Bridget MacDonald
neurologist
On Wednesday, July 16th we were back at the Gladstone Arms digging deep into bullshit with Bridget MacDonald.
Bridget is a former consultant neurologist who led us by the hand into a world of bullshit. Inspired by the study "Bullshitters: Who Are They and What Do We Know about Their Lives", Bridget kicked off our evening by talking about what bullshit is, whether it’s good or bad, and who uses it and why. From there had a far-ranging, nearly 3-hour (!) conversation discussing the impact of bullshit on our lives.
Bullshit is a topic that teeters on the edge of neuroscience, ethics and politics and since it's something with which we all have experience (from both sides), it made for a great conversation and an fantastically inspiring night!
Bridget provided us with a bunch of fantastic articles and essays as reference. Take a look!
Pysche of the Autocrat - A panel discussion on the hows and whys of dictators and the people who support them. (Intro in Dutch, English begins at 2:09).
Bullshit - Wikipedia
On Bullshit - Harry Frankfurt (He wrote the book on bullshit. Literally.)
A Beginner’s Guide to Calling BS - New York Magazine
Bullshit Blindspots - PsyPost
ChatGPT is Bullshit - Michael Towsen Hicks, James Humphries & Joe Slater
Can You Bullshit a Bullshitter? - Pyschology Today
Bullshitters: Who Are They and What Do We Know about Their Lives? - John Jerrim, Phil Parker, Nikki Shure
16Jul25
Gladstone Arms / London
Bridget MacDonald is a retired consultant neurologist. She supervised postgraduate neurology education at Croydon University and St George's Hospitals in London. She has served as president of the Neuroscience Section of the Royal Society of Medicine. Her specialist interests are epilepsy, mental health in neurology patients, neuro-oncology and intellectually & multiply disabled adults. She was Treasurer of the Association of Medical Humanities and volunteers as a neurology opinion to the on-line support of Médecins Sans Frontières.
Bridget's publications can be found here.
image designed by John Manoogian III / creative commons licence