Epistemically exploitative bullshit: A Sartrean account

Area of Science:

• Philosophy of Language
• Political Theory
• Epistemology

Background:

• Existing analyses of untruthful speech, including philosophical bullshit, inadequately capture certain politically relevant phenomena.
• There is a need for a more nuanced understanding of discourse that combines deception with the exploitation of epistemic labor.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and define a novel category of untruthful speech: epistemically exploitative bullshit (EEB).
• To distinguish EEB from existing concepts like Frankfurtian bullshit and epistemic exploitation.
• To explore the role of bad faith and diffused epistemic responsibility in EEB, drawing on Sartrean existentialism.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of untruthful speech, focusing on the speaker's intent and the addressee's discursive burden.
• Comparative analysis, differentiating EEB from related concepts in contemporary epistemology and philosophy of language.
• Application of existentialist philosophy, particularly Sartre's analysis of anti-Semitic discourse, to understand the dynamics of EEB.

Main Results:

• EEB is identified as a distinct form of untruthful speech characterized by deception regarding truth-concern and the exploitation of epistemic labor.
• EEB is shown to be irreducible to Frankfurtian bullshit or epistemic exploitation alone.
• The analysis highlights the crucial role of bad faith and the collective diffusion of epistemic responsibility in the phenomenon of EEB.

Conclusions:

• Recognizing EEB offers a more refined conceptualization of untruthful speech and epistemic injustice.
• Sartre's insights provide a valuable framework for understanding the intersection of existential, interpersonal, and institutional dimensions in the negotiation of truth.
• EEB represents a significant, previously unrecognized, and politically relevant form of discursive manipulation.