Honey wake up - Leaf x Leaf is doing a Byung Chul Han video

Han is huge here in Germany - well, huge for a philosopher, or as he's better known, "Zeitkritiker". I think his popularity is due to his books really connecting with how people feel. He's very far from a typical, entombed in his tower academic. Some of my other favourites by him : Agonie des Eros (which is about love, loneliness and narcissism), Infokratie (which builds on the ideas of Burnout Society und its crossover with the information age) and his latest Krise der Narration, which deals with the increasing lack of meaning because of the lack of meaningful narratives in society...Honestly, any of his books offer at least one valuable and actionable idea. Great video!

Leaf x Leaf has not only inspired me to read in the first place but also to become a better reader over time.

Great introduction to Byung chul Han, Chris. You have shown readers why this philosopher truly does have powerful meta-insights that can help us. His clinical and sociological insight is amazing. Once you learn to read him so you can follow his associative style of thinking, there is just a plethora of real penetrating understanding. Thank you so much for bringing him to your readers !

What I like about Han is that he's a philosopher in the original sense of the world. He tries to talk with us, normal people, and not hide himself behind academic jargon. These are my favorite writers/thinkers because this's what matters in the end: you can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you can't communicate it, it doesn't really matter. Anyways, you should also check out Mark Fisher's "realist capitalism".

Fine recommendations as usual, Chris. You mentioned that Byung Chul-Han is Catholic so the themes he addresses are timely with The Lenten season being underway. Trying to prepare a place for God in one’s day is one of the disciplines during these 40 days. I’m reading a book called Prayer by Catholic Theologian Hans Urs Von Balthazar and most of the book centers around the theme of contemplative prayer.

I can certainly see why this philosophy book fits into your repertoire, as you bring so much contemplative energy to all your videos...which leads me to say I think many people find them very high value, and while I hope you continue to make these vids, not at the cost of the vita contemplativa....✨️ Your intermittent fasting analogy is perfect and accurate. The brain needs fasting from data, stimulation, artificial environments, etc. Fasting is an activity with passive elements, it is a seeking out of healing and elevation, which is why most religions require it. I have been in CorporateWorld for 30 years and hear exactly what you are saying about "optimization", and that way it can train our brains into a mechanistic production line...the training can cause our brains to create everything as a target of optimization...I have found meditation and microdosing to be two key ways (along with fasting) to disallow the complete transformation this brain training our culture seems to be intent on pursuing. So...always looking forward to your work...but take respites as needed!🌻

Thank you. These books (and this philosopher/author) would be right up my alley and answer a lot of questions I have about the nonsensical nature of competitive work and toxic workplaces. When I left the corporate world two years ago, I’ve been going on a similar journey trying to understand it. These books I’m sure will help. Thank you.

this one really shifted my gears, thankyou

Saying things I’ve held in the background of my mind for years, now making sense!

This is a great video! One criticism I have is that I believe that neurological disorders like ADHD are often somewhat genetic (I and my mom who grew up in a very different society have ADHD). That said, I believe the many different symptoms of ADHD are experienced to a much lesser degree by people without it and the high engagement world we live in can create temporary (or not so temporary if lifestyle changes are not made) symptoms that mimic it. I don't have evidence for this, but just what I've anecdotally seen. But otherwise I think the observation that our leisure time is often a part of the productivity process is so accurate. Again anecdotal, but I think a lot of this need for rest from work is the persistent mental trauma from work and our resistance to it. I think the solution (given like you mentioned we're talking about a 40 - 50 hour work day and not 80 - 100 which for most is unsustainable) is acceptance and boundary setting. For me personally it changed my life when I started scheduling my day hour by hour and accepting that what I needed to do as those hours passed was what was best for me (scheduling both work and leisure in these hours). That removed a lot of the resistance and mental struggle that came with doing work and a lot of the need for rest from it.

Excellent video, as usual. Here is a quote by Beckett to go with it taken from "Proust and Three Dialogues with Georges Duthuit": "Death has not required us to keep a day free." In today's world, it seems more and more likely that the only excuse one might have to stop working is to unexpectedly kick the bucket, while attending a funeral will get you looks for not showing up at work. Not only are we not living contemplativa vitae, we have basically forgotten what it means to do so, hence, as you said, the number of people who will end up working during their vacations because that's all they feel comfortable doing with their time. In our societies, a vast number of people unexpectedly die within the first year of retirement. Not because they are already too old or sick, but because they failed to acclimate to the drastic change of pace in their lives. But hey, soon we will all use our Apple Vision Pros to... to... to..., well, I don't know exactly, but we will you use them, so there.

Like Iain McGilchrist's critique of our "Left-Brain" Society. It's heartening to see these ideas springing up as a corrective.

Excellent presentation. Always great to come across a new thinker/writer here. My first thought is that Han's thesis is perhaps limited to the bourgeois professional class. Lower class workers are still largely ruled by the old disciplinary model, enforced by cops and prisons. I look forward to reading Han. Sounds fascinating. Essential, even. Am curious if he discusses class struggle.

Another great video, Thanks for all that you do!

You know society is sick when we have to 'optimize' our free time.

the idea of performance-based living due to our ego ideal and how that impacts our sense of identity sounds incredibly interesting! I feel like I’ve experienced this a lot in recent years where I seemingly can’t escape the compulsive desire to ‘optimise’ myself (my learning, my appearance, my digital self, everything really). Will definitely pick up some of his works! Do you know which one of his books talked about aesthetics? (Also, that intro video on philosophy was an incredibly helpful guideline for me on where to start haha, so thank you 😅!!)

I guess we're all just reading Byung-Chul Han now huh lol Just finished The Palliative Society, strongly recommend

I was very disturbed (in a good way) by his Disappearance of Ritual. I am going to order these two books now. Thank you for the video!

Might be imagining it, but I think I hear a little Pieper in Han ... ('Leisure, the Basis of Culture' and 'A Theory of Festivity' in particular) - I don't know whether Han is Catholic, but if so that connection would make even more sense. Thank you for covering these books! I have also been recently getting into reading Han but haven't yet picked up his latest book. Looking forward to it.

Perfect timing--halfway through Vita Contemplativa (have read most of Han's work already, and this one is resonating even more than his usual work) and am looking forward to your analysis.

When the west went east they discovered eastern philosophy, a lot based on self introspection and putting away material thoughts. The only issue I could see was that the West was making progress and the East had been stagnant for centuries - by choice. He who neglects what is done for what ought to be done, sooner effects his own ruin than his preservation, Machiavelli. Just a thought.

Brillient.

Amazing video Chris! A lot of this sounds right on. Just curious though what you think about how people can/do deal with their minds during periods of inactivity because our minds have become conditioned so heavily by stimulation that boredom has become an intolerable torment. Like how do we reverse thrust in a practical way? It seems that our own minds might treat us more poorly in stasis than in hyperactivity. Stoicism? Curious to hear your thoughts!

When your favourite under the radar book is about to go mainstream...

The idea that the master becomes the slave of production, this desiring of production leading to neurosis, these are recurrent themes in Anti-Oedipus by Giles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. If you're interested in going deeper, you'd find a lot of insight there.

What do you think of flannery O'Connor? I haven't read her yet but I just ordered a book of hers. Curious on your thoughts

I read The Burnout Society in the German original a couple of years ago. As a philosophical argument, I found it severely lacking in structure and persuasiveness. But it is often that I observe this about continental philosophy more generally. I originally read it because a friend, who was in med school, gave it a raving review-I think she was most likely just burned out!

Much appreciated. Perhaps you will find a way to bring the vita contemplativa as a yinish complement to egoic attention. I get the feeling that this is an inside job, where the kingdom of god is said to be. All the much speakers are likely to quash the project; boundaries might help.

Funny - i found your channel from that philosophy video. I keep coming back because you choose some deep books.

Do you think you'll ever talk about Georges Bataille and his work? You've already covered Blanchot (one of my favorite vids of yours) who is Bataille-adjacent, so I'd love to hear your thoughts on Bataille!

Recommended non-fiction: *The social costs of neoliberalism: essays on the economics of K. William Kapp* -Book by Sebastian Berger

Do you think reading them both is important? Or does Vita Contemplative function as an updated restatement of The Burnout Society? Thanks for a great video.

Hey man, I'm new to the channel and you mentioned a submission-selection of sorts, but this topic got me thinking to make a request out of left field...I happened across a book called "48 Laws of Power" and perusing it, thought yes this basically explains what I see today. It's almost as if people read this and decided I will henceforth live my life with this as my bible. Is it off base to say that in the world as it is now, this genre has the highest fecundity?

The language of Burnout Society was mostly impenetrable for me. Too abstract and academic, nothing came out of it for me, even if I might agree with the larger thesis.

Video is perfect at 1.5x speed.

The most overrated, overpriced philosopher alive.