Han Fei's Dialectic Thought and its Significance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57125/FP.2025.03.30.02Keywords:
thought, dialectic, Han Fei, human nature, comparative philosophyAbstract
The article aims to clarify the content of Han Fei's thought and draw out its significance for current philosophy. The hypothesis is whether or not Han Fei's dialectical thought is an important foundation for explaining the operation of power and law in the construction and consolidation of state power in ancient China. The research employs a qualitative methodology, combining historical-textual analysis with comparative philosophy. Primary sources, including Han Fei's foundational works such as Han Feizi, are critically examined alongside relevant commentaries and secondary literature. Comparative insights are drawn by juxtaposing Han Fei’s ideas with classical Western dialectics to highlight their unique contributions. The results reveal that Han Fei's dialectic thought, characterised by its pragmatic orientation and emphasis on the interplay of law (fa), strategy (shu), and authority (shi), offers a cohesive framework for understanding power dynamics and human behaviour. The study identifies novel aspects, including Han Fei's emphasis on the contradictions inherent in human nature and governance, which were not systematically addressed in other Chinese philosophical schools. The findings underscore the practical significance of Han Fei's dialectics, particularly in addressing political stability, ethical leadership, and institutional reform challenges. By bridging ancient thought with modern governance, this study provides a fresh perspective on how philosophical principles can inform effective policymaking and ethical statecraft. The research contributes to the growing discourse on applying classical wisdom to contemporary global challenges.
References
Börzel, T. A., & Zürn, M. (2021). Contestations of the liberal international order: From liberal multilateralism to postnational liberalism. International organization, 75(2), 282–305. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020818320000570
Brennan, T. (2022). Teaching by contradictions: Montesquieu's subversion of piety in the spirit of the laws. The Review of Politics, 84(4), 520–544. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034670522000651
Chaisse, J., & Dimitropoulos, G. (2021). Special economic zones in international economic law: Towards unilateral economic law. Journal of International Economic Law, 24(2), 229–257. https://doi.org/10.1093/jiel/jgab025
Coll, A. R. (2021). Philosophical and legal dimensions of the use of force in the Falklands war. In A. R. Coll & A. C. Arend (Eds.), The Falklands War (1st ed., pp. 34–51). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003147534-4
Cotesta, V. (2021). Legalism: How to create a well-ordered society. In V. Cotesta & C. Mc Carthy (Eds.), The heavens and the earth: Graeco-Roman, Ancient Chinese, and Mediaeval Islamic images of the world (pp. 247–257). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004464728_021
Chae, H. B. (2023). Key contents and issues of Han Feizi's rule of law thought. Law Journal, 82, 267–293. https://doi.org/10.17248/knulaw..82.202307.267
Do, T. (2022). Aristotle and Han Fei’s thoughts on the relationship between the state and the people – similarities and differences. WISDOM, 23(3), 27–37. https://doi.org/10.24234/wisdom.v23i3.815
Dung, V. V. (2022). The unity between politics and moral education in the view of the philosophers of Xian Qin Confucian. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 12(4), 258–266. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2022-0111
Dinh, D. Q., & Dung, V. V. (2024). Confucius’s educational ideas: Content and values. Conhecimento & Diversidade, 16(42), 356–369. https://doi.org/10.18316/rcd.v16i42.11711
Harris, E. L. (2020). A Han Feizian worry with Confucian meritocracy–and a non-moral alternative. Culture and Dialogue, 8(2), 342–362. https://doi.org/10.1163/24683949-12340090
Harris, E. L. (2022). Han Fei and Ethics in the Corporate Realm. In E. L. Harris & H. Schneider (Eds.), Adventures in Chinese Realism (pp. 45–59). SUNY Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781438487939-004
Harris, E. L. (2024). Normativity of war and peace. In S. B. Twiss, P. Lo, & B. S. B. Chan, Warfare ethics in comparative perspective (1st ed., pp. 113–125). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003336372-9
Huang, Z. J. (2022). Applying Han Fei’s critique of confucianism to contemporary confucian meritocracy. In E. L. Harris & H. Schneider (Eds.), Adventures in Chinese Realism (pp. 61–78). SUNY Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781438487939-005
Jiang, Z. (2023). On Han Fei Tzu’s thought of crime prevention. Asian Social Science, 19(6), 46–52. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v19n6p46
Jin, Y. (2024). Public and private interests in Han Fei: A statist approach. Philosophy & Social Criticism. https://doi.org/10.1177/01914537241229052
Kallinikos, P. (2023). Political realism in the Chinese warring states period and the European Renaissance:: Han Fei and Machiavelli. Conatus-Journal of Philosophy, 8(1), 127–166. https://doi.org/10.12681/cjp.29669
Tuoi, D. T. (2024). Viewpoints on ruling by law in the philosophical thought of Han Fei Tzu. Jurnal Cita Hukum, 12(1), 115–128. https://journal.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/citahukum/article/view/38903
Liang, L. (2023). The fable of the public welfare competition recorded in Han Feizi and its implied “Public Opinion Theory”. Frontiers of History in China, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.3868/s020-012-023-0002-6
Ling, Y. (2023). The similarities and differences between the legal thought of the Qin Dynasty and Machiavelli. In S. Yacob, B. Cicek, J. Rak, & G. Ali (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2023 7th International Seminar on Education, Management and Social Sciences (ISEMSS 2023) (Vol. 779, pp. 28–41). Atlantis Press SARL. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-126-5_5
Liu, L. (2022). The art of setting up authority: Han Fei’s doctrine of Shi. Asian Philosophy, 32(3), 270–288. https://doi.org/10.1080/09552367.2022.2066283
Liu, A. (2024). Han Feizi on reputation-driven disobedience: A comparative study. American Political Science Review. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055424000662
Nedelea, M.-O. (2023). The role of legalism in the development of Chinese law. In Development through Research and Innovation, (pp. 67–76). ASEM. https://doi.org/10.53486/dri2022.06
Ng, A. (2021). Han Fei versus the Confucians: Should a ruler govern through laws and/or virtues?. Bochumer Philosophisches Jahrbuch für Antike und Mittelalter, 44, 173–197. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370359852
Pines, Y. (2021). Worth vs. power: Han Fei’s “Objection to positional power” revisited. Asiatische Studien-Études Asiatiques, 74(3), 687–710. https://doi.org/10.1515/asia-2019-0040
Pines, Y. (2024). Chapter 4 Han Feizi: The world driven by self-interest. In Y. Pines (Ed.), Dao Companion to China’s fa Tradition (Vol. 19, pp. 99–138). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-53630-4_5
Sun, K. (2022). Flowers in a mirror: Critique of ‘Confucianization of law’. Asian Philosophy, 32(3), 289–311. https://doi.org/10.1080/09552367.2022.2066990
Tongdong, B. (2021). How to defend a small state? Han Fei Zi, Plato, and Mencius. Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy, 20(2), 231–244. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-021-09774-z
Van Dung, V. (2022). The theory of the four virtues of Confucius in the pre-Qin period. Synesis, 14(1), 207–220. https://seer.ucp.br/seer/index.php/synesis/article/view/2141
Van Dung, V. (2024). Political-social viewpoints in the philosophical thought of Xunzi. Pensando - Revista de Filosofia, 15(34), 195–204. https://doi.org/10.26694/pensando.vol15i34.4077
Văn Dũng, V. (2024). Yin-Yang theory in Chinese philosophy and its contribution to the implementation of gender equality in Vietnam. Fragmentos de Filosofía, (20), 20–31. https://revistascientificas.us.es/index.php/fragmentos_filosofia/article/view/25639
Van Vo, D., & Xuan Cao, L. (2022). The “Yin” and “Yang” ancient Chinese philosophy and its practical application to body treatment. Wisdom, 24(4), 227–234. https://doi.org/10.24234/wisdom.v24i4.948
Vo, D. V. (2024). Four Important Characteristics of Women in Confucianism and Its Contribution to the Implementation of Gender Equality in Vietnam. Conatus, 9(2), 283–302. https://doi.org/10.12681/cjp.35243
Vo Van, D. (2023). Confucius’ moral views and its historical values. Kalagatos, 20(1), Article eK23002. https://revistas.uece.br/index.php/kalagatos/article/view/10104
Vo Van Dung. (2023). Dialectical thought in the “Five Elements Theory” in ancient China. Argumentos - Revista de Filosofia, 15(29), 253–263. https://doi.org/10.36517/Argumentos.29.21
Vo Van Dung, & Luu Mai Hoa. (2023). Theoretical perspectives of the view of human in the Confucian philosophy in Pre-Qin dynasty. European Journal for Philosophy of Religion, 15(2), 31–52. https://doi.org/10.24204/ejpr.2021.4022
Wilson, L. (2022a). Genealogy as meditation and adaptation with the Han Feizi. The Monist, 105(4), 452–469. https://doi.org/10.1093/monist/onac011
Wilson, L. (2022b). Han Fei’s genealogical arguments. In Adventures in Chinese realism: Classic philosophy applied to contemporary issues (pp. 171–193). SUNY Press. https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/han-feis-genealogical-arguments
Wu, S. (2021). Sun Tzu and Wu Ch’i, Memoir 5. In W. H. Nienhauser Jr. (Ed.), The Grand Scribe's Records, Volume VII: The Memoirs of Pre-Han China (p. 69). Indiana University Press.
Yapeng, S. (2024). One book with two titles: The titles and cross-value interpretation of English translation of Han Feizi. Comparative Literature in China, (4), 34–48. https://clc.shisu.edu.cn/EN/Y2024/V0/I4/34
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 author
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
