Uncensored Bullshit Interview
Added 2025-10-03 22:39:50 +0000 UTCHello my wonderful Patrons!
I recently had Dr Shane Littrell on the channel to talk about his research in Bullshit. Unfortunately, YouTube really did not like the amount of times we use that word in the video, so I had to go through and censor it.
I know that is a bit irritating, so I've put the uncensored version here early. I hope you enjoy!
Joe :)
Comments
Along the lines of that third form of bullshitting, about 15 minutes into a story about his past, my father-in-law leaned forward and said "Now listen carefully, because this part is true." Knowing him, I'm not sure it actually was, but he told great stories. Another time, he spent about a half-hour explaining to my adult son the difference between "bullshit" and "a crock of shit" (the latter may just be an Americanism). If I remember right, he was making some of the same distinctions that Dr Littrell made.
Bob Vick
2025-10-11 12:59:54 +0000 UTCVery enjoyable. The thing I am most proud of in raising my now adult son was insisting he learn to think critically. And that I had the background to teach him to do so myself. He certainly would not have learned it in the American public school system and even less in the private schools in our area which were run by religious organizations. This was over 20 years ago now and conditions have deteriorated since then. It would, however, be unfair to blame the teachers. They are generally under resourced and overburdened. But I can certainly blame parents and school boards who prefer to have their children indoctrinated instead of educated. This is partially egregious in areas where right wing agendas have taken over school boards and routinely object to independent inquiry and who have made science a dirty word.
Shirley Noble
2025-10-10 19:22:14 +0000 UTCMy favorite example of lying with the truth is a joke. There's a captain and a first mate on a ship, and they really don't like each other. The first mate is a bit of a boozer, so one day the captain writes in the log - "today the first mate was drunk." And a few days later the first mate writes in the log "today the captain was sober."
Anders
2025-10-05 18:40:13 +0000 UTCAfter thinking about it a bit more, I realized I need to add a third driver. 3. Competence Fabrication: This is another version of image inflation, but instead of pretending that the work itself is important, this one is about masking a lack of real understanding or ability. The common thread running through all three seems to be the need to put up a fake front. Bullshit tends to thrive in the gaps between perception and reality (at least in the corporate world). And suddenly, a word popped into my head that feels like the opposite of all this BS. It might even be the antidote, since its very nature is about having no need to cover up anything – not because everything underneath is perfect, but because one is comfortable admitting mistakes or simply saying "I don’t know.” It's about refusing to play the game in the first place. Hmm… I wonder what beautiful word could that be? Oh right – it’s authenticity :D ! (For the record, I do understand your video on authenticity, and I agree with everything you said in the last part. My main critique is just that I don’t think you framed the message strongly enough in the context of bad or potentially harmful self-help advice, and people might walk away with a negative impression of the word “authenticity” itself :(. I feel like it's such an important word that deserves to be guarded with a bit more care.)
100% Human
2025-10-05 00:27:12 +0000 UTCLovely conversation. Though, to be honest, I was slightly frustrated when the question of why the corporate world is such a cow pasture of bullshitting wasn't addressed head-on or with enough clarity. I think trying to answer that question can shed a lot of light on this whole mess. I try to keep my thinking simple and straightforward (which I like to think is a great filter against BS, because it makes it easier for me to spot the flaws in my own thinking most of the time). When I see a behavior becoming widespread, I ask: what are the incentives? To me, the answer is obvious: both the bullshitters and the bullshit-takers act the way they do because – consciously or not – they believe it serves their self-interest. It might or might not play out the way they expect, but perceived benefit is the fuel. As a former employee of one of the top global financial institutions (that also shall not be named), I'd say that there are two primary drivers behind the bullshit: 1. Legal evasion: Vague, convoluted language is a great shield. If things go sideways, it’s much easier to dodge responsibility when no one can pin down exactly what anyone said or did. 2. Image inflation (Dr. Littrell touched on this by saying “peacocking,” though he didn’t elaborate): There’s a constant pressure to look important, even when the work is meaningless and produces little or no real value. And deep down, people know that, so there’s an even bigger need to appear essential. (I haven’t read David Graeber’s Bullshit Jobs, but I’m pretty sure this is its topic.) From there, it becomes a self-selection process. Those who don’t do these things just don’t last in that world, let alone climb to the top of the corporate ladder. Regarding the question of how to avoid BS, I think the more important question is how do we incentivize people not to BS. Right now, the incentives are clearly on the other side. You can literally bullshit your way to becoming one of the most powerful people on the planet, or the richest, or the executive of a large company. Even worse, in many cases, it seems like bullshitting is the requirement for survival. It’s such a tricky situation, because in those instances, it’s hard to blame people for doing what they do, or to tell them to do otherwise. Restructuring this system of social incentives might be one of the most urgent tasks of our time, because a system built on bullshit is destined to crumble – whether in business, politics, or culture. I think this is where serious philosophical thinking really matters. We desperately need good thinkers to see through our current problems and to help rethink and reshape the norms, values, and incentives that govern our shared reality.
100% Human
2025-10-04 20:04:40 +0000 UTCIn 2018 I created something that serves a similar purpose, and seems to be clearer and more helpful - ClearThinkingCampaign.org - and it too has been and will continue to be ignored. "Confusion" is at the center here, as opposed to "bullshit." It shows how confusion works, provides 10 "Confusion Buster Cards" and shows what all this is based on "behind the scenes." Please be brave and go look at it. I loved this conversation, btw, and I'm off to study everything Dr. Littrell has produced and talked about. Lots more to learn! And I want to take this opportunity to say I have three epic heroes in the world of critical thinking - Alex O'Connor, Joe Foley, and Stephen Woodford. This is the gang I want to be a part of! But the world hasn't heard of me... yet. :-)
Markus Halvorson
2025-10-04 13:37:43 +0000 UTCI cannot imagine the pain of having to censor every "bullshit" in this video 😂 Great interview, I'd never been exposed to this branch of philosophy.
Roxanne Duchesne
2025-10-04 06:10:22 +0000 UTCAssertoric is the word of the day, kids.
corporeal.phantom
2025-10-03 23:49:05 +0000 UTCI need more bullshit in my life - here for it! 🖖😆☕
Phil Voelker
2025-10-03 22:55:11 +0000 UTC
