Han Fei-tzu's Problematic Leadership Structure

Han Fei-tzu’s Legalist Views on Good Government focuses on the need for strong enforcement of laws and the role of a single unchallenged power. The main points of Han Fei’s views are as follows: if a government has a strong leadership structure that is able to ensure punishment to whomever does not follow strict rules, then the government will be effective. Han Fei also believes that being able to capture the hearts of the citizens is not necessary to a successful nation, and that even though the citizens may think that a leader is making bad decisions, they must always trust the leader because the leader knows what is best.

            This idea seems ludicrous to me. It states that the leader is always right and the people should not question him/her.  Over the past millennia, people have been subject to slew of tyrannical leaders that inflict pain upon people and ruin societies.  In those situations, were leaders right?  People sat and watched Adolf Hitler destroy Europe because they were forced and chose to listen to their leader without opposition. No one question what he or she was told. Should people be forced into being tolerant of tyrannical leaders? To me, this idea is inhumane. 

            Han Fei claims that the people have “minds of infants.” He states that a leader would accomplish nothing if he listened to the people.  Instead, the people need to be nurtured by the leader.  They must be guided, for on their own they would not be able to prosper.  This idea is slightly reminiscent upon Alexander Hamilton, an early American leader who had limited faith in “the people” to progressively run their nation without a strong governing body.  The problem that I see with Han Fei’s idea is that it will result in leaders having absolute power.  With absolute power comes corruption and often times horrible lives for the citizens of a government.  Han Fei underestimates the peoples’ ability to think.  Even though a leader might thing he/she is doing the right thing, it is always essential to listen to the people. 

            The Han Fei views are extremely dangerous and can jeopardize humans’ unalienable rights.  Outcomes such as censorship, cruel and inhumane punishment, and terror would occur out of a government structured like this.  The Han Fei views on government lack the importance of a healthy relationship between the leaders and the led.