World Political Theories -- About the author -- Title page -- Copyright page -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Message from China -- Overview -- How Chinese philosophers express themselves -- One

The life of Han Fei Zi -- Han Fei Zi: the successor to the Lao Zi on natural laws -- The reality of human beings -- Ancients versus moderns -- The unreliability of familial care and the unresolvable conflict between private and public -- Truly virtuous people are useless at governing -- The teachings of the wise are applicable neither to the many nor to the few -- Han Fei Zi, Xun Zi and modern European thought -- The strength of a state and the five vermin -- A bureaucracy chosen on the basis of results -- The ideal ruler, governing with no (human) action -- Governing with uniform and strict laws -- Do not govern on the basis of personal preferences or human criteria -- The ideal ruler: embodying the Way and being selfless -- Correct the non-ideal ruler and maintain his supreme authority: a conflict? -- The righteous, solitary and indignant man -- Six