The Corrosive Effects of Bullshit on Groups and Organizations

Issue 77: We discuss the problems with bullshit, how it harms groups, what you can do about it, and how you can measure your own susceptibility to bullshit

This week, Harry Frankfurt, an American philosopher, passed away. Frankfurt was best known for his famous irreverent paper "On Bullshit” in which he defined bullshit and distinguished it from lying. He argued that while liars intentionally manipulate the truth, whereas bullshitters are indifferent to the truth altogether. In his view, bullshit is:

“a form of dishonesty akin to lying but even less considerate of reality. Whereas the liar is at least mindful of the truth (if only to avoid it), the “bullshitter,” Professor Frankfurt wrote, is distinguished by his complete indifference to how things are.

Whether its purveyor is an advertiser, a political spin doctor or a cocktail-party blowhard, he argued, this form of dishonesty is rooted in a desire to make an impression on the listener, with no real interest in the underlying facts. “By virtue of this,” Professor Frankfurt concluded, “bullshit is the greater enemy of truth than lies are.”

Bullshitters make claims without regard for whether their statements are true or false. They are more interested in persuading or impressing others rather than conveying (or even concealing) accurate information. Bullshitter's use language in a way that obscures the truth and manipulates the listener's perception. And with the rise of social media–where impression is everything and truth hardly matters–it’s not a stretch to say that we are drowning in bullshit.

Bullshit can be found in various areas of life, including politics, advertising, academia, and everyday conversations. It is a particularly corrosive feature to any group, whether a small team, a large organization, or an entire society. At a conference this summer, Jay saw a talk from Mandi Astola, a philosopher from Delft University, in which she argued that corporate bullshit occurs when a company fails to put in place the actual conditions to follow through on their stated commitments.

She used the example of Aramco, which accounts for about 5% of all global greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, yet states on its website “As our business operations expand, so do the initiatives we undertake to ensure we leave an enduring legacy of protecting the planet we all inhabit.” This chasm between expressed beliefs and actual behavior is a form of corporate bullshit because they clearly have no intentions of fulfilling their promise.

In this newsletter, we pay tribute to Frankfurt by describing how bullshit infiltrates and erodes the fabric of collective endeavors and providing you with three valuable tips on minimizing bullshit within your own groups or organizations.

The Erosion of Trust

Bullshit is like a silent toxin that poisons the foundation of trust within groups and organizations. When members engage in deceptive communication, they undermine the trust necessary for effective collaboration. Bullshit erodes credibility, fosters skepticism, and fractures relationships. Without trust, teamwork crumbles, innovation stagnates, and productivity suffers. Bullshit can also destroy our reputation with partners and outsiders.

Communication Breakdown

Effective communication is the lifeblood of any group or organization. When bullshit thrives, honest and meaningful dialogue becomes impossible. Bullshitters obscure the truth, diluting the clarity of messages and hindering the exchange of ideas. Misunderstandings and conflicts arise, impeding progress and hindering collective problem-solving. Bullshit undermines the very essence of communication, eroding cohesion and stifling progress.

Impaired Decision-making

In the presence of bullshit, decision-making becomes perilous. When information is distorted, exaggerated, or manipulated, the decision-making process becomes misguided and flawed. Bullshit obscures critical insights, distorts priorities, and undermines evidence-based reasoning. This impairment can lead groups and organizations down paths that diverge from their intended goals, wasting time, resources, and opportunities.

To counteract bullshit, Frankfurt suggests that we should value the truth and strive for honest and meaningful communication. Recognizing and calling out bullshit can help preserve the integrity of discourse and promote genuine understanding. Here, we offer concrete suggestions to make yourself and others less susceptible to bullshit (as well as a scale to see how receptive you might already be).

#1 - A Culture of Intellectual Honesty

The first step towards minimizing bullshit within your groups or organizations is to cultivate a culture of intellectual honesty. Encourage open and transparent communication, where members feel safe to express their opinions and ideas without fear of judgment or reprisal (known as psychological safety). Foster an environment that values truth and integrity, where members are encouraged–and rewarded–to speak up against bullshit and uphold the importance of accurate information. This is where the incentives of social media are directly opposed to accuracy and allow bullshit to flourish.

#2 - Norms of Critical Thinking and Fact-Checking

Combatting bullshit requires equipping members with the tools of critical thinking and fact-checking. Encourage healthy (but not conspiratorial) norms around skepticism towards information and claims presented within the group or organization. Encourage members to question assumptions, evaluate evidence, and seek diverse perspectives in an open and transparent way–using facts to support assertions. Provide resources and training on how to identify cognitive and logical fallacies, spot misleading information, and verify facts. By promoting a collective commitment to truth, you create a stronghold against the corrosive effects of bullshit.

#3 - Identity Leadership

Leaders play a pivotal role in setting the tone and standards within a group or organization. Lead by example in your own communication and actions. Practice transparency, integrity, and honesty in your interactions with others. Encourage open dialogue, active listening, and the pursuit of truth. When leaders model and uphold a commitment to intellectual integrity, it sets the stage for others to follow suit.

The Bullshit Receptivity Test

To see if you–and others–might be susceptible to bullshit, here’s a scale that Gordon Pennycook and colleagues (2015) created to measure our receptivity to it. Tessa West shared it on her substack last year and we decided to pass it along. Take it yourself, hand it out to others, or assign it your colleagues at work.

Please read each statement and take a moment to think about what it might mean. Then please rate how ‘profound’ you think it is. Profound means ‘of deep meaning; of great and broadly inclusive significance.’

1= Not at all profound, 2 = somewhat profound, 3 = fairly profound, 4 = definitely profound, 5 = very profound.

A bullshit receptivity score is the average of ratings for all bullshit items

1. Hidden meaning transforms unparalleled abstract beauty.

2. Good health imparts reality to subtle creativity.

3. Wholeness quiets infinite phenomena.

4. The future explains irrational facts.

5. Imagination is inside exponential space time events.

6. Your consciousness gives rise to a jumble of neural networks.

7. Your movement transforms universal observations.

8. Perceptual reality transcends subtle truth.

9. The invisible is beyond new timelessness.

10.  The unexplainable undertakes intrinsic experiences.

11.  We are in the midst of a self-aware blossoming of being that will align us with the nexus itself.

12.  Consciousness consists of frequencies of quantum energy. “Quantum” means an unveiling of the unrestricted.

13.  Consciousness is the growth of coherence, and of us.

14.  We are in the midst of a high-frequency blossoming of interconnectedness that will give us access to the quantum soup itself.

15.  Today, science tells us that the essence of nature is joy.

16.  As you self-actualize, you will enter into infinite empathy that transcends understanding.

17.  The infinite is calling to us via superpositions of possibilities.

18.  We are being called to explore the totality itself as an interface between serenity and intuition.

19.  Throughout history, humans have been interacting with the dreamscape via bio-electricity.

20.  The future will be an astral unveiling of inseparability.

21.  Attention and intention are the mechanics of manifestation.

22.  Our minds extend across space and time as waves in the ocean of the one mind.

23.  Nature is a self-regulating ecosystem of awareness.

24.  We are non-local beings that localize as a dot then inflate to become non-local again. The universe is mirrored in us.

25.  Mechanics of Manifestation: Intention, detachment, centered in being allowing juxtaposition of possibilities to unfold.

26.  Mind and matter are subtle and dense vibrations of consciousness (spirit).

27.  We are not an emergent property of a mechanical universe but the seasonal activity of a living cosmos.

28.  Every material particle is a relationship of probability waves in a field of infinite possibilities. You are that.

29.  As beings of light we are local and non-local, time bound and timeless actuality and possibility.

30.  Matter is the experience in consciousness of a deeper non-material reality.

Conclusion
Bullshit is a corrosive force that seeps into the very fabric of groups and organizations, eroding trust, hindering communication, and impairing decision-making. However, by recognizing its detrimental impact and taking proactive steps, we can minimize the influence of bullshit and foster environments that promote collaboration, innovation, and growth.

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News and Updates

Jay blurbed Lisa M.P. Munoz’s new book, Women in Science

Jay’s interview for May’s issue of Forbes Japan is now available online! This interview with philosophy professor Tami Yanagisawa presented in Japanese and discusses how social identities can shape a more harmonious society.

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Catch up on the last one…

Last week, we featured Chris Chabris and Dan Simons on their new book, Nobody’s Fool. The book teaches readers how to not succumb to manipulation and deception in a variety of scenarios from schemes, marketing, and fraud.