Why We’re All Burning Out | Byung-Chul Han’s Warning to the World
Summary
TLDRThis video script explores South Korean-born German philosopher Byung-Chul Han's concept of 'The Burnout Society,' highlighting the paradoxical confinements of modern capitalist society that promote self-optimization and achievement, leading to widespread exhaustion and disconnection. Han contrasts the external control of the past with today's internal drive, where individuals become their own oppressors, pushing towards self-imposed goals that often result in burnout. The script critiques the tyranny of positivity, the loss of profound human connection, and the reduction of life to mere survival and self-obsession, urging a contemplative resistance to the relentless positivity of the achievement society.
Takeaways
- 🌍 Modern society offers endless possibilities compared to previous generations.
- 🚀 The achievement society encourages people to become anything they want by working hard.
- ⚠️ Byung-Chul Han warns that this capitalist society can lead to burnout and other mental health issues.
- 📚 Han's book 'The Burnout Society' explores the negative impacts of today's achievement-driven culture.
- 🔄 Society has shifted from external control (discipline) to internal motivation (achievement).
- 🏋️♂️ The 'unlimited can' of modern society creates an illusion of freedom and opportunity.
- 🎭 The achievement society's focus on self-optimization leads to exhaustion and disconnection.
- 📱 Digital technology exacerbates the problem by fragmenting attention and overstimulating individuals.
- 🧠 Han argues that hyperattention prevents deep contemplation and creativity.
- 🚫 Han suggests incorporating more 'negativity' like breaks and boredom to counter the excess positivity and stress of modern life.
Q & A
What is the main argument presented in the video script about modern society?
-The script argues that while modern society offers endless possibilities and the freedom to become anything one wants, it also leads to collective burnout and disconnection due to the pressure of constant achievement and self-optimization.
Who is Byung-Chul Han and what is his primary concern regarding capitalist society?
-Byung-Chul Han is a South Korean-born German philosopher. His primary concern is that capitalist society is leading humanity toward collective burnout, narcissism, and hyperattention due to the pressures of an achievement-oriented culture.
What is the concept of 'The Burnout Society' as described by Byung-Chul Han?
-'The Burnout Society' refers to a societal state where individuals are increasingly exhausted and disconnected due to the relentless pursuit of achievement and self-optimization, which results in a profound state of exhaustion known as burnout.
How does the script differentiate between a 'disciplinary society' and an 'achievement society'?
-A 'disciplinary society' is characterized by external control, punishment, and obedience, while an 'achievement society' is marked by internal motivation, self-leadership, and the pursuit of personal goals and optimization.
What is the difference between the 'negativity of Should' and the 'positivity of Can' as per Han's explanation?
-The 'negativity of Should' implies an external force dictating actions and imposing rules, whereas the 'positivity of Can' represents an internal drive that motivates individuals to achieve and optimize themselves without external coercion.
What is the paradoxical confinement in the achievement society that the script discusses?
-The paradoxical confinement in the achievement society is the illusion of freedom and opportunity that actually serves as a subtle prison. People feel they are free, but they are confined by the internal pressure to constantly achieve and optimize themselves.
How does the script relate the concept of 'hyperattention' to the state of modern society?
-Hyperattention is described as a scattered form of attention that allows individuals to focus on many things superficially but prevents deep contemplation and creativity. The script relates this to the overstimulated environment of modern society, which demands constant multitasking and superficial attention.
What is the role of digital technology in exacerbating the issues of the achievement society, according to the script?
-Digital technology contributes to the issues of the achievement society by perpetuating excess positivity, providing an overload of stimuli, information, and impulses that fragment attention and hinder deep focus and creativity.
How does the script describe the impact of the achievement society on mental health?
-The script describes the achievement society as causing self-exploitation, leading to burnout, which is a precursor to depression. The constant pressure to achieve and the discrepancy between expectations and reality contribute to mental health issues.
What is the concept of 'vita contemplativa' as a form of resistance against the pressures of the achievement society?
-'Vita contemplativa,' or the contemplative life, is presented as a way to resist the pressures of the achievement society by actively protecting one's mind from excess positivity and intrusive stimuli, and embracing a state of 'being' rather than constant 'doing.'
What is the script's view on the role of health and the body in the modern achievement society?
-The script views the focus on health and the body in the modern achievement society as an empty way of living that reduces human virtue and meaning to physical appearance and vitality, often manifesting as self-obsessed and egoic activity.
Outlines
🚀 The Illusion of Freedom and Achievement Society
This paragraph introduces the modern era's supposed endless opportunities, contrasting them with the past where life was more predictable and limited. It criticizes the neoliberal narrative that anyone can achieve success through hard work, suggesting that this perspective hides a darker reality of societal burnout, as described by philosopher Byung-Chul Han in 'The Burnout Society'. The paragraph also touches on the shift from external control to internal motivation, where individuals are now driven to self-optimize and excel, reflecting a transition from a disciplinary to an achievement society.
🔄 The Paradox of Internal Motivation and Burnout
The second paragraph delves into the efficiency of internal motivation over external coercion, as observed by Han. It discusses how the shift from an obedience-based society to one that values achievement has led to individuals becoming their own taskmasters, carrying 'work camps inside'. This intrinsic drive for success and self-improvement often results in overextension and eventual burnout. The paragraph also explores Han's concept of 'positivity of Can' versus 'negativity of Should', and how the pressure to achieve in a society that expects constant self-optimization can lead to mental health issues like depression.
🤖 The Tyranny of Positivity and Self-Exploitation
This paragraph examines the consequences of living in an achievement society where positivity and the pursuit of endless goals dominate. It describes how individuals, driven by the imperative to achieve, become both the exploiter and the exploited, leading to self-inflicted stress and depression. Han's view on the overemphasis on positivity, including the dangers of multitasking and hyperattention in a digitally overstimulated world, is highlighted. The paragraph also discusses the impact of this lifestyle on creativity and profound thought, suggesting that the modern pace of life hinders the ability to produce original work.
🌿 The Contemplative Life as an Antidote to Burnout
The final paragraph suggests ways to counteract the pressures of the achievement society. It references Han's concept of 'vita contemplativa', promoting a contemplative life that resists the intrusion of positivity and overstimulation. The paragraph criticizes the modern focus on survival and health over a meaningful life, suggesting that this has led to a hollow existence centered on physical well-being and ego. It calls for setting boundaries to protect our minds and embracing states of 'being' over constant 'doing', as a means to find a more profound and less exhausting way of living.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Modern society
💡Neoliberalism
💡Burnout
💡Achievement society
💡Self-optimization
💡Hyperattention
💡Positivity and Negativity
💡Internal motivator
💡Contemplative life
💡Self-exploitation
💡Multitasking
Highlights
Modern society offers endless possibilities for self-actualization, contrasting with the limited options of previous generations.
The concept of working hard and living frugally to achieve success is presented as a universal path.
Byung-Chul Han's book 'The Burnout Society' explores the negative effects of today's achievement-oriented society.
Han identifies a shift from external control to internal motivation in modern society.
The transition from a disciplinary society to an achievement society is examined, highlighting the change in societal structures.
The paradox of feeling free yet confined within the achievement society is discussed.
The 'negativity of Should' is contrasted with the 'positivity of Can', illustrating the internal pressures of modern life.
Han describes the modern individual as carrying a 'work camp inside', self-imposing demands and restrictions.
The constant drive for self-optimization and achievement can lead to burnout and exhaustion.
The dichotomy of positivity and negativity is explored, with positivity being associated with endless achievement.
The 'tyranny of positivity' is critiqued for causing mental health issues like depression and burnout.
Han argues that the achievement society creates a pressure to achieve that is self-imposed and potentially harmful.
The role of digital technology in exacerbating the issues of burnout and fragmented attention is discussed.
Han criticizes the modern tendency towards multitasking and the loss of deep contemplation and creativity.
The impact of hyperattention and the inability to focus deeply on tasks is examined.
Han suggests that the capitalist economy prioritizes survival over the good life, leading to a hollow existence.
The book calls for incorporating more negativity, such as waiting and boredom, as a form of resistance to the pressures of the achievement society.
Han proposes the contemplative life as a means to counteract the overabundance of stimuli and positivity in modern life.
The transcript concludes with a call to question the focus on health and survival in the achievement society, suggesting a need for deeper meaning.
Transcripts
Aren’t we living in the best age ever!? I mean, look at the world around us! Modern society
grants us endless possibilities. Contrary to our grandparents (and their parents),
who were told to just pray to God, have kids, work in the factory, and shut up, we, the children of
modernity and neoliberalism, can become anything we want! We can become CEOs of our own startups,
hustlers, innovators, YouTube stars, Instagram models, you name it! You only have to work
hard and live on rice and beans for five years, and you’ll get there! And, yes, of course, this
applies to everyone! So, get off your lazy ass, start grinding, listen to Gary Vee, and you’ll be
among the rich and successful in no time. Because hey, you don’t want to be a loser, do you? No,
of course not! So, what are you waiting for? Get your Grindset on, and start crushing it!
Beneath this shiny surface of boundless opportunity, there’s, unfortunately, a
darker side. South Korean-born German philosopher Byung-Chul Han is concerned that our capitalist
society is increasingly leading humanity toward collective burnout and many other problems,
such as narcissism and hyperattention. His book The Burnout Society explains the effects
of today’s achievement society and why people are more exhausted and disconnected than ever before.
This video explores Byung-Chul Han’s warning to the world: The Burnout Society.
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Byung-Chul Han noticed a significant shift in what motivates us, particularly in the contexts of
work, self-improvement, and social interactions. In the past, it was the case that mainly external
control, such as punishment and strict rules, dictated people’s behavior. But times have
changed. Instead of external forces imposing our actions and goals on us, we are now internally
motivated. It’s not about obedience to some authority anymore while serving the greater good;
it’s about taking leadership over our own lives to achieve, self-optimize, and excel.
Han’s book thoroughly examines our shift from a disciplinary society to an achievement society.
He mentions the world described by philosopher Michel Foucault: a place of hospitals, psychiatric
facilities, prisons, barracks, and factories, which we replaced with fitness centers, office
towers, airports, banks, and shopping malls. At first sight, a rather grim, authoritarian society
based on punishment and obedience, characterized by rules and restrictions, has upgraded into this
liberated, sparkling society characterized by freedom and opportunity. Western capitalist
neoliberalism is where it’s at, people. It’s the realm of “unlimited can,” as Han puts it. Here,
we can become the best versions of ourselves. Isn’t it great to have all this freedom,
all these resources and opportunities, all these directions we can take our lives toward? I mean,
take our poor ancestors from the Industrial Age, for example; they could only have dreamt
of having the opportunity to climb the corporate ladder, being able to choose between twelve types
of SpongeBob toothpaste and travel the world, scavenging tourist trap after tourist trap,
gathering Instagram selfies with some vague resemblance of the Taj Mahal in the background
to keep up with the Joneses on social media. The insidious thing about the achievement
society is that, as members of it, we think we’re free, but, as Han makes clear, we’re not. The
achievement society also has its confinements, but they’re so hidden and paradoxical that most
people don’t even realize it. The real Matrix is today’s society, a celebrated illusion of freedom
and boundless opportunity, which, in reality, is one of the most ingenious prisons ever created.
And the ‘freedom’ we fight for (and some are even willing to die for) is illusory. We’re not free.
One of the fundamental differences between disciplinary and achievement societies is
what Han called the “negativity of Should” versus the “positivity of Can.” In the case
of ‘Should,’ there’s an external force telling us what to do, laying restrictions upon us, imposing
rules. We can see the tyranny of ‘Should’ as a metaphorical (or literal) slavemaster whipping
his servants into submission, forcing them to work. Take, for example, a guy named Kim Jong-Un,
who, just like his predecessors, puts people into prison camps, forcing them into labor,
which, in turn, fuels the country’s economy. The slavemaster approach works to a certain
extent. As long as you keep forcing people, punishing and threatening, they will (the
majority at least) do what they’re told. However, this method also comes with many obstacles:
first of all, it takes a lot of staffing and effort to force a significant portion
of the population to work and keep everyone in line. And what about human rights? Generally,
people don’t like to be forced and oppressed, let alone tortured. So, there’s always a risk
of riots and other forms of social unrest. In short, the tyranny of ‘Should’ is quite a hassle.
Han observed that the ‘Can’ approach is more effective. I quote:
The positivity of Can is much more efficient than the negativity of Should. Therefore,
the social unconscious switches from Should to Can. The achievement-subject
is faster and more productive than the obedience-subject.
End quote. An essential
difference between ‘Should’ and ‘Can’ is that the latter involves an internal motivator. Han
describes this as “carrying a work camp inside.” We have become our own masters. Instead of being
put into prison camps where a bunch of sadistic guards force us to work, we embody the camp as
we push ourselves to work; we’re both the guard and the prisoner. Intrinsic motivation is more
effective than extrinsic motivation. But, we could ask, where does this intrinsic motivation
come from? And why do these internal labor camps, so to speak, eventually lead to massive burnout?
The idea of freedom to do anything, to be anything you want – rich, famous, successful – sounds
enthralling. The world has become our playing field, an extensive realm of endless opportunity
where all our dreams come true. We’re not too concerned anymore with getting our basic needs
met or enduring at the hands of oppression: we’re all about self-optimizing, crafting our authentic
lifestyles, and becoming the best version of ourselves. Self-improvement and self-development
aren’t bad per se, but we could also overdo it. The problem with the achievement society is that
its members tend to be internally motivated to stretch themselves beyond their means (14). The
constant grinding and leveling up lead to this profound exhaustion called burnout (15).
Han speaks of the tyranny of positivity. Let’s briefly explore the dichotomy of
positivity and negativity Han presents in his book. In this case, positivity refers to our
actions toward achievement, self-optimization, pursuit of goals, and endless possibilities:
the “unlimited can.” Negativity relates to rules, restrictions, constraints, and boundaries,
but also things like boredom, waiting, and reflection. Negativity is what stops us from
the pursuit of achievement and self-optimization. The achievement subject is a freak of positivity.
We all know these overly motivated people who are always “on:” They jump out of bed,
take their latte enema, appear at work on Monday morning full of pep, and just go-go-go throughout
the whole week, grinding, trying to better themselves and those around them, always
thinking in opportunities, growth, improvement, upgrading performances. We celebrate these people;
companies love them. They’re the role models of the achievement society. But they’re also
exhausting to be around, aren’t they? And they generally disdain stuff like ‘breaks,’ ‘pauses,’
‘leisure,’ and other forms of downtime, unless it’s a teambuilding session or a surprise business
meeting during a company trip. Why have we evolved into people who just don’t know how to stop?
We may seem free subjects in the achievement society, but we haven’t revoked the ‘Should’
aspect. ‘Should’ is still there but in a different form. According to Han, the new commandment of
late-modern labor society is the “imperative to achieve.” It’s not just that we have the freedom
to achieve; achievement is expected, just as the disciplinary society expects obedience.
Not performing in the achievement society is not without consequences, as Han stated:
Disciplinary society is still governed by no. Its negativity produces madmen
and criminals. In contrast, achievement society creates depressives and losers.
End quote. It’s the pressure to
achieve that causes depression, according to Han. We constantly apply this pressure to ourselves,
leading to self-exploitation and setting often unrealistic, high expectations for ourselves,
which usually leads to a profound discrepancy between where we believe we should stand and
where we actually stand. The latter is always lacking due to the ever-shifting
goalposts. “The exploiter is simultaneously the exploited. Perpetrator and victim can
no longer be distinguished,” argues Han. The achievement society shows that exploitation
without domination is possible and even more potent, as, so it seems, we are our
own worst masters. But this auto-exploitation eventually exhausts us, leading to burnout,
the precursor to depression. I quote:
Depression—which often culminates in burnout—follows from overexcited,
overdriven, excessive self-reference that has assumed destructive traits. The exhausted,
depressive achievement-subject grinds itself down, so to speak. It is tired, exhausted by itself,
and at war with itself. Entirely incapable of stepping outward, of standing outside itself,
of relying on the Other, on the world, it locks its jaws on itself; paradoxically,
this leads the self to hollow and empty out. It wears out in a rat race it runs against itself.
End quote. Han calls the achievement subject a modern ‘animal
laborans’ who exploits itself to exhaustion and does so voluntarily, without external constraints.
He is both predator and prey. The subject’s failure to attain the ideal image leads to
auto-aggression. Being beaten by a prisonguard has been replaced by beating oneself up in the form of
bizarre, self-imposed demands, restrictions, self-scolding, and self-inflicted stress.
What makes matters worse is the role of digital technology in perpetuating the excess positivity
it exposes us to, which also comes as an excess of stimuli, information, and impulses. Our attention
has become fragmented. We have become incapable of deep contemplation and creative processes that
require profound attention. Instead, we developed hyperattention, a scattered form of attention that
allows us to superficially focus on many things simultaneously (or shortly after another) but
not profoundly on one thing, which is required to produce something new and original. All the
great works of art, literature, and inventions have been products of someone deeply focusing
on something. However, the overstimulated environment of modern-day achievement society
doesn’t allow its subjects to do so, as it demands laborers, grinding repetitive tasks, and doing
stuff that only requires superficial attention in exchange for fancy job titles on LinkedIn.
We have become a species of multitaskers. And we’re proud to be so. These days, when
scrolling through vacancies on whatever website, I see many job descriptions containing a list of
responsibilities: being a sparring partner, doing administrative tasks, advising project leaders,
being part of the board, visiting clients, communicating with other departments, and,
of course, your actual task, which is leading a team… all of this in one job. Also, companies
often require you to actively participate in a personal development plan as if just doing your
job isn’t enough. Sure, the multitasker they seek is functional and useful in terms of productivity,
but does this individual actually create something profound, something of substance? In most cases,
not really. “It reproduces and accelerates what is already available,” says Han.
The multitasker, the hyperattentive, hyperflexible being, is suited to run the corporate rat race. He
is always too busy; his attention is scattered; he’s always on the move, always in a rush,
switching between this and that, and has no time for the profound idleness that benefits
creativity. Add to this the interruptions by our smartphones: notifications from social media,
mailboxes, WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat… and we find that the noisy world around
us constantly hijacks our attention. According to Han, this hyperattention
isn’t progress and we have actually regressed into animalistic behavior. Animals are multitaskers,
too. In the wild, an animal must eat, watch its young, and keep an eye on its sexual
partner while being vigilant of environmental dangers. The capability of contemplation is a
uniquely human skill that we’ve squandered for the sake of repetitive, superficial
self-exploitation and exposure to hyper stimuli. And we’re paying the price for it. Han states:
Recent social developments and the structural change of wakefulness
are bringing human society deeper and deeper into the wilderness. For example,
bullying has achieved pandemic dimensions. Concern for the good life, which also includes life as
a member of the community, is yielding more and more to the simple concern for survival.
According to Han, we have become entrepreneurs of ourselves: highly individualistic achievement
subjects with egos ready to burst, suffering the ongoing pressure to accomplish. And we’re
quite narcissistic, too. Focusing almost entirely on ourselves, we swing between
self-absorption and self-obsession. Across the board, friendships and many
other connections with the community have lost meaning and lack profundity. Relationships are
fleeting and transactional. Serial monogamy has become the norm.
“In social networks, the function of “friends” is primarily to heighten narcissism by granting
attention, as consumers, to the ego exhibited as a commodity,” states Han
It’s all about me-me-me. The achievement subject doesn’t contribute to a greater
cause. The greater cause is synonymous with the project we call ‘me,’ an unending pursuit driven
by societal expectations, leading to exhaustion, burnout, mental illness, and, in the worst case,
self-destruction. Now, is there anything we can do to shield ourselves from the achievement society?
Byung-Chul Han’s book isn’t a self-help book. It doesn’t provide a practical step-by-step
guide for getting out of the rat race or combating burnout. But it does contain
ideas that counterweight our debilitating lifestyles, burdened by excess positivity,
which we could describe as incorporating more negativity in our lives. I’d say (although overly
simplified): Let’s all just take a freaking break, not just from work, but also from the
hyper stimuli that destroy our attention spans and the many societal expectations that turn us
into self-punishing labor camps. Han speaks of ‘vita contemplativa,’ the contemplative life,
which he regards as resistance to copious amounts of intrusive stimuli: it’s an active process of
protecting our minds from excess positivity. When someone takes a break these days,
it’s often something like binge-watching a series on Netflix while checking one’s phone, with music
in the background. This isn’t a break; it’s more like keeping the neurotic mind occupied because it
cannot endure boredom. A proper break is an active process, actively fending off all these stimuli to
experience a state of ‘being’ instead of ‘doing.’ Contemplation concerns itself with the world as
it is, not with achieving, self-optimizing, and the like. But to experience ‘being,’ we
must set boundaries that keep positivity from creeping in. Han also considers things like
waiting and boredom forms of negativity. Near the end of the book, Han states:
The capitalist economy absolutizes survival. It is not concerned with the good life. It is sustained
by the illusion that more capital produces more life, which means a greater capacity for living.
End quote. Han writes that the
capitalist economy takes livingness out of life, which is much more complex than mere vitality and
health. We’ve been reduced to our vital functions and capacities, and we seek to maximize these by
any means. Hence, the mania around health arose. After life has been stripped of all meaningful
narratives and values, health is what remains, according to Han. He calls health the “new
goddess.” And let’s face it. These days, we reduce virtue to the size of one’s bicep;
we reduce meaning to consuming 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of lean body mass. We
don’t worship any deity or higher ideal; we worship some woman’s butt on TikTok.
We worship the body. We devoutly keep it healthy (and aesthetically pleasing). But it’s an empty
way of living, focussing only on a fragment of what it means to be human, and it often
manifests as a self-obsessed, egoic activity. Isn’t it ironic that people so religiously
focus on health while, at the same time, their lives amount to nothing profound?
Why are we trying so hard to survive in this achievement society when we’re too dead to live?
Thank you for watching.
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