Lecture 12 – Byung-Chul Han, Technology and The Burnout Society

Byung-Chul Han's work attempts to make sense of a number of things, what life is like in the late capitalist societies of the 21st century, the affective consequence of technological acceleration, how mental health has deteriorated in Western democracies, and the deleterious consequences of freedom and positivity. In this lecture, I will begin by explaining how Han approaches the question of time. The dysfunctions of time and temporality is in my view the core idea in Han, the one which makes all his other ideas intelligible. Subsequently, I will turn to outlining some of the affective conditions which occur because of our dysfunctional relation to time. Finally, I will explain the forms of resistance which Han thinks are absolutely crucial to re-humanize ourselves.

These lectures are brought to you by Staffordshire University's Philosophy team. Come study on our MA in Continental Philosophy via this link. Or, join our MA in Philosophy of Nature, Information and Technology via this link. Find out more about me here. January and September intakes available either F/T or P/T.