Harry Frankfurt: American philosopher dies at 94

Harry Frankfurt was an American philosopher who made significant impact in the area of ethics and philosophy of mind.

Frankfurt died of congestive heart failure at a nursing facility, on July 16, 2023. He was aged 94.

Frankfurt was born on May 29, 1929, in Pennsylvania, United States, Frankfurt was professor emeritus of philosophy.

He had served in that capacity at Princeton University from 1990 to 2002, at Yale University, Rockefeller University, Ohio State University, and SUNY Binghamton.

Frankfurt was notable for his 1986 paper On Bullshit, which digs deep into the philosophical concept of “bullshit”. The paper was made into a book, and became a bestseller in 2005. In 2006, he published a second book titled On Truth.

As a result, Frankfurt began to appear on TV shows like the Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show.

Frankfurt’s philosophical concept of “bullshit” explains that bullshitting and lying are different, in that it is an act that has no regard for the truth.

According to him, “It is impossible for someone to lie unless he thinks he knows the truth. On the contrary, bullshit requires no such conviction.”