Byung-Chul Han

This is a Korean name; the family name is Han.

2 Works

Byung-Chul Han, also spelled Pyng-ch'l Han, (born

1959 in Seoul) is a South Korean author, cultural theorist,
and professor at the Universitt der Knste Berlin (UdK)
in Berlin.

In Fatigue Society (original German title: Die Mdigkeitsgesellschaft), Han characterizes todays society as a
pathological landscape of neuronal disorders such
as depression, attention decit hyperactivity disorder,
borderline and burnout. He claims that they are not
infections but infarcts, which are not caused by the
negativity of peoples immunology, but by an excess of
positivity.[4]

Agonie des Eros (Agony of the Eros) carries ByungChul Hans thoughts, which he developed in his earlier books Fatigue Society (German: Die Mdigkeitsgesellschaft) and Transparency Society (German: Transparenzgesellschaft), forward and directs attention to one
another on the relationship of humans, on desire and love.
Based on an illuminating analysis of the characters in
Lars von Triers movie Melancholia, in which Han sees
depression and overcoming depicted, he develops in his
usual discursive manner the image of a society that is
increasingly dominated by narcissism and self-reference.
Hans diagnosis extends even to the point that he calls
the loss of desire, the disappearance of the ability to devote to the other, the stranger, the non-self. We revolve around ourselves, cramp us in ourselves, unable to
build relationships. Even love and sexuality are permeated by this social change: sex and pornography, exhibition and presentation are displacing love, eroticism and
desire from the public eye. The abundance of positivity
and self-reference leads to a loss of confrontation. Thinking, Han states, is based on the untreaded, on the desire for something that one does not yet understand. It is
connected to a high degree with Eros, so the Agony of
the Eros is also an Agony of Thought. Not everything
must be understood and liked, not everything must be
made available.

Life and work

Byung-Chul Han studied metallurgy in Korea before he

moved to Germany in the 1980s to study Philosophy,
German Literature and Catholic theology in Freiburg im
Breisgau and Munich. He received his doctoral degree at
Freiburg with a dissertation on Martin Heidegger in 1994.
In 2000, he joined the Department of Philosophy at the
University of Basel, where he completed his Habilitation.
In 2010 he became a faculty member at the HfG
Karlsruhe, where his areas of interest were philosophy of the 18th, 19th and 20th century, ethics, social
philosophy, phenomenology, cultural theory, aesthetics,
religion, media theory, and intercultural philosophy.
Since 2012 he teaches philosophy and cultural studies at
the Universitt der Knste Berlin (UdK), where he directs
the newly established Studium Generale general-studies
program.[1]

Han is the author of sixteen books, of which the most

recent are treatises on what he terms a society of
tiredness (Mdigkeitsgesellschaft), a society of transparency (Transparenzgesellschaft), and on his neologist
concept of shanzai, which seeks to identify modes of
deconstruction in contemporary practices of Chinese In Topologie der Gewalt (Topology of Violence), ByungChul Han continues his alarming analysis of a society on
capitalism.
the edge of collapse that he started with MdigkeitsgeHans current work focuses on transparency as a cultural sellschaft (Fatigue Society). Focusing on the relation benorm created by neoliberal market forces, which he un- tween violence and individuality, he shows, that albeit the
derstands as the insatiable drive toward voluntary disclo- widespread thesis about its disappearance, violence has
sure bordering on the pornographic. According to Han, only changed its form of appearance and operates more
the dictates of transparency enforce a totalitarian system subtly. The martial form of violence gives way to a more
of openness at the expense of other social values such as anonymous, desubjectied, systemic one, that does not
shame, secrecy, and trust.[2]
reveal itself, as it is merging with its antagonist freeUntil recently, he refused to give radio and television in- dom. Through Sigmund Freud, Walter Benjamin, Carl
terviews and rarely divulges any biographical or personal Schmitt, Richard Sennett, Ren Girard, Giorgio Agamben, Deleuze/Guattari, Michel Foucault, Michel Serres,
details, including his date of birth, in public.[3]
1

5 SELECTED WORKS

Pierre Bourdieu and Martin Heidegger, Han approaches

his own concept of violence, that nds to work in free individuality. Driven by the only demand to persevere and
not to fail, as well as by the ambition of eciency, we become committers and sacricers at the same time and get
into a swirl of demarcation, selfexploitation and collapse.
Hans lucid study of violence oers plenty unorthodox
thoughts and is not afraid of critical scrutinizing common
in modern society concepts of freedom, individuality and
self-fulllment, bringing to light their shady sides.

Korean edition:
ISBN 9788932023960.

Moonji, 2010,

Mdigkeitsgesellschaft Matthes & Seitz, Berlin

2010, ISBN 978-3-88221-616-5.
Brazilian edition: in progress, Vozes.
Danish edition: Trthedssamfundet. Mller,
2012, ISBN 9788799404377.
Dutch edition: De vermoeide samenleving. van
gennep, 2012, ISBN 9789461640710.

Themes

Han has written on topics such as attention decit hyperactivity disorder, borderline, burnout, depression,
exhaustion, internet, love, pop culture, power,
rationality, religion, social media, subjectivity, tiredness,
transparency and violence.

Duft der Zeit: Ein philosophischer Essay zur Kunst

des Verweilens. Transkript 2009.

English edition: in progress, Stanford UP.

French edition: La Socit de la fatigue, dition circ, 2014, ISBN 978-2842423568.[7]
Greek edition: in progress, Editions Opera.
Italian edition: La societ della stanchezza.
nottetempo, 2012, ISBN 978-88-7452-345-0.
Korean edition:
9788932023960.

Reception

Mdigkeitsgesellschaft will soon be available in 11

languages.[5] Several Korean newspapers voted it to be
the most important book in 2012.[6]

. Moonji, 2011, ISBN

Macedonian edition: in progress, Tabahon.

Portuguese edition:
D'gua Editores.

in progress, Relgio

Romanian edition: in progress, Humanitas.

Spanish edition: La sociedad del cansancio.

Barcelona, Herder Editorial, 2012, ISBN 97884-254-2868-5.

Selected Works
Heideggers Herz. Zum Begri der Stimmung bei
Martin Heidegger. Wilhelm Fink, Paderborn 1999.

Swedish edition: Trtthetssamhllet. Ersatz,

2013, ISBN 978-91-87219-62-7.

Todesarten. Philosophische Untersuchungen zum

Tod. Wilhelm Fink, Paderborn 1999.

Taiwanese edition: in progress, Locus.

Martin Heidegger. UTB, Stuttgart 1999.

Tod und Alteritt. Wilhelm Fink, Paderborn 2002.
Philosophie des Zen-Buddhismus. Reclam, Stuttgart
2002.
Was ist Macht. Reclam, Stuttgart 2005.
Korean edition:
ISBN 9788976823335.

. Moonji, 2009,

Hyperkulturalitt:
Kultur und Globalisierung.
Merve, Berlin 2005.

Turkish edition: in progress, Pinar Yayinlari.

Shanzhai
- Dekonstruktion auf Chinesisch.
Merve, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-88396-294-8.
Topologie der Gewalt. Matthes & Seitz, Berlin 2011,
ISBN 978-3-88221-495-6.
Korean edition: in progress, Moonji.
Turkish edition: in progress, Metis.
Transparenzgesellschaft. Matthes & Seitz, Berlin
2012, ISBN 978-3-88221-595-3.
Dutch edition: De transparente samenleving.
van gennep, 2012, ISBN 9789461641892.

Hegel und die Macht. Ein Versuch ber die Freundlichkeit. Wilhelm Fink, Paderborn 2005.

English edition: in progress, Stanford UP.

Gute Unterhaltung.
Eine Dekonstruktion der
abendlndischen Passionsgeschichte. Verlag Vorwerk 8, Berlin 2007.

Italien edition: in progress, nottetempo.

Abwesen: Zur Kultur und Philosophie des Fernen Ostens. Merve, Berlin 2007.

Portuguese edition:
D'gua Editores.

Greek edition: in progress, Editions Opera.

Korean edition: ""
ISBN 9788932026114.

"", Moonji, 2014,

in progress, Relgio

3
Romanian edition: in progress, Humanitas.
Russian edition: in progress, Logos.
Spanish edition: La sociedad de la transparencia. Barcelona, Herder Editorial, 2013, ISBN
9788425432521.
Agonie des Eros. Matthes & Seitz, Berlin 2012,
ISBN 978-3-88221-973-9.
Dutch edition: in progress, van gennep.
French edition: in progress, Autrement.
Italian edition: Eros in agonia. nottetempo,
2013, ISBN 9788874524235.
Korean edition: in progress, Moonji.
Portuguese edition:
D'gua Editores.

in progress, Relgio

Romanian edition: Agonia erosului, Humanitas, ISBN 978-973-50-4326-1, EPUB/PDF

ISBN 978-973-50-4466-4.
Spanish edition:
La agona del Eros.
Barcelona, Herder Editorial, 2014. ISBN
978-84-254-3254-5.
Bitte Augen schlieen. Auf der Suche nach einer
anderen Zeit. Matthes & Seitz Berlin 2013 ebook,
ISBN 978-3-88221-064-4.
Digitale Rationalitt und das Ende des kommunikativen Handelns. Matthes & Seitz Berlin 2013, ISBN
978-3-88221-066-8.
Italian edition: Razionalit Digitale. La ne
dell'agire comunicativo. GoWare edizioni,
2014, ISBN 978-88-6797-145-9
Im Schwarm. Ansichten des Digitalen. Matthes &
Seitz Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-88221-037-8.
Spanish edition: En el enjambre. Barcelona,
Herder Editorial, 2014, ISBN 978-84-2543368-9.
French edition: in progress, Actes Sud.
Italian edition: in progress, nottetempo.
Swedish edition: I svrmen. Tankar om det
digitala . Stockholm, Ersatz, 2014. ISBN 97891-87219-76-4.
Psychopolitik: Neoliberalismus und die neuen Machttechniken (Essay Collection). S. Fischer Verlag
Frankfurt 2014 ISBN 978-3100022035.
Spanish edition: Psicopoltica. Barcelona,
Herder Editorial, 2014, ISBN 978-84-2543368-9.

6 References
[1] Studium Generale.
[2] Klarheit schaen. der Freitag. 2012-06-07. Retrieved
2012-06-09.
[3] Play more and work less: A visit with Byung-Chul Han
in Karlsruhe. Sign and Sight. 2011-07-25. Retrieved
2012-06-09.
[4] "
2012-11-29.

".

[5] Translations.
[6] Koreas Most Important Books 2012.
[7] (French)Byung-Chul Han - La Socit de la fatigue, Traduction de l'allemand par Julie Stroz on editions-circe.fr

7 External links
Literature by and about Byung-Chul Han in the
German National Library catalogue
Byung-Chul Hans web page at the Staatliche
Hochschule fr Gestaltung, Karlsruhe
http://www.udk-berlin.de/sites/content/themen/
universitaet/studium_generale/
Byung-Chul Han, Essay on the ethics of drones:
http://www.matthes-seitz-berlin.de/artikel/
byung-chul-han-die-ethik-des-drohnenkriegs.html
Interview with Byung-Chul Han in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung: http://sz-magazin.sueddeutsche.
de/texte/anzeigen/39059

8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1

Text

Byung-Chul Han Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byung-Chul%20Han?oldid=647928082 Contributors: Gabbe, BD2412, Bgwhite,

Nikkimaria, David Ludwig, Not Sure, Galadrien, Mycomp, Calusarul, SchreiberBike, Addbot, DSisyphBot, ZroBot, Betweenoors, Hedian, Tony3512, BG19bot, CityOfSilver, Mogism, Arev Schneider, EMBViki, Gazophylacium, EmanuM, Db9023, Sophia-ka, Khw0302,
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Content license

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