Han Fei

Han Fei

Han Fei (c. 280-233 B.C.) was a famous thinker and philosopher of the late Warring States period (475-221 B.C.). A representative scholar of the Legalist school of thought, he integrated and developed the concepts of “Shi” (power or authority), “Shu” (methods or techniques), and “Fa” (laws) to create a complete set of theories to justify the feudal monarchical system. Han Fei's ideas and theories were collected in the Hanfeizi.

Han Fei was a realist who believed that human nature was driven by self-interest, that politics originated from conflicts of interests in society, and that contradictions and struggles were the norm of political life. He believed that a state could not rely on wise and capable rulers to ensure sustained prosperity, but should focus on institutional development. He advised rulers to learn how to rely on peace to control movement and rely on transcendence to control reality. At the same time, he emphasized the need for a bureaucratic structure that ensured the appointment of officials on the basis of ability and accountability that rewarded good performance and punished bad behaviors.

Han Fei promoted the idea of ruling the state by law. He emphasized that only when the ruler governed according to the law, bureaucrats followed the law, and the populace abided by the law, could a centralized state maintain lasting stability. Han Fei's theories were applied and developed during the periods that witnessed high levels of centralization after the Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.), exerting great influence on later generations.

韓非

韓非（約前280—前233），戰國末期著名思想家、哲學家，法家學派代表人物。他融合并發展了“勢”“術”“法”，并發展形成完備的理論體系，為封建社會的君主制度提供依據。后人將其思想整理編纂成《韓非子》。

韓非是一位現實主義思想家，認為人性好利是一切行為的基本邏輯，政治的起源正是社會利益沖突的產物，矛盾和斗爭才是政治生活的常態。韓非認為，國家要實現持久穩定的發展不應當寄希望于賢能的統治者，而應當著力于制度建設。處上位的統治者要學會采取以靜制動、以虛控實的方法，配合“因任授官”“信賞必罰”的組織管理“技術”，實現對官僚隊伍的管理。

韓非推崇依法治國，強調統治者依法執政、官員依法行政、民眾依法行事，才能維持中央集權國家的持久穩定。自秦以后的大一統王朝中，韓非的理論得到了充分的應用和發展，對后世產生很大影響。