One of the most interesting parts of this passage says, “If someone were to go around telling people ‘I can give you wisdom and long life!’ then the world would regard him as an impostor. Wisdom is a matter of man’s nature, and long life is a matter of fate, and neither human nature nor fate can be got from others. Because the man tells people he can do what is impossible, the world naturally considers him an impostor.”
I found this portion interesting because of what Han Fei Tzu says about wisdom, that it is “a matter of man’s nature” and that “human nature nor fate can be got from others.” I thought this was interesting because it goes against what I typically think of as wisdom. It seems as though Han Fei Tzu is saying that wisdom is not affected by others. I have always viewed wisdom as being created by experiences throughout ones life, including interactions with others. I think we typically conceptualize “wise” people as those who have lived a long time and experienced many things, and we do not think about the fact that wisdom is human nature. I think that perhaps some people are more naturally inclined to wisdom, or at least to share their wisdom. The people we think of as wise are typically open to sharing what they have learned throughout their lifetimes. Perhaps it is true that wisdom is created, at least in part, by human nature.