韩非“势治”思想再研究

A New Study of Han Fei’s Idea of Rule with Shi

韩非认为“势”作为人类社会客观存在的一种权力形态，是一切政治运作必须具备的客观前提和物质基础。“势”的强制性及不分善恶地发挥作用的中性特征，决定了“势”既可造福万民又可为祸天下的品格。围绕着如何确保“势”的运用符合为天下人谋利益的正义标准，韩非具体分析了通过“势位”归属的正义性，即通过“贤人”的道德人格和内在修养来节制权势滥用的方法。他强调，在无法始终依靠“贤人”来确保权力运用正义性的情况下，必须关注在君主世袭时代绝大多数情况下君主为“中人”的现实，从权力行使规范角度，即以“法治”，来确保权力行使的正义性。他认为从权力行使规范的公平和正义而非“势位”归属正义性角度来思考政治问题，更能实现天下大治的政治理想。约束、限制权力，使其行使符合为天下人谋利益的正义标准，最终实现天下大治，是先秦诸子共同的政治理想，法家及韩非亦不例外。

Han Fei(韩非)thinks that Shi(势,position and situation related force),as a form of power existed objectively in human society,is an necessary premise and a substantial foundation to all political operations.The nature of compulsion and neuter of shi,which functions without distinction of moral goodness or badness,decides that the usage of shi may benefit people and bring people with disasters as well.Concerning the standard of the right handling of sh,Han Fei analyses in detail the ways of controlling power abuse by putting shi in the hands of persons of virtue whose personality and self-cultivation might assure the proper usage of power.He emphasizes that in the circumstances when it is impossible to relay on the persons of virtue to guarantee the right operation of power,people must realize that the kings under the most circumstances are common persons.The power of the king, therefore,must be limited by law in order to make most people benefited from an existing power of state.