Hanfeizi summary

Hanfeizi , or Han-fei-tzu, (died 233 bc, China), Greatest of China’s legalist philosophers. Much about his life is unknown; it ended when he was sent on a diplomatic mission to the court of the first Qin emperor, who had admired his writings; he was imprisoned and forced to drink poison. His works are collected in the Hanfeizi, presumably compiled after his death. In 55 sections of varying lengths, it presents a synthesis of legal theories up to his time. To Hanfeizi it was axiomatic that political institutions must change with changing historical circumstances and must be adapted to the prevailing pattern of human behaviour, which is determined not by moral sentiments but by economic conditions. Rulers should not try to make people good but only to restrain them from doing evil.