THE ART OF CRAP DETECTION

First Level

An amazing number of people think they are realistic, more down-to-earth,  and more practical if they are willing to lie routinely and frequently about what they think and do. It could be said that all human communications carry hidden agendas.  At the very surface of every conversation, there is a sense of bullshit in one form or another.

Practical and idealistic people say what they think and do, whether or not they think and do "good things." But the majority of human beings are not practical or realistic. They are not only capable of lying--they are lying all the time. They lie to themselves deeply enough to be mindlessly obedient to anything they are told is "the will of God," or is for some other sacred purpose. They lie because they want their lies respected.

Second Level

The paragraph's main point is to acknowledge that we as humans have a hard time admitting to our bullshit.  It is easier for us to feel validated in our thoughts and how we communicate than to acknowledge that what we think and say has some underlying hidden agenda.

In other words, itʻs easier to point out when other people are bullshitting you, but when it comes to yourself and what youʻre saying, you might have a difficult time acknowledging your bullshit.  No one ever wants to openly admit that what theyʻre saying might be carrying some form of hidden agenda that benefits them.

For example, when we are in a job interview, we will never admit any major work issues.  We will always try to highlight ourselves in the ideal position in the hopes that we are hired for the job.  

The purpose of this assignment is to understand that everyone carries some bullshit.  From the way we think and communicate, there will always be some form of hidden agenda.   Even an "idealist" can have a hidden agenda even when theyʻre called out on it and try to deny it.

The key question at the heart of the assignment is how to tell when youʻre full of crap?