Byung-Chul Han: A Critical Introduction with Steven Knepper and Robert Wyllie

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Byung-Chul Han is one of the most important living philosophers,
renowned for his critiques of the digital age. In response to the
idea that new technological devices expand our freedom, he argues
that they lead to burnout and self-absorption and that we must
redevelop contemplative practices which slow us down and open us
up. He has brought to his thought forms of deep cosmopolitanism
developed from both Zen Buddhism and a renewed Romanticism.


This book is the first critical introduction to Han’s body of
work. Knepper, Stoneman, and Wyllie explore Han’s rich oeuvre to
date and his incisive contributions to a range of disciplines,
including critical theory, media studies, political philosophy,
and aesthetics. They unpack his key terms and illustrate his
concepts with a range of examples, revealing how the critiques of
the “achievement society” and burnout, which have earned Han a
global audience, build on his earlier accounts of power,
violence, and mood. This broader view addresses the most frequent
criticisms of Han and makes a compelling case that he is not only
an insightful diagnostician of the present moment but one whose
interpretation of both Western and Eastern traditions offers
wisdom for navigating the now acute problems of modernity.


This lively book is essential reading for anyone getting to grips
with Han’s extraordinary work.


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