Compare And Contrast The Philosophies Of Han Feii Tzu

Han Fei Tzu says, “If conformers to law are strong, the country is strong; if conformers to law are weak, the country is weak…” This political philosophy held by Han Fei Tzu is not solely held to him, but it is also similar to that held by the philosopher Lao Tzu. Both philosophers strongly emphasized the importance and need of leaders to conform their society with regard to governance and leadership. Despite having similar views with regard to leadership and governance, each philosopher has a slightly different stance as to how a “successful” society is to be created. Throughout this discussion, one will analyze the philosophies of Lao Tzu and Han Fei Tzu through their respective documents known as Legalism and Taoism.
Han Fei Tzu, believes
Many rulers have adopted this philosophy as it provides the most logical solution for a society to be successful over the long term. Lao Tzu does not directly address the subject of governance, directly but rather address the issue of a society needing to be flexible. If a society is not flexible, then it is subject to experiencing a continuous downfall, which ultimately will result in failure. If a society is willing to be flexible,, then it will adapt to the changes that the progression of the human races brings along with
Those that are noble are subject to the law just as those who are common folk such as peasants. The same concept applies to rewards. A nobleman is no more deserving of a reward because of his class status than any other common man in society. In essence, his philosophy is that the law of the land is the law for every man in society no matter if he has an elite title or not. This differs from Lao Tzu ‘s philosophy where he seeks to control the mind of his people. One could conclude that such a leader could theoretically create laws for the noble and laws for the common folk depending on how he wishes for his society to be structured. A modern day example of this philosophy can be found in North Korea. North Korean society is portrayed by the media to be controlled by the ruler(s). The rest of the world can only speculate on this because of the tightness that is maintained in North Korean society. Furthermore, Lao Tzu’s philosophy is exemplified in North Korean society as their society is heavily regulated consequently creating a poor economy. Tzu also says, “ The more ingenious and clever men are, the more strange things happen”. This concept can be found in many modern day Eastern societies that are ruled by a single person or a select few. While many of these rulers are “ mad men”, their thought processes are rather clever but nevertheless their societies are