Bullshit, Academic Style In lay terms, bullshit refers to lies and distortions. I do not use it this way, at least not exactly. Bullshit in the academic sense refers to “impressive-sounding claims without a direct concern for truth.” They may be false and they are statements no one should believe, but it is not because they are lies or mistakes. They are statements made that flagrantly disregard standards for truth, or, in the social sciences, validity. The rumor mill has it that Frankfurt, the Princeton philosopher who wrote the book,