Han Feizi was the most prominent scholar in the Legalist School of thought in the Warring States period of 3rd century BC China. I found him to be an awful man combining the worst in the traditions of Confucius and Lao Tzu. He unabashedly expounds the primacy of the State above all else, combined with a nihilistic morality. Furthermore, his advice to the Ruler advocates no principles save maintenance and promulgation of power alone. To that end, he advises the Ruler to keep his subjects in ignorance, to turn his ministers and civil servants against each other, and to always hide his true motives. Often described as the Machiavelli of his time, similarly to him it is tough to ascertain how much of Han Feizi’s writings he himself actually believed and how much was written to ingratiate himself with his Ruler for personal gain or survival. I tried to read it with a Straussian take on possible hidden meanings beyond the actual words espoused. The fact that he is Xi Jinping’s favorite political theorist does not bode well for China’s march towards progress or its neighbors’ peace and prosperity.
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