Philosopher

Shen Buhai

Overview

Shen Buhai (Chinese: 申不害; c. 400 BC – c. 337 BC) was a Chinese statesman, reformer and diplomat. According to the Shiji, Shen Buhai served as Chancellor of the Han state under Marquis Zhao of Han, for around fifteen years to his natural death in office in 337 BC, ordering its government and doctrines emphasizing Shu 术 (administrative) technique, though the term is Han Fei's and likely posthumous.

According to Sima Qian, Shen Buhai was born in the central State of Zheng, serving as a minor official there. A contemporary of Shang Yang and syncretist Shi Jiao, after Han completed the conquest and division of Zheng and Wei in 376 BC, he rose up in the ranks of the Han officialdom, reforming its administrative practices, military defenses, and to a lesser extent issuing new laws, only about a half century after its founding.

While it is not evident Shen Buhai was earlier as well known as another of the Han Feizi's predecessors, Shen Dao, his administrative ideas were influential enough to become one of Xun Kuang's critiqued "Twelve Masters" by the later Warring States period, and might have been renowned by the time of the Han Feizi. Shen Buhai seemed to play an influence on Han dynasty reformers, and likely even the establishment of the civil service examination. With the imperial examination extending in influence to the European civil service, Shen Buhai could perhaps be considered a founder in world bureaucracy, and even the first political scientist.

Though differing from Daoism as later understood, Shen Buhai was said to be a Daoist in the Shiji, with Sima Qian attesting Shen Buhai, Shen Dao and Han Fei to be "rooted" in Huang-Lao, or "Yellow Emperor and Laozi (Daoism). The Han Feizi recalls him alongside the Tao te Ching; with concepts of wu wei "non-action", but a Dao or Way referring more to (administrative) methods (fa) of governance, he might have preceded it, but if so does bear a "striking" resemblance to it. Together they form an influence for the Daoistic Han dynasty Huainanzi.

Despite his later influence, though reforming the law, according to the Han Feizi, Shen Buhai had disorganized law in the early Han state. No Han or earlier text individually connects him with penal law, but only with control of bureaucracy. The Huainanzi and Hanshu only gloss him as a penal figure (or Legalist) when discussing him alongside Shang Yang. In contrast to Shang Yang, Shen Buhai appears to have opposed punishment, in hopes that a strict and efficient administration would abolish the need for it in the bureaucracy. As quoted by Pei Yin, Liu Xiang recalls him recommending the ruler "grasp (administrative) technique (shu)" in-order to "do away" with the punishment of subordinates, relying on supervision and accountability.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).

Shen Buhai

Overview

Philosophers who discussed Shen Buhai

Ideas Shen Buhai discusses

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