Liang Qi-chao And Eastward Permeation Of Western Learning In The Final Phase Of Qing Dynasty

From the end of 19^th century to the beginning of 20^th century,Chinese modern philosophy thoughts had been occurred with the important change and rapid development.This kind of change and development surely had got the logic basis of thoughts themselves and the deeply complex social reasons,but it had close relation to a large number of western learning—the western thoughts and culture permeated at this time.By what way and whom was the western learning permeated? What concrete contents?What meaning did it have in the developing Chinese modern history of philosophy thoughts?This thesis tries to discuss carefully these problems and study them with reality and enough proof,according to the western learning spreaded by Liang Qi-chao and other scholars of leaving for Japan at the same time.The thesis includes six chapters.Chapter One investigated the history background that Liang Qi-chao introduced the western learning.This chapter has the wide review from three aspects:the western learning in the final phase of Qing Dynasty and eastward eagerly to Japan,the western learning circumstance in Ming Zhi of Japan,the way of accepting the western learning and propagation battlefield.Chapter Two focuses on the western philosophy thoughts from ancient Greece philosophy to the modern western philosophy that Liang Qi-chao spreaded.He worshiped extremely "taixi civilization" which was called of the one of two greatest civilizations by him,and he traced back to its origin and scholarship progression of ancient Greece philosophy .Because of the internal revolt and foreign invasions,Liang Qi-chao extremely concerned of the western civiliza- tion.As Bacon and Descartes brought about the two big western modern scholar- ships,and the spirits of "freedom of thoughts" about returning fantasy to the actual judgment thoughts and having the spirit of presuming doubts was the epoch-making meaning.It is beneficial to promoting the citizen's self- respect and reforming citizen,So Liang Qi-chao spreaded their scholarship thought, which including "the four false appearance saying" and "the new tools" of Bacon's pragramtism,"I think so I exist" of Descartes's rationalism. Because Comte had the critical spirit and the spirits of "the freedom of the conscience",which were beneficial to promoting the citizen independent quality,so Comte's critical philosophy was spreaded into China by Liang.Liang Qi-chao introduced critically Bentham's utilitarianism which was based on the principle of "the greatest happiness of the greatest majority".Liang Qi-chao appreciated extremely Darwin's and Kidd's theories of evolution,and he spreaded them widely .He thought it of the thought weapon that could adjudicate everything.Chapter Three discusses the theories of the western political thoughts that Liang Qi-chao introduced.Compared the falling behind of Chinese feudalistic society with the prosperity and forces of western nation,Liang Qi-chao put for- ward a series of the reforming government system,claimed to establish a mighty and coagulating nation.Hence,he spreaded the thoughts of Aristotle,Hobbes, Spinoza,Rousseau, Montesquieu and Bluntchli.Liang Qi-chao understood to compare the social contract thearies of Hobbes,Spinoza and Rousseau.He thought there was an essential difference between Spinoza's civil contract theory and that of Hobbes.In the form of government aspect,Liang Qi-chao introduced the different types of government forms according to citizen's degree,and he studied validly the republican form of government.Montesquieu's main political idea of "the separation of three powers" and Rousseau's "people and social compact" were beneficial to the reforming government system and protecting the citizen's life and property.Liang Qi-chao introduced and absorb Bluntchli's state organic body theory,and he alse introduced Bomhak's related state theories.Moreover,Liang Qi-chao disseminated the earlier classic nature law of modern period,wether is Hobbes, Spinoza or Rousseau,they criticized mostly the surviving feudal ideology of middle century to make political principle which influencing deeply Liang Qi-chao's rights and freedom thoughts.Chapter Four focuses on the extensive introduction of the spirit and consciousness of the western thoughts in Liang Qi-chao's "Theory of New People". The author considers that it included the spirit and consciousness of competition, freedom,equal,the independence,self-help,social ethics,rights etc,which were the citizen qualification articles that the people had in the modern civilized nation.Its aim was to enlighten and reform people/Theory of New People" is a spirit outcome combinating our country tradition thoughts and the western thoughts after Liang Qi-chao completely studied and analysed the western thoughts. it bears more influencing degree comparison with that of the western learning spreaded directly by "xizheng" and "xiyi".Chapter Five discusses the working that other scholars of their leaving for Japan disseminated the western learning into China in the different degree at Liang Qi-chao's same times.On one hand it can reflect the proceeding circumstance of this period,on the other hand it can put great emphasis on Liang Qi-chao and highlight the position and valuation of Liang's disseminating the western learning.Zhang Tai-yan primarily spreaded the western philosophy thoughts, including the ancient Greece philosophy,German philosophy and other national philosophy.Ma Jun-wu translated Darwinian "Theory of Evolution", Rousseau's "people and social compact",Mill's liberalism and Spencer's rights of woman's.This chapter chooses and discuss the France encyclopedia, Hegelian philosophy,theory of Mill's and the fantasy socialism which were introduced earlily and systematically by Ma at home.At this period,the scholars of allies meeting disseminated the western thoughts on which they made a lot contribution passing through the magazine of "Min Bao".Zhu Zhi-xin was the first to introduce a short biography of Karl Marks. Song Jiao-ren and Liao Zhong-kai introduced socialism.Chapter Six focuses the evaluation on some aspects of characteristics,con-tribution and affection of Liang Qi-chao's introduction of the western thoughts.This thesis puts forward some points:First,When Liang Qi-chao was spreading the western thoughts,he had the opening mood of accepting the whole thoughts in the world and the flexibility of explaining everything for me.So it can be concluded that he didn't copy them entirely and passively,but he spreaded positively and actively. Secondly, Liang Qi-chao founded "the first" in many items in the modern history of eastward permeation of western learning.For example, he was the earliest scholar who systematically introduced the ancient greece philosophy,Montesquieu's "Spirit of laws",Rousseau's "people and social compact" and the theary of Hobbes.He was also the first to spread Kantism and mention Nietzsche at home.Thirdly,the author compares the contribution made by Liang Qi-chao on the spreaded western thoughts with that of Yan Fu.From this we can see that Liang Qi-chao was slightly higher than Yan Fu on the quantity and influence of the introduction of the western thoughts which was mainly done during his stay in Japan.Fourthly,Through Liang Qi-chao's introduction of the western thoughts,he influenced the whole thought circles, particularly affected to save the youths of his and several generation hereafters,such as Mao Ze-dong,Hu Shi,Chen Du-xiu,Lu Xun and Guo Mo-ruo at that times.The western thoughts that the scholars of their leaving for Japan disseminated accelerated basically the change from classic philosophy to modern philosophy.In short,with the aim of disseminating the world theories as far as possible, Liang Qi-chao broadly spread the western learning,and he gave publicity to Chinese people about the freedom and equality of the western modern thoughts, which could be used to object to the "slavery" and to promote the personality of citizen quality and the independence of country quality.It resulted in enlightening and reforming citizen,and it influenced boundlessly the whole thought circles,therefore he is an important enlightenning thinker in Chinese modern history.