School
Legalism
-
Han Feizi’s case for clear law, read by a practising advocate
I practise before the High Court in Lahore, and I've been reading Han Feizi with more sympathy than I expected. His central insight about law is one I see confirmed every week. Where the rules are unclear, or applied differently depending on…
Started by Hamza Qureshi5 replies193 views -
What do fa, shu and shi mean in Han Feizi?
Zhuangzi sat unread on my father's shelf for most of my life. Next to him was a battered copy of Han Feizi, which I've now started on as well. I'm a retired signalling engineer, not a scholar, so please be patient with…
Started by Liu Jianguo4 replies214 views -
At my office “Confucian values” means obey the boss. Where did the reciprocity go?
I translate for a publishing house in Hanoi. When managers here want staff to stay late without complaint, they speak of Confucian values: respect for seniors, loyalty, harmony. We have a common saying about honouring teachers and respecting the Way. I grew…
Started by Phạm Quốc Bảo4 replies102 views -
“The best ruler is barely noticed” is compatible with abandonment, and the Legalists exploited exactly that
Chapter 17 of the Daodejing ranks rulers. The best are those whose people barely know they exist. Next come those the people love and praise; then those they fear; then those they despise. And when the work is done, the people all…
Started by Chen Yuting6 replies202 views -
Was Laozi the first laissez-faire economist? Why wu wei is not the invisible hand
I lecture in economics in Valencia, and every few years a student brings me a quotation from the Laozi with great excitement. "The more prohibitions there are, the poorer the people." "Governing a large state is like cooking a small fish": don't…
Started by Javier Morales6 replies318 views -
The fall of Qin refutes Legalism itself, not merely its excesses
I read Han Feizi mostly to understand why the most effective political theory of early China produced the shortest-lived dynasty. The Legalist tradition, from Shang Yang's reforms in the state of Qin in the fourth century BCE to Han Feizi's synthesis in…
Started by Chen Yuting5 replies230 views -
Han Feizi was right that good government cannot wait for good rulers
I spend most of my time with the Mohists, but I read Han Feizi to understand why the Confucian picture of government lost so many arguments in the Warring States period, and I want to defend one of his central claims. The…
Started by Chen Yuting6 replies214 views -
The five rulings, from obligatory to forbidden: why the middle categories are not just extra boxes
Standard deontic logic has three basic statuses: obligatory, forbidden, and permitted. Anything neither obligatory nor forbidden is simply permitted, and that's the end of it. Islamic jurisprudence has five rulings (al-aḥkām al-khamsa). An act is obligatory (wājib), recommended (mandūb), permissible (mubāḥ), disliked…
Started by Khalid Mahmood Awan5 replies166 views -
The Qin collapse did not refute Han Feizi; the Han dynasty quietly proved him right
I'm writing a dissertation on the Later Mohists and read Han Feizi to understand why the Legalists won, at least for a while. The standard story is a morality tale. The Qin adopted Legalism wholesale: uniform law, harsh punishment, rewards for service,…
Started by Chen Yuting5 replies140 views -
Han Feizi
Han Fei, known as Han Feizi, was a prince of the state of Han in the late Warring States period and the leading synthesiser…