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.
