【Reward and punishment are the state’s sharp tools. If held in the hands of the ruler，they control the ministers. If held in the hands of the ministers，they control the ruler.（Han Fei Zi，Chapter 31，trans. Liao 1939，vol. 1：211）】（《韓非子·內(nèi)儲(chǔ)說(shuō)下六微》）法家推翻了客觀性概念，以確保君主自由驅(qū)使臣下。我們看到，客觀性準(zhǔn)則的運(yùn)用不過(guò)是為君主服務(wù)的工具。

隱密，權(quán)力與知識(shí)控制

通過(guò)客觀的、公開(kāi)發(fā)布的刑法來(lái)維持君主對(duì)于民眾的權(quán)力，這一韜略本身則是秘而不宣的。法越是公開(kāi)，術(shù)越是隱密，君主的權(quán)力越是安全。商鞅和申不害都相信，隱密是政治權(quán)力的有機(jī)組成部分。韓非指出了法與術(shù)的相反比例：

法者，編著之圖籍，設(shè)之于官府，而布之于百姓者也。術(shù)者，藏之于胸中，以偶眾端，而潛御群臣者也。故法莫如顯，而術(shù)不欲見(jiàn)。（《韓非子·難三》）

The law is codified in books，kept in governmental offices，and promulgated among the hundred surnames. The tact is hidden in the bosom and useful in comparing diverse motivating factors of human conduct and in manipulating the body of officials secretly. Therefore，law wants nothing more than publicity；tact abhors visibility.（Han Fei Zi，Chapter 38，trans. Liao 1939，vol. 2：188）

韓非描述了一幅令人不安的圖景--君主通過(guò)嚴(yán)密監(jiān)視民眾來(lái)加強(qiáng)權(quán)力：“上明見(jiàn)，人備之；其不明見(jiàn)，人惑之?！o(wú)為可以規(guī)之?！薄綢f the superior’s cleverness is visible，people will guard against it；if his stupidity is visible，people will bewilder him... Only by not doing anything I can watch them.（Han Fei Zi，Chapter 34，trans. Liao 1939，vol. 2：99）】（《韓非子·外儲(chǔ)說(shuō)右上》）不僅要對(duì)民眾屏蔽或封鎖信息，同時(shí)還要嚴(yán)格監(jiān)控學(xué)術(shù)。在商鞅看來(lái)，學(xué)術(shù)與討論，尤其是圍繞法的爭(zhēng)論必須加以禁止：

所謂壹教者，博聞、辯慧，信廉、禮樂(lè)，修行、群黨，任譽(yù)、清濁不可以富貴，不可以評(píng)刑，不可獨(dú)立私議以陳其上。（《商君書(shū)·賞刑》）

What I mean by the unification of education is that all those partisans of wide scholarship，sophistry，cleverness，good faith，integrity，rites and music，and moral culture，whether their reputations are unsullied or foul，should for these reasons not become rich or honoured，should not discuss punishments，and should not compose their private views independently and memorialize their superiors.（Book of Lord Shang，Chapter 4，para. 17，trans. Duyvendak 1928：282）