love, and self-love is simply a commitment to finding meaning in our lives.

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112

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Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1400826063

ISBN 13

9781400826063

Taking Ourselves Seriously and Getting It Right [DECKLE EDGE]

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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Taking Ourselves Seriously and Getting It Right [DECKLE EDGE]

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

Harry G. Frankfurt begins his inquiry by asking, "What is it about human beings that makes it possible for us to take ourselves seriously?" Based on The Tanner Lectures in Moral Philosophy, Taking Ourselves Seriously and Getting It Right delves into this provocative and original question. The author maintains that taking ourselves seriously presupposes an inward-directed, reflexive oversight that enables us to focus our attention directly upon ourselves, and "[it] means that we are not prepared to accept ourselves just as we come. We want our thoughts, our feelings, our choices, and our behavior to make sense. We are not satisfied to think that our ideas are formed haphazardly, or that our actions are driven by transient and opaque impulses or by mindless decisions. We need to direct ourselves—or at any rate to believe that we are directing ourselves—in thoughtful conformity to stable and appropriate norms. We want to get things right." The essays delineate two features that have a critical role to play in this: our rationality, and our ability to love. Frankfurt incisively explores the roles of reason and of love in our active lives, and considers the relation between these two motivating forces of our actions. The argument is that the authority of practical reason is less fundamental than the authority of love. Love, as the author defines it, is a volitional matter, that is, it consists in what we are actually committed to caring about. Frankfurt adds that "The object of love can be almost anything—a life, a quality of experience, a person, a group, a moral ideal, a nonmoral ideal, a tradition, whatever." However, these objects and ideals are difficult to comprehend and often in conflict with each other. Moral principles play an important supporting role in this process as they help us develop and elucidate a vision that inspires our love. The first section of the book consists of the two lectures, which are entitled "Taking Ourselves Seriously" and "Getting It Right." The second section consists of comments in response by Christine M. Korsgaard, Michael E. Bratman, and Meir Dan-Cohen. The book includes a preface by Debra Satz.

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115

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Stanford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0804768005

ISBN 13

9780804768009

The Reasons of Love

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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The Reasons of Love

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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112

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Princeton University Press

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ISBN 10

1400826063

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9781400826063

Necessity, Volition, and Love

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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Necessity, Volition, and Love

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

Essays examining foundational metaphysical and epistemological issues concerning Descartes, moral philosophy, and philosophical anthropology.

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196

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Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521633958

ISBN 13

9780521633956

The Importance of What We Care About

Philosophical Essays

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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The Importance of What We Care About

Philosophical Essays

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

A collection of thirteen seminal essays on ethics, free will, and the philosophy of mind, first published in 1988.

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204

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Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521336112

ISBN 13

9780521336116

On Bullshit

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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On Bullshit

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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Princeton University Press

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ISBN 10

1400826535

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9781400826537

Demons, Dreamers, and Madmen

The Defense of Reason in Descartes's Meditations

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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Demons, Dreamers, and Madmen

The Defense of Reason in Descartes's Meditations

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller On Bullshit, a landmark account of Descartes, reason, and truth In this classic work, philosopher and bestselling author Harry Frankfurt provides a compelling analysis of the question that not only lies at the heart of Descartes's Meditations, but also constitutes the central preoccupation of modern philosophy: on what basis can reason claim to provide any justification for the truth of our beliefs? Demons, Dreamers, and Madmen provides an ingenious account of Descartes's defense of reason against his own famously skeptical doubts that he might be a madman, dreaming, or, worse yet, deceived by an evil demon into believing falsely. Frankfurt's masterful and imaginative reading of Descartes's seminal work not only stands the test of time; one imagines Descartes himself nodding in agreement.

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283

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Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

140082818X

ISBN 13

9781400828180

On Inequality

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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On Inequality

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller On Bullshit, the case for worrying less about the rich and more about the poor Economic inequality is one of the most divisive issues of our time. Yet few would argue that inequality is a greater evil than poverty. The poor suffer because they don't have enough, not because others have more, and some have far too much. So why do many people appear to be more distressed by the rich than by the poor? In this provocative book, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of On Bullshit presents a compelling and unsettling response to those who believe that the goal of social justice should be economic equality or less inequality. Harry Frankfurt, one of the most influential moral philosophers in the world, argues that we are morally obligated to eliminate poverty—not achieve equality or reduce inequality. Our focus should be on making sure everyone has a sufficient amount to live a decent life. To focus instead on inequality is distracting and alienating. At the same time, Frankfurt argues that the conjunction of vast wealth and poverty is offensive. If we dedicate ourselves to making sure everyone has enough, we may reduce inequality as a side effect. But it’s essential to see that the ultimate goal of justice is to end poverty, not inequality. A serious challenge to cherished beliefs on both the political left and right, On Inequality promises to have a profound impact on one of the great debates of our time.

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114

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Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691167141

ISBN 13

9780691167145

On Inequality

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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On Inequality

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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115

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Princeton University Press

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ISBN 10

1400873274

ISBN 13

9781400873272

On Truth

By: Harry Frankfurt

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On Truth

By: Harry Frankfurt

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114

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Knopf

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0307265951

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9780307265951

Demons, Dreamers, and Madmen

The Defense of Reason in Descartes's Meditations

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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Demons, Dreamers, and Madmen

The Defense of Reason in Descartes's Meditations

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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283

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Princeton University Press

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ISBN 10

140082818X

ISBN 13

9781400828180

On Truth

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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On Truth

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

Whatever benefits and rewards it may sometimes be possible to attain by bullshitting, by dissembling, or by sheer mendacity, societies cannot afford to tolerate anyone or anything that fosters a slovenly indifference to the distinction between true and false. In a world of spin, rhetoric, blagging and bullshitting, a basic level of scepticism and the impulse to question first impressions is widely considered a virtue. Yet the very purpose of such caution - the discernment of truth - has for some time been undermined by a postmodern generation of authors, journalists, historians and philosophers who categorically deny the existence of any exterior, objective truth, elevating instead the impenetrable subjectivity of the individual above all else. Blending philosophical insight with sheer common sense, Harry Frankfurt's incisive sequel to On Bullshit is a defence, a vindication, and a celebration of Truth. Whether concerning ourselves with work, pleasure, people or poetry, Frankfurt demonstrates that a belief in a basic notion of Truth is essential not just to our everyday involvement with the physical world, but to the concepts of identity, confidence, trust, conviction, society, and communication that endow our lives with meaning.

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114

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

1407064576

ISBN 13

9781407064574

Bullshit

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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Bullshit

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

Mit »Bullshit« legte der amerikanische Philosoph Harry G. Frankfurt den Klassiker der »Empört Euch!«-Bücher vor. Im Sturmlauf eroberte er die Herzen aller, die vom Nonsense-Gerede in U-Bahn und Büro und auf allen Kanälen schon lange genug hatten. Binnen Wochen verkaufte sich sein zorniges Manifest in den Vereinigten Staaten eine halbe Million Mal, ein globaler Feldzug gegen »Bullshitting« war die Folge. Doch Bullshit siegte. Bis heute haben wir dümmliche »Bild«-Kolumnen und hohles Gequassel in den Talkshows und am Handy. Ohnmächtig müssten wir all das über uns ergehen lassen, hätten wir nicht Frankfurts elegant-präzise Abrechnung mit derlei Phänomenen zur Hand, Urschrift aller Wut-Bücher und unverzichtbares Grundlagenwerk der angewandten Dummheitsforschung. Bullshit? Lesen!

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Suhrkamp Verlag

Published Date

ISBN 10

3518734873

ISBN 13

9783518734872

Necessity, Volition, and Love

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

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Necessity, Volition, and Love

By: Harry G. Frankfurt

One of the most influential of contemporary philosophers, Harry Frankfurt has made major contributions to the philosophy of action, moral psychology, and the study of Descartes. This collection of essays complements an earlier, successful collection published by Cambridge, The Importance of What We Care About. These essays deal in general with foundational metaphysical and epistemological issues concerning Descartes, moral philosophy, philosophical anthropology, political philosophy, and religion. A hallmark of Frankfurt's work is his crisp and incisive style, which means that these essays should appeal to a wide range of philosophers and to readers in neighboring disciplines with philosophical interests.

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Page Count

192

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521632994

ISBN 13

9780521632997

Book's by Harry G. Frankfurt

On Bullshit

On Bullshit

On Truth

On Truth

The Reasons of Love

The Reasons of Love

Taking Ourselves Seriously and Getting It Right [DECKLE EDGE]

Taking Ourselves Seriously and Getting It Right [DECKLE EDGE]

The Reasons of Love

The Reasons of Love

Necessity, Volition, and Love

Necessity, Volition, and Love

The Importance of What We Care About

The Importance of What We Care About

On Bullshit

On Bullshit

Demons, Dreamers, and Madmen

Demons, Dreamers, and Madmen

On Inequality

On Inequality

On Inequality

On Inequality

On Truth

On Truth

Demons, Dreamers, and Madmen

Demons, Dreamers, and Madmen

On Truth

On Truth

Bullshit

Bullshit

Necessity, Volition, and Love

Necessity, Volition, and Love

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