Byung-Chul Han: The Burnout Society & Vita Contemplativa

#leafbyleaf #bookreview #reading #literature #books #booktube #byungchulhan

[Pretzels]

Honey wake up - Leaf x Leaf is doing a Byung Chul Han video

[Tony-idkg]

Han is huge here in Germany - well, huge for a philosopher, or as he's better known, "Zeitkritiker". I think his popularity is due to his books really connecting with how people feel. He's very far from a typical, entombed in his tower academic. Some of my other favourites by him : Agonie des Eros (which is about love, loneliness and narcissism), Infokratie (which builds on the ideas of Burnout Society und its crossover with the information age) and his latest Krise der Narration, which deals with the increasing lack of meaning because of the lack of meaningful narratives in society...Honestly, any of his books offer at least one valuable and actionable idea. Great video!

[kieran_forster_artist]

Great introduction to Byung chul Han, Chris. You have shown readers why this philosopher truly does have powerful meta-insights that can help us. His clinical and sociological insight is amazing. Once you learn to read him so you can follow his associative style of thinking, there is just a plethora of real penetrating understanding. Thank you so much for bringing him to your readers !

[tysonn]

You know society is sick when we have to 'optimize' our free time.

[byAlecSanchez]

Leaf x Leaf has not only inspired me to read in the first place but also to become a better reader over time.

[LifeLessonsFromBooks]

Thank you. These books (and this philosopher/author) would be right up my alley and answer a lot of questions I have about the nonsensical nature of competitive work and toxic workplaces. When I left the corporate world two years ago, I’ve been going on a similar journey trying to understand it. These books I’m sure will help. Thank you.

[nadjaandersen]

I love your pacing and delivery. So clear cut and to the point. Thank you!

[fadista]

I can certainly see why this philosophy book fits into your repertoire, as you bring so much contemplative energy to all your videos...which leads me to say I think many people find them very high value, and while I hope you continue to make these vids, not at the cost of the vita contemplativa....✨️

Your intermittent fasting analogy is perfect and accurate. The brain needs fasting from data, stimulation, artificial environments, etc. Fasting is an activity with passive elements, it is a seeking out of healing and elevation, which is why most religions require it. I have been in CorporateWorld for 30 years and hear exactly what you are saying about "optimization", and that way it can train our brains into a mechanistic production line...the training can cause our brains to create everything as a target of optimization...I have found meditation and microdosing to be two key ways (along with fasting) to disallow the complete transformation this brain training our culture seems to be intent on pursuing.

So...always looking forward to your work...but take respites as needed!🌻

[brianclary]

Fine recommendations as usual, Chris. You mentioned that Byung Chul-Han is Catholic so the themes he addresses are timely with The Lenten season being underway. Trying to prepare a place for God in one’s day is one of the disciplines during these 40 days. I’m reading a book called Prayer by Catholic Theologian Hans Urs Von Balthazar and most of the book centers around the theme of contemplative prayer.

[mohammadataei]

this is THE most important video on YT

[thedialectic]

This is a great review and analysis of one of our modern maladies. As a deeply religious person, I kept feeling the argument towards my way of life. However, to fall short of the ideal is to be human. This is a great reframing of the need to worship, acknowledge that the love of the world is death, and live a contemplative life.

[Bob-ktbi]

this one really shifted my gears, thankyou

[jpmisterioman]

What I like about Han is that he's a philosopher in the original sense of the world. He tries to talk with us, normal people, and not hide himself behind academic jargon. These are my favorite writers/thinkers because this's what matters in the end: you can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you can't communicate it, it doesn't really matter. Anyways, you should also check out Mark Fisher's "realist capitalism".

[GavinskisTutorials]

I love Byung-Chul Han and both these books, and I really enjoyed hearing you recapping the main themes and giving your own additional thoughts, thank you so much!

[alexhopewell]

Perfect timing--halfway through Vita Contemplativa (have read most of Han's work already, and this one is resonating even more than his usual work) and am looking forward to your analysis.

[alex-xx]

This is a great video! One criticism I have is that I believe that neurological disorders like ADHD are often somewhat genetic (I and my mom who grew up in a very different society have ADHD). That said, I believe the many different symptoms of ADHD are experienced to a much lesser degree by people without it and the high engagement world we live in can create temporary (or not so temporary if lifestyle changes are not made) symptoms that mimic it. I don't have evidence for this, but just what I've anecdotally seen.

But otherwise I think the observation that our leisure time is often a part of the productivity process is so accurate. Again anecdotal, but I think a lot of this need for rest from work is the persistent mental trauma from work and our resistance to it. I think the solution (given like you mentioned we're talking about a 40 - 50 hour work day and not 80 - 100 which for most is unsustainable) is acceptance and boundary setting. For me personally it changed my life when I started scheduling my day hour by hour and accepting that what I needed to do as those hours passed was what was best for me (scheduling both work and leisure in these hours). That removed a lot of the resistance and mental struggle that came with doing work and a lot of the need for rest from it.

[naomioba]

My entry to Han was psychopolitics, and some of his interviews. Been devouring others such as expulsion of the other and rituals since. Can also highly recommend those. Esp how play is becoming yet another tool for getting us to spend more time and "achieve more" on platforms hit a chord while real play is killed (such as poetry as play with words).

[bjwnashe]

Excellent presentation. Always great to come across a new thinker/writer here. My first thought is that Han's thesis is perhaps limited to the bourgeois professional class. Lower class workers are still largely ruled by the old disciplinary model, enforced by cops and prisons. I look forward to reading Han. Sounds fascinating. Essential, even. Am curious if he discusses class struggle.

[elise_.y]

the idea of performance-based living due to our ego ideal and how that impacts our sense of identity sounds incredibly interesting! I feel like I’ve experienced this a lot in recent years where I seemingly can’t escape the compulsive desire to ‘optimise’ myself (my learning, my appearance, my digital self, everything really). Will definitely pick up some of his works! Do you know which one of his books talked about aesthetics? (Also, that intro video on philosophy was an incredibly helpful guideline for me on where to start haha, so thank you 😅!!)

[opencarrydrift]

Another great video, Thanks for all that you do!