Biography of Han Fei - Chinese Thinkers Biography Series

Author: Shi Juehuai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-02-01
Features: Han Fei, as the last thinker of the pre-Qin period, had the opportunity to extensively and deeply understand the history of his predecessors and their thoughts. From this perspective, the book explores the influence of past history on Han Fei's thought, as well as his critique, inheritance, development, and transformation of previous ideas. It points out that the core of Han Fei's thought is the advocacy of an extreme autocratic system for monarchs and the severe prohibition of the existence of other schools of thought. The book comprehensively introduces the philosophical foundation, economic views, and historical perspective of Han Fei's thought, providing a detailed analysis of his ideological system that integrates law, technique, and power to manage the relationships between the monarch, officials, and the people. It introduces the specific measures Han Fei pioneered in the application of technique, as well as how he used praise and criticism (i.e., shaping public opinion) in addition to punishments and rewards to enhance the implementation of law, technique, and power. The book argues that Han Fei's theories were easily accepted by rulers of his time and later eras because they aligned with their own interests, and were implemented covertly. In fact, these theories played a significant role in shaping the dual nature of feudal dynasties, which openly proclaimed Confucian and Mencian benevolence and righteousness while simultaneously practicing brutal autocratic exploitation and double standards of governance.