Byung-Chul Han argues that eros, the encounter with another person who is truly different, is disappearing in a society driven by performance, transparency, and the self. Using Plato, Hegel, Lacan, and others, he describes how narcissism, pornography, and the culture of choice prevent us from meeting the Other. Without that otherness, desire and love lose their strength, and he links this loss to the pressures of late capitalism. The book is short and written in dense, concise paragraphs.
Readers of contemporary philosophy and cultural criticism will find an argument that fits with Han's The Burnout Society. It is a quick read, and suits anyone who wonders why dating and relationships feel flat.
Deep and contemplative; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Deep Diver. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2011
- Publisher
- Matthes & Seitz Berlin
- ISBN
- 9783882219739
- Language
- DE
