On the Consolidation of Political Power from the “Man-Made Shi” in Hanfeizi

Author:Szu-Hsuan Hung

Abstract / PDF Download (Chinese)

Political power can be defined as “what the commanders purposefully do, by all means, to acquire public obedience to their allocation of resources.” Hanfeizi claims that a morality-based power relationship is theoretically possible, but not actually feasible. Instead, laws should be the core in a political power relationship. More specifically, by assuming that human beings are benefit-oriented and harm-aversive, commanders should make orders based on their advantages in education, economic status, and military power to punish and reward people. These orders will eventually replace resistance with obedience and construct a political power relationship.

Keywords: law、political power、punishment、reward、Shi