This link has been bookmarked by 110 people . It was first bookmarked on 04 Aug 2007, by casey p.
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David McGavock"Be like Socrates: assume people are unaware of their own ignorance (including yourself) and politely, warmly, probe to sort out the difference."
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But lies, serious lies, should not be encouraged as they destroy trust, the binding force in all relationships. One particularly troublesome kind of lie is known as Bullshit (BS). These are unnecessary deceptions, committed in the gray area between polite white lies and complete malicious fabrications.
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The first detection tool is a question: How do you know what you know?
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People so rarely have their claims challenged, that asking someone to explain how they know sheds light on whatever ignorance they’re hiding.
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Even credible thinkers need time to sort through their logic, separating assumptions from facts: an an exercise that works in everyone’s favor.
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The second tool is also a question: What is the counter argument?
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Similarly useful questions include: Who besides you shares this opinion? What are your biggest concerns, and what will you do to address them? What would need to change for you to have a different (opposite) opinion?
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Anyone creating BS knows this, and will tend towards urgency. They’ll resist reviews, breaks, consultations or the suggestion of sleeping on decisions before they’re made.
Use time & pressure, the third tool of BS detection, in your favor: never allow big decisions to be mismanaged to the point where they must be made urgently.
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Especially in business and technology, jargon and obfuscation hide huge quantities of BS. Inflated language is a technique of intimidation.
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The fourth tool of BS detection (derived from the rule of expecting BS) is careful assignment of your trust. Never agree to more than your trust allows. Who cares how confident they are: the question is how confident are you in them? It’s rare that there isn’t
time for trust to be earned. Divide requests, projects or commitments into pieces. It’s not offensive to refuse to take someone’s word if they have no history of living up to it before (especially if they’re trying to sell you something).
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pierre arlaisEspecially in business and technology, jargon and obfuscation hide huge quantities of BS. Inflated language is a technique of intimidation.
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Colleen WainwrightTrue, and with an air of freshness, to boot. Unlike certain other attempts at outing bullsh*t that fell a bit short of the mark.
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Danine CozzensExcellent essay. Diana, a must-read for you!
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andreea nastase"People lie for three reasons; the first is to protect themselves, sometimes it works. It’s a gamble, but when it works, wow. Which gives us the third reason people lie: we want to be seen as better than we see ourselves. The secret truth is everyone has
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Adam Crowe"White lies are the spackle of civilization, tucked into the dirty corners and crevices our necessary, but pretentiously inflexible idealisms create. Small lies prop up and support our powerful truths, holding together the insanely half honest, half false
essay psychology deception lies wrong life philosophy ethics ignorance socraticmethod argument honesty reflexivity trust
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It’s far more dangerous to assume people know what they’re talking about, than it is to assume they don’t and let them prove you wrong. Be like Socrates: assume people are unaware of their own ignorance (including yourself) and politely, warmly, probe to sort out the difference.
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emory lundbergThe first rule of BS is to expect it. Fire detectors are designed to expect a fire at any moment: they’re not optimists.
article bullshit communication business articles management psychology lies leadership !later
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04 Aug 07
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02 Aug 07
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jasonmoreEveryone lies: it’s just a question of how, when and why. From the relationship saving “yes, you do look thin in those pants” to the improbable “your table will be ready in 5 minutes”, manipulating the truth is part of the human condition. Accep
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Chris KingFind it, know it, defend against it....B.S.
lifehacks management bullshit leadership business lies psychology communication defense Delicious-12-16-10
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01 Aug 07
Thomas MarottaPeople lie for three reasons; the first is to protect themselves. They may wish to protect something they want or need, a concept they cherish, or to prevent something they fear, like confrontation. There is often a clear psychological need motivating eve
lifehacks bullshit management business leadership toread lies
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