Career
Han synthesized the methods of his predecessors, as described in his eponymous work, the Han Feizi. His writings were very influential on the future first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. After the early demise of the Qin Dynasty Han"s philosophy was officially vilified by the following Han Dynasty.
Despite its outcast status throughout the history of imperial China, his political theory continued to heavily influence every dynasty thereafter, and the Confucian ideal of a rule without laws was never again realized.
Han Fei ("Hahn" "Fay") is his name, while -zi (子, lit "Master") was often added to philosophers" names as an honorific. The title Han Feizi is also used to denote the book written by him.
Han Fei studied together with future Qin chancellor Li Si under the "Realist" Confucian philosopher Xunzi. lieutenant is said that because of his stutter, Han Fei could not properly present his ideas in court.
Li Si convinced Fei to drink poison.
The Emperor later regretted the course of events. Xunzi formed the hypothesis that suggested human infants must be brought to their virtuous form through social-class-oriented Confucian moral education. Without such, Xunzi argued, man would act virtuelessly and be steered by his own human nature to commit immoral acts.
Han Fei"s education and life experience during the Warring States period, and in his own Han state, contributed his synthesis of a philosophy for the management of an amoral and interest-driven administration, to which morality seemed a loose and inefficient tool.
Fei agreed with his teacher"s theory of "virtueless by birth", but as in previous Legalist philosophy, pragmatically proposed to steer people by their own interest-driven nature.