I found it quite intriguing how Harry G. Frankfurt defines the difference between bullshitting and lying when reading “On Bullshit." Bullshit is thought to be similar to lying, however they are not the same thing. "On Bullshit" states that when a person lies they have a specific mindset, something I would have never considered. A person who lies knows what they are saying is untrue, but decided to tell someone anyway in the hopes of misleading someone into believe something false. However, in the book it also states that if a person lies about something but truly believes what they are saying is true that it is not considered lying but rather described as "short of lying." This description between telling a lie and using bullshit shows the fine line between the two. This fine line between bullshitting and lying is evident in the ramifications experienced when a person lies and when a person bullshits their way through a conversation. In telling a lie, the consequences are much greater than when a person is bullshitting a conversation. People are more likely to get upset and someone who is lying rather than someone who is just talking bullshit. This is why it is a lot more likely someone is going to bullshit rather than lie to someone. Another example between bullshitting and lying is the freedom associated with bullshitting. In bullshitting a persons' "...focus is panoramic rather than particular. He does not limit himself to inserting a certain falsehood at a specific point, and thus he is not constrained by the truths surrounding that point or intersecting it. He is prepared, so far as required, to fake the context as well" (On Bullshit, p.52) This proves that because there is more freedom with talking bullshit people are more inclined to bullshit rather than lie. "On Bullshit" also states that when bullshitting, the person is not telling the truth nor concealing it. Whereas when a person lies they are attempting to hide part of the truth and replace it with a lie. This has made me think a lot about what I say to people and how I say it. If I indeed lie or just talk bullshit, and how it affects the people I am talking to.
