The Burnout Society

Byung-Chul Han is one of the sharpest thinkers of our age, and he clearly showcases his ability to observe & analyze the subtle aspects of modern life and existence in a completely different way. And it's a better explanation for depression and burnout than most other theories in circulation.

Tough read but very relevant now

This is a great book. Every sentence seems like gem. It helps me to appreciate the current working of society. On the flip side a lot of germanic words are there in the book but we'll explained.

The book's content is amazing. However, the printing is cheap: the paper is of poor quality, and the letters are quite small. It is horrible to read.

Byung-Chul not only makes a crude analyse of our society, he is pointing out at the main causes of human desarray in our western culture. Smart and amazing. Don't miss it.

I can’t remember why I bought this book. But I wish I hadn’t. On reading the first chapter in which Han rather unwisely dismisses the ages of epidemics, both viral and bacterial (the book was written in 2010) which in hindsight -and even then- was wildly premature. Similarly no one has told Trump or other populists that the “immigrant is not an immunological Other, not a foreigner who poses a real danger, or of whom one is afraid”. To the extent that I understand Han’s thesis, it has been overtaken by events. But to be fair, that extent is extremely limited, on account of the concepts being presented in an extraordinarily obtuse, unduly Byzantine and obscure use of language. I have the feeling that if I were to read this tract in the original German I’d find it easier to digest. And I don’t speak a word of German. There, I’ve said it - this particular Emperor is stark naked. DNF.

60 Pages full of gobbledygook The Own founders on the negativity of the Other when it proves incapable of Negation in Turn. That is, the immunological self-assertion of the Own proceeds as the negation of Negation. The Own asserts itself in - and against - the Other by negating Its negativity ... Sry , but No right-minded Person keeps on Reading after such lines

This short but seminal work preceded Burnout syndrome by over a decade. It clearly states, in language that invites the reader in instead of confusing him, its thesis: modern achievement based society is sick, yet it has convinced itself it is the only way.