Five Key Concepts From The Work Of Byung-Chul Han

The philosophical work of Byung-Chul Han is very interesting. His views are certainly worth analyzing, especially as they allow us to reflect on the lifestyle people have today.

This South Korean philosopher and writer is also an expert in cultural studies and has slowly become one of the most respected voices of contemporary thought.

His work focuses on the world we live in, including the effects technology has on our lifestyles, the culture of overwork, and the effects of capitalist globalization.

Some of his most notable works include The Burnout Society , The Agony of Eros , Topology of Violence , and Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism and New Technologies of Power . When you look at these works, there are a few key concepts that come up again and again. This is because they are a representation of how Byung-Chul Han sees the world.

Five key concepts from the work of Byung-Chul Han

1. Self-exploitation

Byung-Chul Han’s philosophy reflects the way we work today. According to Byung-Chul Han, people today tend to follow a certain social mandate without thinking about it: to do as much as possible.

Some time ago people only did what they had to do . However, now we think that we must be successful at all costs and it causes us a lot of stress if we do not succeed.

The worst part is that no one is forcing us to do this. Each and every one of us voluntarily surrenders to a regime of work and consumption.

2. Communication

Byung-Chul Han also says that we have replaced relationships with connections. People nowadays communicate almost exclusively through information sources that are scattered all over the world.

He also points out that true communication actually no longer exists, because of the lack of physical presence. There is only an exchange of information.

Except for our eyesight, we no longer use any of our senses as we used to. And that’s why our communication is bad. In addition, many people also tend to only seek out people who agree with them. People who would ‘like’ their posts on social media.

3. The Garden: One of the Key Concepts of Byung-Chul Han .’s Work

Byung-Chul Han does not agree with what the digital world imposes on us. In his work , the concept of the garden serves as a wake-up call to use our senses more.

This South Korean philosopher talks about a ‘secret garden’, an exclusive place where you can reconnect with reality, where the digital world does not exist. According to him, maintaining contact with this secret garden is a way of restoring what he calls ‘true beauty’.

4. The Other

In our present society we dedicate ourselves to the other, to that which is foreign, to that which is not ours. In a sense, we all strive to be exactly the same as each other. Trendy and ‘viral’ things are clear manifestations of the desire to belong to a community where everyone has the same mindset.

Byung-Chul Han says that the more we think like each other, the stronger our need to be productive becomes. He argues that diversity goes against the goals of neoliberalism.

If we lived in a world where only a few people had a smartphone and the rest didn’t, this would be very detrimental to the market. However, this is not the case. People are passive, which is why they are either customers or producers.

5. Time

Time is also a crucial element in Byung-Chul Han’s work. This philosopher believes that we need to change the way we use time.

We value only working quickly and working on unimportant things, to make things as fast as possible and let them go as easily as they entered our lives. It’s an attack on continuity and long-lasting, valuable things.

For Byung-Chul Han it is fundamental that we spend a little more time on ourselves. We need to take a moment to just do nothing or have fun.

There is no doubt that Byung-Chul Han’s work is very enriching. The best thing about his job is that he also sticks to what he says. All he wants is to strengthen his soul and his freedom.