Han Feizi (book)
Encyclopedia
The Han Feizi is a work written by Han Feizi at the end of the Warring States Period
in China, detailing his political philosophy
. It belongs to the Legalist school of thought.
It is also valuable for its abundance of anecdotes about the China of pre-Qin
times.
(1) Between Parents and Children
"...despite the close relationship between parents and children, acts such as birth to a boy followed by celebration versus birth of a girl by her being killed. Both came from same parents, and resulted in dramatic differences from celebration to killing, is due to the considerations of future family development, as well as calculations of long term interest. Therefore, even parents to children uses interest as currency, other relationships can only be extrapolated downward..."
"...such as a child, parents did not treat him well, child grew up with complaints. As a grown up, his support towards his parents was meager, parents regreted with anger. Therefore, parents to children, the closest of all relationships, still resulted in complaints and anger, all due to one's interest not being fulfilled as they wish so..."
(2) Amorality - Something ought not to be weighted on the morality scale
"...chariot makers manufacture chariots, and thus wish more people making fortune; coffin makers craft coffins, and thus wish more people die. Not that chariot makers are good-hearted, since interests relates to people getting rich; nor are the coffin makers view people with hatred, since interests relates to people die. It all comes down to interests..."
"...doctors suck out poisonous blood from patient's wound, not that he is the patient's father, it is due to he receiving patient's medical fee..."
These seemingly cold-blooded descriptions are likely the day to day life stories normally observed and heard of during the late warring states period.
Warring States Period
The Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, or the Warring Kingdoms period, covers the Iron Age period from about 475 BC to the reunification of China under the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC...
in China, detailing his political philosophy
Chinese philosophy
Chinese philosophy is philosophy written in the Chinese tradition of thought. The majority of traditional Chinese philosophy originates in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States era, during a period known as the "Hundred Schools of Thought", which was characterized by significant intellectual and...
. It belongs to the Legalist school of thought.
It is also valuable for its abundance of anecdotes about the China of pre-Qin
Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou Dynasty was a Chinese dynasty that followed the Shang Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty. Although the Zhou Dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history, the actual political and military control of China by the Ji family lasted only until 771 BC, a period known as...
times.
Observations on Human Nature
Han Fei developed his theories based on observations of the competitive society in which he lived, in the late warring states period. In his youth, Han Fei studied with Xunzi, a Confucian scholar who formed the hypothesis that suggested human infants must be brought to their virtuous form through social-class-oriented Confucian moral education. Without such, Xunzi argued, man would act virtuelessly and be steered by his own human nature to commit immoral acts. Both life experience and education contributed to shaping Han Fei's philosophical point of view of an amoral and interest-driven human nature, upon which he founded his legalist theories. In his texts, Han Fei did not emphasize morality, as in his view morality was a loose and inefficient tool to educate a huge population. He agreed with his teacher's theory of "virtueless by birth", but instead of proposing an ideological scheme of steering man by Confucian education to achieve morality, so as to minimize competition and war, he pragmatically proposed to steer people by their own interest-driven nature, to actively engage in competition and war if necessary to improve society and develop the state. His legalist philosophy describes an interest-driven human nature together with the political methodologies to work with it, in which his laws can be executed to guide humanity, his statecraft can manage human resources, as well as his authority to maintain leadership, all for the interest of the state, and carried out by fishing the subjects of the state by feeding them with interests. The following are some examples of Han Fei's interest-oriented human nature:(1) Between Parents and Children
"...despite the close relationship between parents and children, acts such as birth to a boy followed by celebration versus birth of a girl by her being killed. Both came from same parents, and resulted in dramatic differences from celebration to killing, is due to the considerations of future family development, as well as calculations of long term interest. Therefore, even parents to children uses interest as currency, other relationships can only be extrapolated downward..."
"...such as a child, parents did not treat him well, child grew up with complaints. As a grown up, his support towards his parents was meager, parents regreted with anger. Therefore, parents to children, the closest of all relationships, still resulted in complaints and anger, all due to one's interest not being fulfilled as they wish so..."
(2) Amorality - Something ought not to be weighted on the morality scale
"...chariot makers manufacture chariots, and thus wish more people making fortune; coffin makers craft coffins, and thus wish more people die. Not that chariot makers are good-hearted, since interests relates to people getting rich; nor are the coffin makers view people with hatred, since interests relates to people die. It all comes down to interests..."
"...doctors suck out poisonous blood from patient's wound, not that he is the patient's father, it is due to he receiving patient's medical fee..."
These seemingly cold-blooded descriptions are likely the day to day life stories normally observed and heard of during the late warring states period.
To Qin Dynasty
Han Feizi's works contributed to the culture of the Qin Dynasy in a number of ways.Translations
- Liao, W. K. (trans.): The Complete Works Of Han Fei Tzŭ. 2 vol. London: Arthur Probsthain, vol. 1 1939, vol. 2 1959.