Five Fundamental Concepts Concept By Byung-Chul Han

Byung-Chul He has presented a very interesting philosophical work. These concepts from Byung-Chul are really worth analyzing, especially since they allow us to reflect on the lifestyle that people have nowadays.

This South Korean philosopher and author is also an expert in cultural studies and has become one of the most respected voices in today’s world. His work focuses on the world we live in, including the impact of technology on our lifestyle, our hectic work culture and the consequences of the globalization of capitalism.

Some of his fantastic works are The Burnout Society, The Agony of Eros, Topology of Violence and Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism and New Technologies of Power. Some concepts stand out in these books because they represent the way Byung-Chul Han sees the world.

Concept from Byung-Chul Han: self-exploitation

Byung-Chul He reflects on the way we work nowadays. For him, we humans follow a social mandate: to do as much as we can. In the past, people did only what they had to do. Nowadays, however, we believe that we must be successful at all costs and we get anxiety when we do not succeed.

The worst part is that no one is forcing us to do this. Each of us has chosen to give in to work and consumption.

Communication

He has also said that the relations have been replaced by connections. People are now communicating through sources of information that are spread all over the world.

He pointed out that real communication no longer exists due to the lack of physical presence. There is now only one exchange of information. All our senses, except sight, are no longer used as before. And that is the reason why we have poor communication. Nowadays, people only look for people who agree with them, the people who give a “Like” on what they post on social media.

The garden: a concept from Byung-Chul Han

This philosopher is against what the digital world imposes on us. In his work, the garden concept becomes an alarm clock for us to start using our senses more. He talks about the secret garden, an exclusive place where you can get in touch with reality again, where the digital world does not exist. According to him, this is a way for us to get in touch with what he calls our “true beauty”.

The second

In our society we devote ourselves to the other, to that which is strange, to that which is not ours. Everyone is trying to emulate each other. Trendy and “viral” things are obvious manifestations of a desire to belong to a society where everyone thinks the same way.

Byung-Chul He says that the more we think the same way, the more we feel the need to be productive. He argues that diversity runs counter to the goals of neoliberalism. If we had lived in a world where only some people use smartphones and others did not, it would have been devastating for the market. But this is not the case. People are passive, so they become either consumers or producers.

Time

Time is another critical element. Byung-Chul He explains that we should change the way we use time. We only care about working fast and working with insignificant things, about doing things as fast as we can and letting them go as easily as they have come into our lives. It’s a blow to what’s really important in life.

For him, it is important that we spend time with ourselves. We should take a moment to be ourselves, and do nothing and just have fun. This philosopher’s work is very enriching. The best thing is that he lives as he teaches. All he wants to do is strengthen his soul and his freedom.