Are we all moral bullshitters?

Just like it is possible to speak without regard for the truth, it is possible to act without regard for morals

Most of us can think of someone who isn’t quite a liar, but who speaks with utter indifference to truth. We’ve overheard them at the pub: “X is overrated. Sure, he scores goals, but so could I if I had his teammates!” or in politics: “Our reforms are what the people want-everyone I talk to agrees.” As philosopher Harry Frankfurt explains in On Bullshit, such statements aren’t meant to deceive but to “manipulate opinions and attitudes” of their audience. Even more dangerous is moral bullshit -claiming moral righteousness using superficially plausible but irrelevant principles.

Bullshitting is the easy way

Lying and bullshitting are both self-serving but they differ fundamentally. Liars do care about the truth, but advocate a coherent falsehood for specific gain. Bullshitters’ aims are less concrete and much broader: they seek self-promotion and endeavour to signal authority, often in the pursuit of influence and reputation. They will say anything — true, false, or unfalsifiable — to advance those goals.

Similarly, moral bullshitting is not about violating moral principles and then seeking to hide it-it is complete…