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Philosophize This! · October 6, 2025 · 40m
Episode #235 — The Philosophy of Zen Buddhism (Byung-Chul Han)
Byung-Chul Han's philosophical interpretation of Zen Buddhism. Han argues that Zen offers a genuine alternative to the Western obsession with productivity, self-optimization, and 'achievement society.' Not-doing is a radical act in a world of compulsive activity.
This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.
Canon
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Han via West: in a society that demands constant productivity, meditation (deliberate non-doing) is a political act. Not-doing interrupts the cycle of self-exploitation that 'achievement society' requires.
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Han via West: the 'burnout society' is the hedonic treadmill of achievement. Each accomplishment becomes the baseline for the next demand. Self-optimization has no endpoint — the optimized self always needs further optimization.
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