Non-Things
Non-Things by Byung-Chul Hanby Byung-Chul Han
Shares rank 25 of 30 philosophy books by recommenders
Readers say it is enjoyable and a worthwhile alternative to doomscrolling, and it has encouraged at least one reader to use their phone less.
Readers say it is enjoyable and a worthwhile alternative to doomscrolling, and it has encouraged at least one reader to use their phone less.
2 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 2
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 2 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Enjoyable to read so far
“Picked up a sample based on your comment and I'm really enjoying it”
Comment from 25 Mar 2026 in “Is anybody else bored of talking about AI?” “Haven't finished it yet, but enjoying it so far.”
Comment from 24 Mar 2026 in “Is anybody else bored of talking about AI?” Alternative to doomscrolling
“I'd recommend reading the book, if you're looking for something to do instead of doomscrolling.”
Comment from 27 Apr 2026 in “Men Who Stare at Walls” Encourages using phone less
“it convinced me to stop using my phone as much”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “I Learned to Read Again”
Other philosophy books people recommend
The four most recommended other philosophy books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tao Te Chingby 老子 and Yang Peng and Jordi Fibla and James Legge | 32 | 3 | 91% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenanceby Robert M. Pirsig | 24 | 3 | 89% | 9 | 44 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| Meditationsby Marcus Aurelius | 17 | 4 | 81% | 8 | — | Approved |
| I Am a Strange Loopby Douglas R. Hofstadter | 16 | 1 | 94% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Non-Thingsby Byung-Chul HanThis page | 2 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it convinced me to stop using my phone as much”
“I'd recommend reading the book, if you're looking for something to do instead of doomscrolling.”
“Picked up a sample based on your comment and I'm really enjoying it”
“Haven't finished it yet, but enjoying it so far.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.