Books about Bullshit from Amazon.com

One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes his share. But we tend to take the situation for granted. Most people are rather confident of their ability to recognize bullshit and to avoid being taken in by it. So the phenomenon has not aroused much deliberate concern. We have no clear understanding of what bullshit is, why there is so much of it, or what functions it serves. And we lack a conscientiously developed appreciation of what it means to us. In other words, as Harry Frankfurt writes, "we have no theory."

Frankfurt, one of the world's most influential moral philosophers, attempts to build such a theory here. With his characteristic combination of philosophical acuity, psychological insight, and wry humor, Frankfurt proceeds by exploring how bullshit and the related concept of humbug are distinct from lying. He argues that bullshitters misrepresent themselves to their audience not as liars do, that is, by deliberately making false claims about what is true. In fact, bullshit need not be untrue at all.

Rather, bullshitters seek to convey a certain impression of themselves without being concerned about whether anything at all is true. They quietly change the rules governing their end of the conversation so that claims about truth and falsity are irrelevant. Frankfurt concludes that although bullshit can take many innocent forms, excessive indulgence in it can eventually undermine the practitioner's capacity to tell the truth in a way that lying does not. Liars at least acknowledge that it matters what is true. By virtue of this, Frankfurt writes, bullshit is a greater enemy of the truth than lies are..
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Here's the bottom line: A sellout in its first year, this hilariously snarky calendar—adapted from the bestselling book The Dictionary of Corporate Bullshit—should go on every cubicle dweller's desktop ASAP. Decipher the myriad meanings of the word "interesting." The myth of "nonheirarchical." "Net-net," "deets," "impactful," and other annoying nonwords beloved by corporate tools. Discover hundreds of caustically funny definitions for the soulless jargon, clichés, euphemisms, and "buzzwords" deployed in offices across America, every day. It's perfect fodder for the watercooler. Off the record, of course..
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For more than 30 years, author, consultant, speaker, and entrepreneur Dan Kennedy has dished out no-nonsense advice, bases on his own experience, to achieve business and sales success He regularly get "millionaire-maker" results for satisfied clients in hundreds of professions and industries. His bestselling books include How to Make Millions with Your Ideas.

These proven-effective productivity strategies address reality—the information-overload world of cell phones, PDAs, faxes, e-mails, and need-it-yesterday business demands. This hard-hitting guide boils it all down to 10 time management techniques worth using..
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For more than 30 years, author, consultant, speaker, and entrepreneur Dan Kennedy has dished out no-nonsense advice, bases on his own experience, to achieve business and sales success He regularly get "millionaire-maker" results for satisfied clients in hundreds of professions and industries. His bestselling books include How to Make Millions with Your Ideas.

From one of the most highly compensated entrepreneur-speaker consultants out there come these effective tools to dramatically increase income. They include 16 proven strategies for exceptional success in sales, persuasion, and negotiation; 13 truths about selling; positioning tactics that replace prospecting; and more..
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You know what your IQ* is.
You may even know what your EIQ** is.
But do you know what your EBSQ*** is?
* INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT
** EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT
*** EMOTIONAL BULLSHIT QUOTIENT

An invisible plague is wreaking havoc on human relationships What is this destructive force? Emotional Bullshit.

In this groundbreaking book, clinical psychologist Dr. Carl Alasko contends that bullshit is everywhere and it’s getting stronger and more hazardous to our psychological well-being every day. From the highest precincts of commerce and politics to the most average, everyday conversations, we’re all affected by its toxicity. And yet most of us remain largely unaware of its influence. Alasko explains that this is because EBS is inspired by three interlocking dynamics inherent to our psychological structure: denial, delusion, and blame. Referred to by Alasko as the Toxic Trio, they work together in an intricate dance in which first a truth is denied, then delusion creates an alternate truth, and finally blame is shifted to someone else.

Drawing on extensive case studies from his private practice over the past twenty years, Alasko reveals that whether it’s a casual “I forgot,” or a premeditated deception, Emotional Bullshit always erodes trust and drives people apart. Absolutely no one is safe from its ruinous effects. The number-one New York Times–bestselling book On Bullshit familiarized the public with the philosophy of bullshit—and the humor that can surround it. This book tackles something that isn’t really that funny at all: how Emotional Bullshit is destroying people’s relationships and, in turn, their lives. Emotional Bullshit outlines a path for recognizing and breaking free from this most vicious of cycles..
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For more than 30 years, author, consultant, speaker, and entrepreneur Dan Kennedy has dished out no-nonsense advice, bases on his own experience, to achieve business and sales success. He regularly get "millionaire-maker" results for satisfied clients in hundreds of professions and industries. His bestselling books include How to Make Millions with Your Ideas.

Dan Kennedy offers readers frank advice for building a business and getting highly compensated in the process. Entrepreneurs can increase opportunities to succeed by using his four positioning strategies, 25 eternal business truths, and five keys to multiply cash flow, plus advice on people, sales, productivity, getting out of trouble, and achieving financial independence..
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This caustically funny Webster’s of the workplace cuts to the true meaning of the inane argot spouted in cubicles and conference rooms across the land.

At a price even an intern can afford and in a handy paperback format that won’t weigh down your messenger bag or briefcase, The Dictionary of Corporate Bullshit is a hilarious guide to the smoke-screen terms and passive-aggressive phrases we traffic in every day. Each entry begins with a straight definition followed by a series of alternative meanings that are, of course, what is really meant.

Take, for example, the widely used, seemingly innocuous term brainstorming:

1. to generate ideas as a group in an accepting environment and in a free-form manner
2. a supposedly relaxed forum in which no idea is a bad idea – that is, until you generate a bad idea and are met with uncomfortable silence/looks that suggest you are retarded or really uncool/the feeling that you are about to be fired

Beyond deciphering corporate commonplaces, you’ll learn the PC term for secret Santa (Holiday Harry); why the Blackberry is “most commonly referred to as a ‘Crackberry’ due to its highly addictive nature”; and that when a co-worker says “Have a good night”, they really mean: “this meaningless, seemingly interminable exchange of small talk is now over. I am no longer speaking to you, and will now flee this awkward social situation. Don’t even think of asking which way I’m walking.”

Just remember to read this only at COB (close of business) to avoid being busted (caught idling by your boss)..
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The scholarly discipline of Bullshit Studies has blossomed in the last several years, fertilized by a number of critical works on the subject and the growing importance of the issue across a wide range of professions. Now, best-selling author and lifelong practitioner Stanley Bing enters the field with a comprehensive look at the many attractive jobs now available to those who are serious about their bullshit and prepared to dedicate their working life to it.

What, Bing inquires, do a feng shui consultant, new media executive, wine steward, department store greeter, and Vice President of the United States have in common? What, too, are the actual duties performed by a McKinsey consultant? Other than sitting around making people nervous? Could that possibly be his core function? Likewise, what does an aromatherapist actually do, per se? Sniff things and rub them on people, for big fragrant bucks? Is that all?

The answer in all cases is "Yes." They all have bullshit jobs.

These few, of course, are just the beginning. Across the length and breadth of this shrinking globe, skillful bullshit artists have secured pleasant, lucrative employment, and are enjoying themselves more than you are. In virtually every occupation, from Advertising to Yoga Franchising, lucky individuals who "work" in these coveted positions enjoy the best lives imaginable -- they are paid well, they rarely break a sweat, and their professions are highly respected, because nobody really knows what they do.

At once funny, useful, and tolerably philosophical, this groundbreaking work takes a close look at 100 bullshit jobs -- the money they bring with them, the actual tasks and activities involved (if any), and famous and successful examples of each position, who will provide the neophyte with inspiration. Most crucially, Bing goes on to offer what others so far have not--a clear, concise strategy to help job-seekers at every level reach for that brass ring, knowing full well that it may be attached to the nose of a bull.

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