--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The contemporary proliferation of…" description: "\"“The contemporary proliferation of bullshit also has deeper sources, in various forms of skepticism which deny that we can have any reliable access to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4d/harry-g-frankfurt-44230_bullshit_the-contemporary-proliferation-of-bullsh_1839608.jpg" --- # The contemporary proliferation of bullshit also has deeper… ![“The contemporary proliferation of bullshit also has deeper sources, in various forms of skepticism which deny that we can have any reliable access to an objective reality and which therefore reject the possibility of knowing how things truly are. These "anti-realist" doctrines undermine confidence…” quote by Harry G. Frankfurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4d/harry-g-frankfurt-44230_bullshit_the-contemporary-proliferation-of-bullsh_1839608.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4d/harry-g-frankfurt-44230_bullshit_the-contemporary-proliferation-of-bullsh_1839608.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4d/harry-g-frankfurt-44230_bullshit_the-contemporary-proliferation-of-bullsh_1839608.jpg) > ““The contemporary proliferation of bullshit also has deeper sources, in various forms of skepticism which deny that we can have any reliable access to an objective reality and which therefore reject the possibility of knowing how things truly are. These "anti-realist" doctrines undermine confidence in the value of disinterested efforts to determine what is true and what is false, and even in the intelligibility of the notion of objective inquiry. One response to this loss of confidence has been a retreat from the discipline required by dedication to the ideal of correctness to a quite different sort of discipline, which is imposed by pursuit of an alternative ideal of sincerity. Rather than seeking primarily to arrive at accurate representations of a common world, the individual turns toward trying to provide honest representations of himself. Convinced that reality has no inherent nature, which he might hope to identify as the truth about things, he devotes himself to being true to his own nature. It is as though he decides that since it makes no sense to try to be true to the facts, he must therefore try instead to be true to himself. But it is preposterous to imagine that we ourselves are determinate, and hence susceptible both to correct and to incorrect descriptions, while supposing that the ascription of determinacy to anything else has been exposed as a mistake. As conscious beings, we exist only in response to other things, and we cannot know ourselves at all without knowing them. Moreover, there is nothing in theory, and certainly nothing in experience, to support the extraordinary judgment that it is the truth about himself that is the easiest for a person to know. Facts about ourselves are not peculiarly solid and resistant to skeptical dissolution. Our natures are, indeed, elusively insubstantial -- notoriously less stable and less inherent than the natures of other things. And insofar as this is the case, sincerity itself is bullshit.”” [Harry G. Frankfurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-g-frankfurt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage argues that modern skepticism leads to a focus on personal sincerity over objective truth, but this shift is flawed because our self‑knowledge is unstable and dependent on external reality, making sincerity itself unreliable. **In simple terms:** Skepticism erodes belief in objective truth, leading people to value personal honesty, which is still unreliable. Key Takeaway Question how much you rely on personal sincerity versus objective facts. Themes philosophy epistemology truth subjectivity skepticism Mood critical analytical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - academic writing - philosophical essay Key Concepts relativism self‑knowledge truth‑seeking Questions to Reflect On - How does personal sincerity compensate for lack of objective truth? - Can we ever know ourselves without external reference? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bullshit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullshit/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Sincerity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sincerity/) [Skepticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skepticism/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“Our natures are, indeed, elusively insubstantial—notoriously less stable and less inherent than the nature of other things. 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Can you relinquish the notions of male and female, short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/can-you-dissolve-your-ego-can-you-abandon-the-idea-of-self-and-other/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Scepticismcan never be thoroughly applied, else life would come to a standstill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/scepticismcan-never-be-thoroughly-applied-else-life-would-come-to-a/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [...the number of saintly men has not yet risen to the level where the census makes them a separate statistical category.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/the-number-of-saintly-men-has-not-yet-risen-to-the-level-where-the/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) ## More by Harry G. 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It entails accepting standards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-g-frankfurt/the-notion-of-carefully-wrought-bullshit-involves-then-a-certain/) [Harry G. Frankfurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-g-frankfurt/) > [“When we characterize talk as hot air, we mean that what comes out of the speaker’s mouth is only that. It is mere vapor.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-g-frankfurt/when-we-characterize-talk-as-hot-air-we-mean-that-what-comes-out-of/) [Harry G. Frankfurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-g-frankfurt/) > [“However, it must not be assumed that bullshit always and necessarily has pretentiousness as its motive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-g-frankfurt/however-it-must-not-be-assumed-that-bullshit-always-and-necessarily/) [Harry G. Frankfurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-g-frankfurt/) [Explore all 9 Harry G. Frankfurt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-g-frankfurt/) ## More Bullshit quotes > [I rap when I'm rich. 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Cut away the bullshit and live your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-edward-lee-miller/t-is-all-that-separates-i-can-t-from-i-can-cut-away-the-bullshit-and/) [Cody Edward Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-edward-lee-miller/) > [I wouldn't mind gigging around the same era as Jesus, after he gives his speech about the meek and how blessed they are and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jefferies/i-wouldn-t-mind-gigging-around-the-same-era-as-jesus-after-he-gives/) [Jim Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jefferies/) > [Alright, thats enough of this Kung-Fu bullshit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcclane/alright-thats-enough-of-this-kung-fu-bullshit/) [John Mcclane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcclane/) > [“To recognize bullshit, nose is better than ear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/to-recognize-bullshit-nose-is-better-than-ear/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Loyal people always seem to go through the most bullshit!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/loyal-people-always-seem-to-go-through-the-most-bullshit/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“I wasn't sure which was worse - to know you were a liar or to believe your own bullshit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-cook/i-wasn-t-sure-which-was-worse-to-know-you-were-a-liar-or-to-believe/) [Eileen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-cook/) [Browse all 1,074 Bullshit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullshit/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The contemporary proliferation of bullshit also has deeper sources, in various forms of skepticism which deny that we can have any reliable access to an objective reality and which therefore reject the possibility of knowing how things truly are. These \"anti-realist\" doctrines undermine confidence in the value of disinterested efforts to determine what is true and what is false, and even in the intelligibility of the notion of objective inquiry. One response to this loss of confidence has been a retreat from the discipline required by dedication to the ideal of correctness to a quite different sort of discipline, which is imposed by pursuit of an alternative ideal of sincerity. Rather than seeking primarily to arrive at accurate representations of a common world, the individual turns toward trying to provide honest representations of himself. Convinced that reality has no inherent nature, which he might hope to identify as the truth about things, he devotes himself to being true to his own nature. It is as though he decides that since it makes no sense to try to be true to the facts, he must therefore try instead to be true to himself. But it is preposterous to imagine that we ourselves are determinate, and hence susceptible both to correct and to incorrect descriptions, while supposing that the ascription of determinacy to anything else has been exposed as a mistake. As conscious beings, we exist only in response to other things, and we cannot know ourselves at all without knowing them. Moreover, there is nothing in theory, and certainly nothing in experience, to support the extraordinary judgment that it is the truth about himself that is the easiest for a person to know. Facts about ourselves are not peculiarly solid and resistant to skeptical dissolution. Our natures are, indeed, elusively insubstantial -- notoriously less stable and less inherent than the natures of other things. And insofar as this is the case, sincerity itself is bullshit.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harry G. 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