The Tonality of Thought

In a lecture given in 2023, Byung-Chul Han likened his thinking to music: like the Goldberg Variations, his books present variations on themes, though in his case the variations are articulated in the form of fundamental concepts. He also explained that his thinking is rooted in German Romanticism and Far Eastern thought: 'If I may compare my thinking with a fruit, then its skin and flesh are deeply romantic. The seed, in contrast, is Far Eastern.'

In the three lectures that make up The Tonality of Thought, Han invites readers into his world, discusses some of the artists and thinkers who have shaped his thinking, and explores some of the central preoccupations of his work. 'If asked to summarize my philosophical thoughts in one sentence, I would say: The Other disappears.' The more we immerse ourselves in digital communication, the more we lose the sense of touch and the physical presence of the Other. We become entangled in our own egos and become more and more depressed. We live in a society that is becoming increasingly narcissistic, in which individuals are turned in on themselves, incapable of relating to the Other in the way that Eros, as distinct from sex, requires.

Wide ranging in scope and conversational in style, these lectures are an ideal introduction to one of the most influential philosophers and cultural theorists writing today.