Byung-Chul Han - Capitalism and the Death Drive

1 Cover

2 Title Page Capitalism and the Death Drive Byung-Chul Han Translated by Daniel Steuer polity

3 Copyright

4 Acknowledgements

5 Capitalism and the Death Drive Notes

6 Why Revolution Is Impossible Today Notes

7 The Total Exploitation of the Human Being Notes

8 Inside the Digital Panopticon Notes

9 Only What Is Dead Is Transparent Notes

10 Dataism and Nihilism

11 Torturous Emptiness Notes

12 Jumping Humans Notes

13 Where Do the Refugees Come From? Notes

14 Where the Wild Things Are Notes

15 Who Is a Refugee? Notes

16 Beauty Lies Yonder, in the Foreign Notes

17 The Big Rush Notes

18 In Your Face Notes

19 The End of Liberalism

20 Conversations It Is Eros That Defeats Depression Notes Capitalism Dislikes Silence Notes COVID-19 Has Reduced Us to a ‘Society of Survival’ ‘I Am Sorry, But These Are the Facts’ Notes

21 End User License Agreement

1 Cover

2 Table of Contents

3 Title Page

4 Copyright

5 Acknowledgements

6 Begin Reading

7 End User License Agreement

1 iii

2 iv

3 vii

4 viii

5 ix

6 1

7 2

8 3

9 4

10 5

11 6

12 7

13 8

14 9

15 10

16 11

17 12

18 13

19 14

20 15

21 16

22 17

23 18

24 19

25 20

26 21

27 22

28 23

29 24

30 25

31 26

32 27

33 28

34 29

35 30

36 31

37 32

38 33

39 34

40 35

41 36

42 37

43 38

44 39

45 40

46 41

47 42

48 43

49 44

50 45

51 46

52 47

53 48

54 49

55 50

56 51

57 52

58 53

59 54

60 55

61 56

62 57

63 58

64 59

65 60

66 61

67 62

68 63

69 64

70 65

71 66

72 67

73 68

74 69

75 70

76 71

77 72

78 73

79 74

80 75

81 76

82 77

83 78

84 79

85 80

86 81

87 82

88 83

89 84

90 85

91 86

92 87

93 88

94 89

95 90

96 91

97 93

98 94

99 95

100 96

101 97

102 98

103 99

104 100

105 101

106 102

107 103

108 104

109 105

110 106

111 107

112 108

113 109

114 110

115 111

116 112

117 113

118 114

119 115

120 116

121 117

122 118

123 119

124 120

125 121

126 122

127 123

128 124

129 125

130 126

131 127

132 128

133 129

134 130

135 131

136 132

137 133

138 134

139 135

140 136

141 137

142 138

143 139

144 151

Byung-Chul Han

Translated by Daniel Steuer

polity

Originally published in German as Kapitalismus und Todestrieb © MSB Matthes & Seitz Berlin Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Berlin 2019. All rights reserved.

This English edition © Polity Press, 2021

Excerpt from ‘Tur mir Leid, aber das sind die Tatsachen’ by Niels Boeing and Andreas Lebert in Die Zeit 5 (August 2014) © Die Zeit . Reprinted with permission of Die Zeit .

Interview ‘Byung-Chul Han: COVID-19 has reduced us to a “society of survival”’ by Carmen Sigüenza and Esther Rebollo, published on EURACTIV in May 2020 © EFE with EURACTIV. com. Reprinted with permission of EURACTIV.

Polity Press

65 Bridge Street

Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK

Polity Press

101 Station Landing

Suite 300

Medford, MA 02155, USA

All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-4502-5

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Han, Byung-Chul, author. | Steuer, Daniel, translator.

Title: Capitalism and the death drive / Byung-Chul Han ; translated by Daniel Steuer.

Other titles: Kapitalismus und Todestrie. English

Description: Cambridge, United Kingdom ; Medford, MA : Polity Press, [2021] | “Originally published in German as Kapitalismus und Todestrieb © MSB Matthes & Seitz Berlin Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Berlin 2019”--Title page verso. | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: “A leading cultural theorist examines the inherent destructiveness of capitalism”--Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020053305 (print) | LCCN 2020053306 (ebook) | ISBN 9781509545018 (hardback) | ISBN 9781509545001 (paperback) | ISBN 9781509545025 (epub) | ISBN 9781509547661 (pdf)

Subjects: LCSH: Capitalism--Moral and ethical aspects. | Capitalism--Social aspects.

Classification: LCC HB501 .H33413 2021 (print) | LCC HB501 (ebook) | DDC 330.12/2--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020053305

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020053306

The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate.

Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition.

For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com

‘Capitalism and the Death Drive’ appears for the first time in this volume.

‘Why Revolution Is Impossible Today’ was first published in Süddeutsche Zeitung , 3 September 2014.

‘The Total Exploitation of the Human Being’ was first published in Süddeutsche Zeitung , 20 June 2016.

‘Inside the Digital Panopticon’ was first published in Der Spiegel 02/2014.

‘Only What Is Dead Is Transparent’ was first published in Die Zeit 03/2012.

‘Dataism and Nihilism’ was first published in Die Zeit 40/ 2013.

‘Torturous Emptiness’ was first published in Die Welt , 30 December 2015, under the title: ‘Quälende Leere: Narzissmus ist der Grund für Selfies und Terror’ [Torturous Emptiness: Narcissism Is the Reason for Selfies and Terror].

‘Jumping Humans’ was first published in Die Zeit 04/2016.

‘Where Do the Refugees Come From?’ was first published in Der Tagesspiegel , 17 September 2015.

‘Where the Wild Things Are’ was first published in Die Welt , 8 September 2015.

‘Who Is a Refugee?’ was first published in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , 24 January 2017.

‘Beauty Lies Yonder, in the Foreign’ was first published in Die Welt , 24 November 2017, under the title ‘Deutsche sollten Deutsche bleiben’ [Germans Should Remain Germans].

‘The Big Rush’ was first published in Die Zeit 25/2013, under the title ‘Alles eilt: Wie wir die Zeit erleben’ [The Big Rush: How We Experience Time].

‘In Your Face’ was first published in Blau: Ein Kunstmagazin No. 9, March 2016, pp. 13–14.