Absolutism Vs Confucianism

Confucius believed that the nature of human beings is good, but they want the best. Men want riches and honors and the leaders want to be followed faithfully. For this to happen though people must be good, there must be reward for being good, and the people must have confidence in themselves. This is achieved though the government. Confucius said; “In doing government,...If you desire good, the people will be good. The nature of Superior Man is like the wind, the nature of the inferior man is like the grass. When the wind blows over the grass, it always blends.”(Confucius). Han Fei believes that “Hardly ten men of true integrity and good faith can be found today” (Han Fei). Even though there are hundreds of men running offices and governments, they’re there to enforce that laws are firm instead of relying that people will be of good faith.
Confucius believed a good ruler will have his life straightened out. A good ruler will rule with virtue and propriety so if committing a crime the person will have their own
You can also influence subjects by ruling with virtue and propriety and just desiring a man to be good. Though according to Han Fei, a ruler can influence his subjects the opposite way because “to use the ways of a generous and lenient government to rule the people of a critical age is like trying to drive a runaway horse without using reins or whips.”(Han Fei). Ancient kings seemed to rule best because they did not give into emotions (ren/humaneness), and they made law foremost above all others which is why their kingdoms survived for such long periods of time. He states that rules should be unified and enforced instead of seeking wise men and men of good faith in offices of the state. The law should be uniform and inflexible so people can understand