Over one million copies sold worldwideThe international and #1 New York Times bestsellerThe anniversary edition of the acclaimed book that reveals why bullshit is more dangerous than lying
What's Wrong with Bullshit
Past philosophical analyses of bullshit have generally presented bullshit as a formidable threat to truth. However, most of these analyses also reduce bullshit to a mere symptom of a greater evil (e.g. indifference towards truth). In this paper, I introduce a new account of bullshit which, I argue, is more suited to understand the threat posed by bullshit. I begin by introducing a few examples of “truth-tracking bullshit”, before arguing that these examples cannot be accommodated by past, process-based accounts of bullshit. I then introduce my new, output-based account of bullshit, according to which a claim is bullshit when it is presented as or appears as interesting at first sight but is revealed not to be that interesting under closer scrutiny. I present several arguments in favor of this account, then argue that it is more promising than past accounts when it comes to explaining how bullshit spreads and why it is a serious threat to truth.
The Voice of the ‘Intellectual Dark Web’
Claire Lehmann’s online magazine, Quillette, prides itself on publishing “dangerous” ideas other outlets won’t touch. How far is it willing to go?
“Paging Dr. Fraud”: The Fake Publishers That Are Ruining Science
For years, spurious journals have proliferated online, promising academic credibility in exchange for cash.
Days of Rage: America's Radical Underground, the FBI, a…
From the bestselling author of Public Enemies & The Big…
Everyone Is Lying To You For Money
The Forge present Ben McKenzie's, Everyone Is Lying to You for Money where he explores cryptocurrency in his directorial debut, moving from curiosity to exposing harsh truths. His documentary both educates and entertains while delivering a powerful critique of the crypto world.
The lie at the heart of hopelessness
Most people I know are fighting severe anxiety about their individual and our collective future right now, struggling to picture a life worth planning. It is paralysing, also for me. It is also a lie. Not that reality isn't grim (ignoring that will only make things worse) but paralysis is neither
LLMs are bullshitters. But that doesn't mean they're not useful.
Note: This is a personal essay by Matt Ranger, Kagi's head of ML In 1986, Harry Frankfurt wrote On Bullshit. He differentiates a lying from bullshitting: Lying means you have a concept of what is true,...
How Social Media Rewards Misinformation
A majority of false stories are spread by a small number of frequent users, suggests a new study co-authored by Yale SOM’s Gizem Ceylan. But they can be taught to change their ways.
Capturing our Attention
What are the harms of misinformation? It’s widely believed that it causes false belief, including false beliefs in quite bizarre claims. I argue that this threat is greatly exaggerated: while plaus...
Fakebook: Using Data Science to Spot Fake News
As fake news permeates throughout social media outlets (like Facebook), it's more important than ever to identify what is fact vs. fiction. This is especially true in the age of COVID where the spread of misinformation can impact the spread of the virus. Data scientists are emerging on the front lines of this fight, using programs to help them identify fake news sources. Led by Dr. Teon Brooks, Josh Modeste, and Steven Azeka from the Gotham Data Clinic (fka CiELabs), this workshop will explore the “life cycle” of scientific research and how scientists come to consensus about how we interpret data. We’ll examine what to look for in credible news sources, and the consequences of leaning on not-so-trusty pseudoscientific sources. Then you’ll put that knowledge to work by developing a rubric for identifying fake news. No experience necessary! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fakebook-using-data-science-to-spot-fake-news-tickets-137833492687
Book on Truth in the Age of A.I. Contains Quotes Made Up by A.I.
Steven Rosenbaum, author of “The Future of Truth,” said he had started his own investigation after The New York Times asked about the fake quotes.
When Truth Becomes Hazardous: Navigating Information Through the Metacrisis | Frankly 153
The lie here is suggesting that "9% of @bsky.app users are active daily" is the same measurement as "9% of @wsocial.eu users have ever posted more than once". #Wsocial 's actual DAU is less than 1%. This is how propaganda works. Tell little lies often enough and eventually it sounds like truth.
Ingmar Rentzhog
Yes read the analysis. Not number of users but user activity. denys.dev/w-mythology-vol3/
When I say "bullshitting is inherent to LLMs," I don't mean it colloquially, I mean it empirically. Here's the bleeding edge of the frontier (Opus, Sol, Fable, Astra), and the lowest bullshit rate (answering wrongly instead of admitting ignorance) is 45%. artificialanalysis.ai/evaluations/omniscience
