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The Burnout Society
A Revolutionary Diagnosis of Our Time
In a world where success is measured by productivity and performance, Byung-Chul Han confronts us with a disturbing question: Why are we so tired? This brilliant philosophical essay reveals how we have moved from a disciplinary society to an achievement society, where each individual becomes their own exploiter.
Han masterfully dismantles the myth of contemporary freedom, showing how self-exploitation is more efficient than external exploitation because it is accompanied by a feeling of freedom.
Why is this book essential?
Because it explains with philosophical clarity the malaise of our age: depression, burnout, anxiety, and attention deficit are not simply individual pathologies, but symptoms of a profound social transformation.
Key Themes of the Book
From Duty to Ability
Analysis of the transition from disciplinary society to achievement society and its psychosocial consequences.
Neuronal Violence
Exploration of how the pressure to perform generates new forms of invisible and self-inflicted violence.
Exhaustion as Symptom
Interpretation of collective burnout as a sign of an unsustainable economic and social system.
Critique of Hyperactivity
Reflection on how multitasking and excess positivity destroy contemplative capacity.
Who This Book Is For
Exhausted professionals seeking to understand why, despite having more nominal freedom than ever, they feel trapped on an endless treadmill.
Students and academics interested in contemporary philosophy, critical sociology, and cultural studies.
Curious readers who want to understand the deep roots of phenomena such as burnout, mass depression, and the crisis of meaning in achievement societies.
Mental health professionals seeking theoretical frameworks to understand contemporary psychological distress from a social and philosophical perspective.
The Author: Byung-Chul Han
South Korean-German philosopher, professor of Philosophy and Cultural Studies at the Berlin University of the Arts. Han has become one of the most influential thinkers of our time, with a unique ability to diagnose the contemporary era. His works, translated into more than 20 languages, are essential references for understanding late capitalism, the digital age, and the social transformations of the 21st century.
Discover Why We Are Tired
A brief, profound, and revealing essay that will change the way you understand the contemporary world.
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