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A review by guineapigsforever
Non-Things: Upheaval in the Lifeworld by Byung-Chul Han
3.0
I was initially very excited to pick this slim book up, but soon was disappointed by its content.
While I appreciate the dichotomy of “things” (tangible) and “non-things” (information) as a framework for understanding the way we are changing in how we relate to the world, Han’s analysis falls flat after his strong opening.
He has a variety of uninvestigated assumptions such as his insistence that truth is “characterized by duration and stability”. I see how this can feel intuitive to the unsophisticated author, but I expect more from Han in a philosophical work to defend this claim and anticipate counter arguments.
I have more criticisms, but I ended up being most frustrated by the “bitter old man” that kept seeming to come through with his criticisms of technology from Airbnb and e-books and selfies.
The idea Han uses to close the first chapter, that people would be lulled into laziness with a Universal Basic Income, almost made me rate this lower, but I do think Byung-Chul Han is a thinker who has more potential and his brilliance shines even when he is off the mark.
The writing also felt stilted and choppy. Needs a better editor…
While I appreciate the dichotomy of “things” (tangible) and “non-things” (information) as a framework for understanding the way we are changing in how we relate to the world, Han’s analysis falls flat after his strong opening.
He has a variety of uninvestigated assumptions such as his insistence that truth is “characterized by duration and stability”. I see how this can feel intuitive to the unsophisticated author, but I expect more from Han in a philosophical work to defend this claim and anticipate counter arguments.
I have more criticisms, but I ended up being most frustrated by the “bitter old man” that kept seeming to come through with his criticisms of technology from Airbnb and e-books and selfies.
The idea Han uses to close the first chapter, that people would be lulled into laziness with a Universal Basic Income, almost made me rate this lower, but I do think Byung-Chul Han is a thinker who has more potential and his brilliance shines even when he is off the mark.
The writing also felt stilted and choppy. Needs a better editor…