After watching a 60 Minutes show that featured a story on a book titled “On Bullshit,” I just had to go out and get the last copy in my local bookstore, espec-ially since the commen-tary also noted that marketing is one of the most notorious sources of bullshit.

The book, which is a 67-page tongue-in-cheek treatise, was written by one Harry G. Frankfurt, a Princeton University professor of philosophy. Frankfurt, who is well-known in academic philosophy circles but probably unknown to you, makes a distinction between liars and bullshitters.

In which category are marketers? What are some noteworthy examples of pharmaceutical marketing bullshit? How does marketing bullshit hurt the industry?

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