You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Sei que todo mundo ama o Byung-Chul Han pela clareza e concisão, mas eu só acho CHATO CHATO CHATO. Não é questão de concordar ou não com o que ele diz, mas sim o seu estilo CHATO. Nem quando ele fal de literatura se salva.
São livrinhos rapidíssimos dos quais esse é o segundo que peno em terminar, o primeiro que li dele foi em italiano e achei que por isso eu estava achando mais chato que deveria, mas em português é a mesma coisa.
São livrinhos rapidíssimos dos quais esse é o segundo que peno em terminar, o primeiro que li dele foi em italiano e achei que por isso eu estava achando mais chato que deveria, mas em português é a mesma coisa.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I have had an opportunity away from this work, and I concluded it it weak. It lacks data that is readily available and I understand that its immunological analogy is in conversation with that of other authors over the last decade or so. But that analogy is a poor model of the world and it leads to a tortured conclusion that simply leads no where worthy of additional consideration. But within the arena and rules of the sport the argument plays within, it is a fine work. In the end, he presents a false dilemma that fails to be persuasive or true.
‘The Burnout Society’ by Byung-Chul Han is a short, but dense, treatise on the fundamental societal and psychological changes that underlie our collective burnout. It attempts to explain why we feel burnout in ways that previous generations did not. In many ways we have been freed from past constraints. Shouldn’t this greater freedom lead to more happiness? What explains the paradox that our freer society is so full of exhaustion, depression and burnout?
To demonstrate Han’s approach, one of the fundamental concepts that he explores is the shift from the disciplinary-subject, one both limited and supported by entrenched cultural structures, to the achievement-subject, one who is free from most past constraints but is also adrift with little support. This “freedom” centers conflict within the self. In a sense, if one doesn’t “achieve”, then it is one’s own fault. The lack of structural limits on what is possible mean that the work is never done. Han calls this an excess of positivity. Negativity of the past condition was constraining, but since it also provided actual ends it meant that exhaustion could be collective and therefore regenerating. But, with that gone, in a condition of excess of positivity, exhaustion falls on the individual alone and is deeply depleting.
While this book is accessible, it helps to have familiarity with some of the writers that Han deals with extensively, such as Agamben, Arendt, Ehrenberg, Foucault, Freud, Heidegger, Nietzsche and others. Many of the points that Han makes are as critique of other works. The arguments in these books are adequately described, rather than simply referenced as if everyone knows them, but it does mean that Han’s views come out in the discourse and are not always directly stated. In other words, some of the concepts that Han introduces are constructed from bits and pieces that come in relation to the writings of these other authors. Nevertheless, doing the work as a reader to put these concepts together is worthwhile.
Overall, I found significant value in this work. I believe it gives an important perspective on the state of our society, and helps us understand why we are all so exhausted. It is diagnoses like these that will, perhaps, help us find our footing and a better balance.
To demonstrate Han’s approach, one of the fundamental concepts that he explores is the shift from the disciplinary-subject, one both limited and supported by entrenched cultural structures, to the achievement-subject, one who is free from most past constraints but is also adrift with little support. This “freedom” centers conflict within the self. In a sense, if one doesn’t “achieve”, then it is one’s own fault. The lack of structural limits on what is possible mean that the work is never done. Han calls this an excess of positivity. Negativity of the past condition was constraining, but since it also provided actual ends it meant that exhaustion could be collective and therefore regenerating. But, with that gone, in a condition of excess of positivity, exhaustion falls on the individual alone and is deeply depleting.
While this book is accessible, it helps to have familiarity with some of the writers that Han deals with extensively, such as Agamben, Arendt, Ehrenberg, Foucault, Freud, Heidegger, Nietzsche and others. Many of the points that Han makes are as critique of other works. The arguments in these books are adequately described, rather than simply referenced as if everyone knows them, but it does mean that Han’s views come out in the discourse and are not always directly stated. In other words, some of the concepts that Han introduces are constructed from bits and pieces that come in relation to the writings of these other authors. Nevertheless, doing the work as a reader to put these concepts together is worthwhile.
Overall, I found significant value in this work. I believe it gives an important perspective on the state of our society, and helps us understand why we are all so exhausted. It is diagnoses like these that will, perhaps, help us find our footing and a better balance.
Byung-Chul Han in "The Burnout Society" delves into the implications of shifts in social norms and psychic structures, He describes how contemporary individuals are compelled not by external restraints, but by an internal drive for continual self-optimisation, a phenomenon linked with a shift towards valuing unlimited potential and capability (35).
This internalisation of expectations leads to the “achievement-subject,” where the imperative to perform is a self-inflicted form of oppression, mirroring the myth of Prometheus whose liver eternally regenerates only to be perpetually consumed (35).Han presents a contemporary interpretation of Kafka's reworking of the Prometheus myth, tying it to the modern-day psyche of the "achievement-subject." The classic tale, reimagined as a metaphor for self-exploitation in today's performance-driven society, portrays Prometheus' perpetual suffering as analogous to the relentless self-demands placed on individuals.
The book’s final essay critiques the transformation from a society governed by prohibitive and repressive structures, as analysed by Freud, to one driven by a compulsion to achieve and excel. This shift entails moving from a psyche structured around negation and repression to one characterised by affirmation and the imperative to 'can,' not just 'should.'
Freed from traditional prohibitions, the modern individual faces new forms of psychic strain in a world where the self must constantly perform and produce to validate its worth.
Han’s critique extends to the implications of this psyche on mental health, highlighting a paradoxical relationship between the drive for achievement and the rise of mental disorders such as burnout and depression. These disorders are argued to arise not from repression, but from an "excess of positivity," where the inability to say no and the pressure to continuously perform lead to psychic breakdowns (38). This is evident in his assertion that "the late-modern achievement-subject grinds itself down... It wears out in a rat race it runs against itself" (40).
Overall, Han provides a compelling analysis of the shift from a Freudian model of psychological distress rooted in repression, to one where distress arises from the excesses of a self-driven, achievement-oriented society. This transformation results in a new form of psychological malaise characterised by overwhelming fatigue and existential emptiness, fundamentally altering how individuals relate to themselves and the world (41).
This internalisation of expectations leads to the “achievement-subject,” where the imperative to perform is a self-inflicted form of oppression, mirroring the myth of Prometheus whose liver eternally regenerates only to be perpetually consumed (35).Han presents a contemporary interpretation of Kafka's reworking of the Prometheus myth, tying it to the modern-day psyche of the "achievement-subject." The classic tale, reimagined as a metaphor for self-exploitation in today's performance-driven society, portrays Prometheus' perpetual suffering as analogous to the relentless self-demands placed on individuals.
The book’s final essay critiques the transformation from a society governed by prohibitive and repressive structures, as analysed by Freud, to one driven by a compulsion to achieve and excel. This shift entails moving from a psyche structured around negation and repression to one characterised by affirmation and the imperative to 'can,' not just 'should.'
Freed from traditional prohibitions, the modern individual faces new forms of psychic strain in a world where the self must constantly perform and produce to validate its worth.
Han’s critique extends to the implications of this psyche on mental health, highlighting a paradoxical relationship between the drive for achievement and the rise of mental disorders such as burnout and depression. These disorders are argued to arise not from repression, but from an "excess of positivity," where the inability to say no and the pressure to continuously perform lead to psychic breakdowns (38). This is evident in his assertion that "the late-modern achievement-subject grinds itself down... It wears out in a rat race it runs against itself" (40).
Overall, Han provides a compelling analysis of the shift from a Freudian model of psychological distress rooted in repression, to one where distress arises from the excesses of a self-driven, achievement-oriented society. This transformation results in a new form of psychological malaise characterised by overwhelming fatigue and existential emptiness, fundamentally altering how individuals relate to themselves and the world (41).
dark
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced