Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World by Jevin D. West & Carl T. Bergstrom, 2020
An indispensable handbook to the art of scepticism from two brilliantly contrarian scientists.
We think we know bullshit when we hear it, but do we?
Politicians are unconstrained by facts. Science is conducted by press release. Start-up culture elevates hype to high art. The world is awash in bullshit, and we're drowning in it.
"One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit" – Harry Frankfurt
Our world is saturated with bullsh*t and spin. Here are the 9 Simple Principles in Physicist Carl Sagan's Baloney Detection Kit Will Make You BS-Proof!
"Thresholds stands for the present as a place where no one can stay and that only exists because one thing has occurred and another still awaits. For people with biographies characterized by migration, the temporal perception of the present as a threshold between the retrospective and the prospective is paired with a fundamental spatial and physical experience of living at the intersection of different belongings."
"Thresholds stands for the present as a place where no one can stay and that only exists because one thing has occurred and another still awaits. For people with biographies characterized by migration, the temporal perception of the present as a threshold between the retrospective and the prospective is paired with a fundamental spatial and physical experience of living at the intersection of different belongings."
"Here we focus on pseudo-profound bullshit, which consists of seemingly impressive assertions that are presented as true and meaningful but are actually vacuous"
"Pseudo-profound language is a stylistic means in many different contexts, like advertising, politics, economics, or even science. Contemporary visual art is notoriously known for its variant: artspeak...."
I think Orr/Hustings take on #conspiracytheories in Uscinskis book is pretty special. CT is a derogatory term they say, specifically to play down (correct) accusations raised by racial minorities. Of course, some CTs are true. However, that is not my intuitive understanding of the standard usage. Rather, I think of antivaxxers, fake moonlanding, etc. But this is my european reading. Maybe different in the US? @academicchatter#bullshit#fakenews#philosophy