I totally missed the original HN post because it was flagged, seemingly in a knee-jerk manner based on the title. The title is of course superficially provocat

I totally missed the original HN post because it was flagged, seemingly in a knee-jerk manner based on the title. The title is of course superficially provocative, but it's also a reference to the construct of "bullshit" described in philosopher Harry Frankfurt's On Bullshit [1]. Roughly, the term in this context refers to speech that is distinct from lies specifically because the speaker has no interest in its truth value, only whether it will satisfy the audience in the moment (or the immediate requirements more generally). Misleading the audience not only isn't the point; it's of no consideration at all to the speaker. In that way, the concept is arguably a cousin of "performative utterance", in which speaking ipso facto renders the proclamation true (a la "I now pronounce you husband and wife"), as well as an alternative (and very human!) lens through which to view the phenomenon of "hallucination". [1] https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691122946/on-bullshit https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691122946/on...