Han Feizi
OriginChina
Era280 BC
SchoolLegalism
About Han Feizi
The master theorist of Legalism. Synthesized law, technique, and position as the tools of rulers. Trusted institutions and incentives over personal virtue. Wrote with cold brilliance about the machinery of state power. His essays won the ear of the king of Qin, who then forced him to drink poison. His program built the first unified Chinese empire.