【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）】（《韩非子·内储说下六微》）法家推翻了客观性概念，以确保君主自由驱使臣下。我们看到，客观性准则的运用不过是为君主服务的工具。

隐密，权力与知识控制

通过客观的、公开发布的刑法来维持君主对于民众的权力，这一韬略本身则是秘而不宣的。法越是公开，术越是隐密，君主的权力越是安全。商鞅和申不害都相信，隐密是政治权力的有机组成部分。韩非指出了法与术的相反比例：

法者，编著之图籍，设之于官府，而布之于百姓者也。术者，藏之于胸中，以偶众端，而潜御群臣者也。故法莫如显，而术不欲见。（《韩非子·难三》）

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）

韩非描述了一幅令人不安的图景--君主通过严密监视民众来加强权力：“上明见，人备之；其不明见，人惑之。……惟无为可以规之。”【If 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）】（《韩非子·外储说右上》）不仅要对民众屏蔽或封锁信息，同时还要严格监控学术。在商鞅看来，学术与讨论，尤其是围绕法的争论必须加以禁止：

所谓壹教者，博闻、辩慧，信廉、礼乐，修行、群党，任誉、清浊不可以富贵，不可以评刑，不可独立私议以陈其上。（《商君书·赏刑》）

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）