A New Take on Deceptive Advertising: Beyond Frankfurt’s Analysis of ‘BS’
Business and Professional Ethics Journal 29 (1-4):5-32 (2010)
| Authors | |
| Abstract |
The publication of Harry Frankfurt’s 1986 essay “On Bullshit,” and especially its republication as a book in 2005, have sparked a great deal of interest in the philosophical analysis of the concept of bullshit. The present essay seeks to contribute to the ever-widening discussion of the concept by applying it to the realm of advertising. First, it is argued that Frankfurt’s definition of bullshit is too narrow, and an alternative definition is defended that accommodates both Frankfurt’s truth-indifferent bullshit and what is here termed “culpably confused bullshit.” Second, it is explained why a great deal of advertising constitutes bullshit so defined.The essay concludes by making the case that bullshitting in general is clearly unethical on both Utilitarian and Kantian grounds.
|
| Keywords | Business and Professional Ethics advertising ethics bullshit Frankfurt |
| Categories | (categorize this paper) |
| ISBN(s) | 0277-2027 |
| DOI | bpej2010291/43 |
| Options |
Edit this record
Mark as duplicate
Export citation
Request removal from index
|
Download options
References found in this work BETA
No references found.
Citations of this work BETA
No citations found.
Similar books and articles
Our Vision and Our Mission: Bullshit, Assertion and Belief.Ben Kotzee - 2007 - South African Journal of Philosophy 26 (2):163-175.
Different Kinds and Aspects of Bullshit.Hans Maes & Katrien Schaubroeck - 2006 - In Hardcastle Reisch (ed.), Bullshit and Philosophy. Open Court.
Raising the Tone: Definition, Bullshit, and the Definition of Bullshit.Andrew Aberdein - 2006 - In G. Reisch & G. Hardcastle (eds.), Bullshit and Philosophy. Open Court. pp. 151-169.
A P.S. On B.S.: Some Remarks on Humbug and Bullshit.Michael Wreen - 2013 - Metaphilosophy 44 (1-2):105-115.
Bullshitting Bulshitters and the Bullshit They Say.A. Sneddon - 2007 - In Jason Holt (ed.), The Daily Show and Philosophy: Moments of Zen in the Art of Fake News. Blackwell. pp. 146--159.
Steering Clear of Bullshit? The Problem of Obscurantism.Viktor Ivanković - 2016 - Philosophia 44 (2):531-546.
How Is It That Sincerity Itself Is Bullshit? A Review of H.On Bullshit Frankfurt & M. B. Mason - 2005 - Journal of Philosophy of Education 39 (4):701-705.
An Ethical Analysis of Deception in Advertising.Thomas L. Carson, Richard E. Wokutch & James E. Cox - 1985 - Journal of Business Ethics 4 (2):93 - 104.
Liars, Bullshitters, and the Privitization of Public Discourse About Sports.William J. Morgan - 2008 - Proceedings of the Xxii World Congress of Philosophy 47:11-17.
On Truth, Lies, and Bullshit.Harry Frankfurt - 2009 - In Clancy Martin (ed.), The Philosophy of Deception. Oxford University Press. pp. 37.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2011-01-09
Total views
1,021 ( #2,826 of 2,285,699 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
258 ( #1,612 of 2,285,699 )
2011-01-09
Total views
1,021 ( #2,826 of 2,285,699 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
258 ( #1,612 of 2,285,699 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads
