What bullshit essentially misrepresents is neither the state of affairs to which it refers nor the beliefs of the speaker concerning that state of affairs. Those are what lies misrepresent, by virtue of being false. Since bullshit need not be false, it differs from lies in its misrepresentational intent. The bullshitter may not deceive us, or even intend to do so, either about the facts or about what he takes the facts to be. What he does necessarily attempt to deceive us about is his enterprise. His only indispensably distinctive characteristic is that in a certain way he misrepresents what he is up to. This is the crux of the distinction between him and the liar. Both he and the liar represent themselves falsely as endeavoring to communicate the truth. The success of each depends upon deceiving us about that. But the fact about himself that the liar hides is that he is attempting to lead us away from a correct apprehension of reality; we are not to know that he wants us to believe something he supposes to be false. The fact about himself that the bullshitter hides, on the other hand, is that the truth-values of his statements are of no central interest to him; what we are not to understand is that his intention is neither to report the truth nor to conceal it. This does not mean that his speech is anarchically impulsive, but that the motive guiding and controlling it is unconcerned with how the things about which he speaks truly are. It is impossible for someone to lie unless he thinks he knows the truth. Producing bullshit requires no such conviction. A person who lies is thereby responding to the truth, and he is to that extent respectful of it. When an honest man speaks, he says only what he believes to be true; and for the liar, it is correspondingly indispensable that he considers his statements to be false.
Which of the following statements can be BEST inferred from the passage?
- Both the liar and the bullshitter misrepresent the truth
- Both the liar and the bullshitter are guided by the truth
- Both the liar and the bullshitter are not bound by any conviction
- Both the liar and the bullshitter live in their own worlds of realities
- Both the liar and the bullshitter intend to deceive in their own ways
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the liar
A liar is someone who is directly connected to the truth. They know the reality but choose to misrepresent it. Thus, the liar’s world is shaped by truth, but they present a distorted version of it.
Step 2: Understanding the bullshitter
A bullshitter, on the other hand, is not concerned with whether a statement is true or false. Their intention is neither to report nor to conceal the truth, but to achieve a certain outcome. Hence, they operate in their own constructed reality, independent of truth.
Step 3: Comparing the two
- Option 1 is incorrect because while liars misrepresent the truth, bullshitters are indifferent to it rather than misrepresenting it.
- Option 2 is incorrect because bullshitters are not guided by the truth.
- Option 3 is misleading, since liars are bound by the truth (to oppose it), whereas bullshitters are free from such constraints.
- Option 5 is incorrect because bullshitters do not have an intent to deceive; their concern is outcome, not deception.
Step 4: Why Option 4 is correct
The best inference is that both liars and bullshitters construct their own versions of reality. Liars create a false version of reality opposite to the truth, while bullshitters operate in a reality that simply ignores the truth altogether.
Final Answer:
\[ \boxed{\text{Both the liar and the bullshitter live in their own worlds of realities.}} \]
Why does the author say that the bullshitter’s intention “is neither to report the truth nor to conceal it?”
- Because bullshitters are not convinced about the truth
- Because bullshitters know the truth
- Because bullshitters do not find the truth useful
- Because bullshitters do not like to deceive
- Because bullshitters do not like to deceive
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
A liar is concerned with the truth because they want to hide it and replace it with a falsehood. A truth-teller is concerned with the truth because they want to state it as it is. But a bullshitter is different — their focus is neither on revealing nor on hiding the truth.
For a bullshitter, the truth is irrelevant. Their main concern is the effect of their words, such as persuading, impressing, or manipulating the listener. They don’t care whether their statement is factually true or false, only whether it serves their purpose.
That’s why the author says the bullshitter’s intention is neither to report the truth (like an honest person) nor to conceal it (like a liar). Instead, they simply do not find the truth useful for their goal.
Final Answer:
The bullshitter ignores truth completely because they do not find it useful.
When will a liar BEST turn into a bullshitter?
- When a liar stops worrying about the correct comprehension of reality
- When a liar stops misrepresenting the state of affairs
- When a liar focusses only on the outcome and not on telling lies
- When a liar stops responding to the truth
- When a liar lies to people about his intention
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
A liar and a bullshitter are similar in that both distort communication, but the intention behind their actions is different:
- Liar: A liar is still connected to the truth. They know the truth but intentionally say the opposite in order to mislead. Their focus is on misrepresenting reality.
- Bullshitter: A bullshitter, on the other hand, does not care whether what they say is true or false. Their focus is only on achieving a particular outcome, such as impressing, persuading, or distracting others.
Therefore, a liar turns into a bullshitter when they stop caring about the truth itself and instead focus entirely on the effect or outcome of their statements. In this state, they are no longer deliberately telling lies to cover the truth; they are simply indifferent to the truth, and only motivated by results.
This distinction is central to understanding why the passage highlights that focusing on the outcome rather than on lies themselves marks the transition from a liar to a bullshitter.
Top Questions on Reading Comprehension
- Read the following passage and answer the question that follows. \textit{Passage:} The lovely thing about the unsayable is that it is unsaid. As soon as it is said, it is sayable and loses all its mystery and ambiguity. Art exists so that the unsayable can be said without having to actually say it. We cloud it in secrecy and obfuscation. The mind is free to roam and all things can be imagined, under the cover of darkness. How nice that is. The unsayable. How tired we are of having things explained to us. Having things said. How nice it is when people just shut ... up. Which of the following options can be BEST inferred from the passage?
- XAT - 2025
- Verbal and Logical Ability
- Reading Comprehension
Trade is essentially the buying and selling of items produced elsewhere. All the services in retail and wholesale trading or commerce are specifically intended for profit. The towns and cities where all these works take place are known as trading centres. The rise of trading from barter at the local level to money-exchange on an international scale has produced many centres and institutions, such as trading centres or collection and distribution points.
Trading centres may be divided into rural and urban marketing centres. Rural marketing centres cater to nearby settlements. These are quasi-urban centres. They serve as trading centres of the most rudimentary type. Here, personal and professional services are not well-developed. These form local collecting and distributing centres. Most of these have mandis (wholesale markets) and also retailing areas. They are not urban centres per se but are significant centres for making available goods and services which are most frequently demanded by rural folk.
Periodic markets in rural areas are found where there are no regular markets and local periodic markets are organised at different temporal intervals. These may be weekly, bi-weekly markets where people from the surrounding areas meet their temporally accumulated demand. These markets are held on specified dates and move from one place to another. The shopkeepers, thus, remain busy all day while a large area is served by them.
Urban marketing centres have more widely specialised urban services. They provide ordinary goods and services as well as many of the specialised goods and services required by people. Ur- ban centres, therefore, offer manufactured goods as well as many specialised developed markets, e.g. markets for labour, housing, semi-or finished products. Services of educational institutions and professionals such as teachers, lawyers, consultants, physicians, dentists and veterinary doctors are available.- CUET (UG) - 2025
- Geography
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- India even now possesses a wealth of manuscripts running into many millions. Tradi- tionally, they were written on materials such as birch bark (bh¯urja pattra) and palm leaves. Birch bark was mainly used for north Indian scripts, and the writing was done with ink made of finely ground charcoal powder in a medium of gum, or soot from oil lamps. With palm leaves, there was no ink; rather, a sharp point was used to tear the leaf’s surface film; it would then be smeared with a paste of charcoal powder mixed in oil.
The art of paper making was introduced into India by the 11th century CE, perhaps from China through Nepal. The earliest extant Indian paper manuscript is dateable to 1105 CE; it was made from the fibers of a mountain plant. By the later half of the 15th century, Kashmir was producing paper of attractive quality from the pulps of rags and hemp, with lime and soda added to whiten the pulp. Sialkot, Zafarabad, Patna, Murshidabad, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad and Mysore were among the well- known centers of paper production.- CUET (UG) - 2025
- Knowledge Tradition - Practices India
- Reading Comprehension
- The arena is also described in the Mallapurāṇa. It is not the mat as is used to-day. The arena is known as ākhādhaka. It is high, levelled and low. Its dimensions are three devamāna (101 hastas or cubits), daityamāna (50 hastas) and martyamāna (21 hastas). It is square, triangular and circular. The earth with kankar, iron, wood, stone, thorn etc. should be avoided. It appears that the general dimension was 21 hastas which is equal to about 30 feet, and the devamāna and daityamāna seem to be more for rhetorics rather than actual use. The earth must be pleasing to see and as soft as that required for seed-laying and should be a hand high and levelled. It should be worshipped and Hari should be placed there and a bījapūraka be placed in the center of the arena. After worshiping 'Govinda' the king should see the wrestling.
- CUET (UG) - 2025
- Knowledge Tradition - Practices India
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- In the counselling process, the professional counsellor may use different techniques. In directive or counsellor-centred counselling, the counsellor plays a major role and does all that is possible to get the counsellee to make decisions in keeping with the diagnosis of the problem. In non-directive or permissive or client-centred counselling, the counsellor’s role is comparatively passive. The counsellee takes an active part in the process of therapy. The person seeking help is encouraged to gain insight into the problem with the help of the counsellor. The counsellee takes the final decisions. Thus, this counselling process turns out to be a growth experience for the person. In eclectic counselling, counsellors who advocate using this type of counselling are of the view that directed or non-directed counselling are two ends of continuum. And counsellors should incorporate suitable techniques from both the types of counselling mentioned above as and when required, depending on the situation, the problem and the temperament of the client.
- CUET (UG) - 2025
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Questions Asked in XAT exam
- What is the name of the AI-based app recently launched by the central government of India to provide study materials in regional languages?
- XAT - 2025
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- Which shipyard built INS Tushil, a stealth guided missile frigate, commissioned on Dec 9, 2024?
- XAT - 2025
- General Science
Match the following authors with their respective works.
Authors Books 1. Andy Weir A. Dune 2. Cixin Liu B. The Time Machine 3. Stephen Hawking C. The Brief History of Time 4. HG Wells D. The Martian 5. Frank Herbert E. The Three Body Problem - XAT - 2025
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- XAT - 2025
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- XAT - 2025
- Famous personalities and their contributions