Topology of Violence by Byung-Chul Han | Book Discussion
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- Discussing and reading from 'Topology of Violence' by Byung-Chul Han, translated by Amanda DeMarco. MIT Press, 2018.
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indeed violence is invisible these days, but I have never thought that the invisibility itself could serve a purpose in this modern society. Interesting video, thank you very much for sharing it.
Thank you for being such a thoughtful and attentive listener. I felt that I touched on that point a little too quickly, and I appreciate you grasping it so well.
Interested in this book now. Thanks for reviewing. Will see if I can check it out. I had read before how the history of weapons keep increasing the distance from perpetrators to victims. It would have started with our fists to rocks to spears to arrows to gunpowder, missiles, now biological. IMHO it makes sense it would increase tribalism.
@@atxmaps thanks for your comment! You’re extending the topic in a very interesting dimension, not necessarily what Han covers in the book but relevant. Namely the possibility of technowarfare decreasing actual encounter with the enemy, and helping the construction of tribalist caricatures.
Hello. I always enjoy your tender style, and your thoughtful and fresh analysis. I have read several of Han's books over the past year or two, I like his work a lot. I was thinking of buying this as I feel a bit like I might have been 'beating myself up'; perhaps it will help? You mentioned the translator briefly at the beginning, but you didn't say whether you thought it was a good translation or not. Do you have any thoughts about that? All the books I've read by Han were translated by other people. Thanks : )
Thank you for your kind note and observations. The translation of this work was good, but perhaps not as energetic as the ones done by Erik Butler or Wieland Hoban. If you tell me which books you have already read by Han I could better respond with regard to recommending this book. Based on your description, I am also inclined to suggest Alice Miller’s work (The Drama of the Gifted Child), which impacted me more deeply than Han’s work on the topic of aggression to oneself.
@@DavoodGozli Thanks. I've read 'Agony of Eros', 'Saving Beauty', 'Transparency Society', 'Expulsion of the Other', 'Crisis of Narration', 'Philosophy of Zen', 'Absence', 'Shanzai', 'Vita Contempletiva', 'Scent of Time', 'Palliative Society', 'Capitalism and the Death Drive', and most recently 'What is Power'. Ouf! So kind of a obsession I guess more than merely liking his work... Probably I am better off re-reading some of them, which why I have been hesitating over 'Topology of Violence', but something about it just looks appealing for some reason. Probably it's just the orange cover! ... That Alice Miller one does look really good. Thanks for the recommendation. Perhaps you can re-view it (or already have?). Or did you ever consider to re-view some of the other books in the 'Untimely Meditations' series. I never read any, but some of them look interesting : )
Wow! You have read a lot. If it’s Han’s own ideas that motivate your continued reading, then I suspect you won’t encounter much new material in Topology of Violence. But I may be wrong. Sometimes an old idea comes to life when it is encountered in a new context or within a different discussion. I might review Alice Miller’s book(s) later-it might come across as self-helpy. There are too many ideas when it comes to this UA-cam channel, but there isn’t much time to execute them.
@@DavoodGozli It must be hard, but you are doing great, I like your channel a lot. Whatever you decide to do, I am sure your thoughts will be interesting. Yes, true sometimes it can help to read things in slightly different context. I think Han's idea about too much positivity and how it can lead us to depression and attacking ourselves is an interesting one; similar perhaps to the Lacanian/Zizekian idea that the superego tortures us with the imperative to 'Enjoy!'. It seems to explain a lot. It seems almost impossible to get out of that lived reality though. Based on what you have said in video and comments, I imagine that there is not too much different in the Topology of Violence, that is not already in Transparency/Palliative Society and Expulsion of the Other. But I might grab it anyway, I'll see : )
In thinking about your concern about “getting out,” I am reminded of what Alice Miller writes. She says we need to witnesses in our path to healing… one is a therapist and the other is the body. I agree with her regarding the body, though I think the therapist may be substituted by a friend or a social circle.