The Value in Reading Byung-Chul Han

“Han occupies a somewhat unique position in today’s world that defies typical Right-Left categorization. This is partly because of Han’s bridging of multiple worlds: East and West; art and philosophy; theology and politics.”

“My task as a philosopher is to explain what kind of society we live in. Philosophy is truth-speaking,” explains Byung-Chul Han in a recent interview with Gesine Borcherdt in ArtReview. Han accomplishes his task in a unique style that is, in Borcherdt’s words, “like a mixture of Martin Heidegger and Zen.” And it is precisely in the unity of poetic style and philosophical substance where Han breaks new ground. One would be hard pressed to find more potent, concise meditations on contemporary life than those Han provides.

Han occupies a somewhat unique position in today’s world that defies typical Right-Left categorization. This is partly because of Han’s bridging of multiple worlds: East and West; art and philosophy; theology and politics. Han grew up in South Korea but has made Germany his home for many years. He writes works of philosophy, but with artistic flair. Han respects and understands Buddhism and Christianity, but he does not seem to practice either. Although Han has developed his ideas over decades, interest in his work has increased recently as weighty questions about technology, government, the pandemic, and more have grown. Borcherdt explains that “Han didn’t need to wait for a pandemic to describe how we are voluntarily tied to our laptops, how we exploit ourselves in the neoliberal home-office mode, how this makes us feel creative, smart and connected while we cover up our feelings of precarity with swipes and likes; he did that more than a decade ago.”

In two recent English releases in 2022, he plumbs new depths on culture and technology, which are recurring themes in his work. While there is some overlap here with his prior books, his punchy criticism of globalized culture, performative identity, and disembodied living stings, and his alternative vision of human flourishing enlivens.