Byung-Chul Han’s name has come up enough times in my meanderings on the internet that upon my most recent encounter, I decided to give his writing a try. I was reluctant knowing that he was a philosopher by profession. Because philosophers by profession tend to write for other philosophers and not for the occasionally-washed masses I would consider myself a part of. But his books were short. Which gave me hope.
I began with The Burnout Society. It was fine. Mainly about work in the current time. Well written. But brought no ideas to the fold that I had not heard before.
Then moved on to The Agony of Eros. About love, generally. Was also just fine. Lots of theoretical explanations as to why dating is hard, mainly. Which is fair enough, I suppose.
But it was only when I began Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism and New Technologies of Power that I became truly intrigued by Han’s lines of thought. While it did not shift my existing feelings on matters, it did give form and provide multiple angles of analysis to many of the amorphous thoughts and opinions floating around my head.
The writing itself is also entertaining in its own way which is always welcome. In its specific German-ness, it is reminiscent of Werner Herzog’s monologue on the “violent, baseless, obscenity, etc. etc. of the jungle” in Burden of Dreams.
In its latter half, it includes a very thorough analysis of how the use of data is detrimental to the spirit/geist. And ends on a lovely essay in celebration of idiocy.
I would recommend.
