Han Fei Zi

Han Fei Zi (韩非), philosopher and political thinker Chinese (death in 233 av. J. - C.) of the current legist.

According to him, the order and prosperity can be brought only by a State extremely, which rests on very strict Loi S and not on morals and comprehension, contrary to the Confucianisme.

Han Fei takes again of its Master the Confucianist Xun Zi (approximately 310 - 215 av. J. - C.) the idea that the man is fundamentally egoistic. It does not share its optimism and does not think that it can improve by education, nor that the private interest of an individual can never agree with the general interest. It is rather a question, on the one hand, of preventing the subject from making actions contravening the interests of the State and the sovereign by applying as infallible and inevitable laws as the natural law, and on the other hand, of encouraging it to obey and to subject to the authority of the Son Sky by the granting quite as infallible and automatic of rewards in proportion, not of the merits, but of obedience.

Han Fei calls these two essential principles of punishment and of reward “Both Handle”.

Han Fei is inspired here by nature, just like the taoists. The precepts taoists are at the base of the doctrines legist which profess that an exemplary sovereign must control so that it is not even more necessary for him to sanction. Indeed, as the doctrines taoist encourage the practitioner of the Voie to practice not-to act it, i.e. the action in the inaction, to control in accordance with the CAT implies not to achieve an act with the positive direction of the term.

The aim in view accordingly by the sovereign is not that its subjects are afraid of the punishments which they incur, nor that they continue the rewards with greed. Its goal is simply that the automatic and inevitable character of the rewards and sanctions envisaged by the laws that it enacted model, in fact, the behavior of its subjects by multiplying the fatal consequences of any disobedience at the individual level, and by increasing the individual benefit related to obedience with the laws.

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