Language, Action and Thought

Despite being a popular topic in recent years, a clear definition of "bullshit" is yet to be given. A minimum consensus seems to be that it is a speech-act characterized by its indifference toward truth and, thus, it differs from lying on that aspect. However, justifying this distinction poses some challenges. In this talk, I will examine the main reasons behind the lack of clarity of our concept of bullshit and the proposal I am developing to address them. The main challenge lies in the ambiguity surrounding key features that typically help in elucidating pragmatic phenomena, such as the speaker's attitude or intentions. In the case of bullshit, there is no single pattern in this regard. Nevertheless, I will argue that a commitment-based characterization of bullshit has the potential to overcome them and provide clarity to the concept.