Every epoch has its emblematic illnesses, this book argues, and our society is undergoing a silent paradigm shift that has led to the pathological exhaustion commonly referred to as "burnout."Korean-born German philosopher Byung-Chul Han teaches philosophy and cultural studies at Berlin's University of the Arts (UdK). In the past few years, his provocative essays have been translated into numerous languages, and he has become one of the most widely read philosophers in Europe and beyond. His work is presented here in English for the first time.