The burnout society by Byung-Chul Han

About the author

Byung-Chul Han was born in 1959 in South Korea and settled in Germany in the 1980s where he studied philosophy at the University of Freiburg and German Literature and Theology at the University of Munich.

Currently, he is a professor of philosophy and cultural studies at the Berlin University of Arts and the author of several works on society and humankind. Han is also a scholar of the work of Martin Heidegger. His essays nourish discussions about sociocultural transitions, reconfigurations and their consequences for the development of contemporary subjects, establishing a dialogue with classical authors, such as Michel Foucault, Friedrich Nietzsche, Hannah Arendt, among others. The author stands out in contemporary philosophy for his criticism of capitalism, the working society and technology.

An introduction to the book

Han argues that, at the end of the cold war, there was a change from the pathological immunological paradigm towards the pathological neuronal one. This change accompanied the shift from a “disciplinary society” to a “performance society”.

The immunological paradigm is characterized by the immunological reaction to the strange, for example, the entry of a virus or a bacterium into the body and the consequent deployment of defences. This paradigm follows a dialectic of negativity: the strange (negative) penetrates oneself and tries to deny it, in turn, one must deny the negative for its survival and, by denying the negation, the one affirms itself. This paradigm, by definition, is incompatible with the globalization process.

On the other hand, the neural paradigm is defined by an excess of positivity and is reflected in psychiatric illnesses such as depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, borderline personality disorder or burnout syndrome. Such disorders are caused by pressure for performance when the person “can not do more” in a society that can do everything. The most common neuronal diseases of the 19th century follow a dialectic of positivity. There is, therefore, a saturation of the identical, which does not generate an immune reaction.

A burnout society

The author argues that today’s society is characterized by the disappearance of otherness and strangeness, the other appears merely as “difference”. Some examples are tourist activity, where the strange is seen as something exotic, or the gaze on immigrants, who no longer stimulate fear, but are only considered as a burden for society.

Before this paradigm shift, the author considers that we lived in a Foucauldian disciplinary society, defined by control and punishment and driven by the negativity of prohibition and duty.

In the XXI century, we went from the disciplinary society to the performance society, which is characterized by “power”, in the sense of “being able to do”, in it the individuals produce moved by an “entrepreneurial” motivation.
The performance individual exploits himself without the need for external coercion. He is disciplined, yet he believes that he is free and this feeling of freedom is paradoxical as it makes exploitation even more effective.

The movement from one society to another has the purpose of maintaining the constant increase in productivity: once the disciplinary technique of “duty” reached its limit, it advanced towards the society of performance to continue maximizing production through the idea of ​​”being able to do” and of the control that the performance individuals exercise themself. It should be noted that these societies have continuity with each other.

Information and multitasking

Han says that an excess of positivity also implies an excess of stimuli and information, for which the performance individual must manage his time and his attention. Multitasking is considered by the author a regression since it is something that wild animals must do in nature and that prevents them from immersing themselves in contemplation. All the cultural and creative achievements of society are due to attention and contemplation, for this, boredom and negativity are necessary.

A life without a sense

The author explains that the late modern ego is affected by a loss of beliefs that make life seem fleeting, this generates anxiety, nervousness and isolation. Man’s reaction to this is hyperactivity, work and production hysteria which in turn lead to psychiatric illness.
Excess activity is correlated to an increase in passivity, therefore, hyperactivity does not lead to freedom, but creates new obligations.

Negative feelings

The acceleration of life also makes it impossible to manifest the feeling of anger. This is the negation of the whole and by its force, it is capable of interrupting a state and making it possible for a new one to begin. Nowadays, the negative feelings that replace anger are circumstantials and do not support a change. Other negative feelings, such as sadness or fear, are also mitigated.
He says that this is because negativity slows down the acceleration process, so it should be eliminated.

Two necessary powers

Han recognizes two forms of power: the positive, the power to do something, and the negative, the power to don’t do. A balance between the two is necessary, since eliminating the negative generates hyperactivity and hyperpassivity.
Finally, he states that the performance society produces excessive exhaustion that isolates and divides the individuals, violently affecting the community.

To finish

Other intellectuals criticize Han for his negativity; in this work, for example, the author does not provide ideas to solve the issues of the performance society. Anyway, it’s a great description of postmodern society and it’s hard to not find some similarities in our lives.

This text is fully based on bibliographical revision.