To Research Liang Shu-ming's Thoughts In The View Of State And Society

For long time, Liang Shu-ming was famous for as the founder of the New-Confucianism. In fact, Liang's thoughts on Chinese problems had the most creative and valuable, specially his theory and practice on rural development. Modernization is the absolute theme in the modern history of China. Liang proclaimed himself the person liking to ponder problems, he always thought the problem on Chinese modernization. But he regarded as a typical character of anti-modernization. Using the research framework of nation and society, the dissertation not only annotated Liang's firm conviction that the way of Chinese modernization should be making the society modernization, but also expressed the comprehension to his modernization theory to anti-modernization.With the Western coercion and leading, Old China began to change to modernization consciously or nonconsciously. It indicated the society that was different from nation came into being in China. With the structure of powerful nation and weak society relaxing, the new and developing social strength just like the bourgeoisie and new intellectual growing up, independent economic realm and communal domain being in finished form. The newborn society propelled China forward to modernization. In West, it was the virtuous interact as both cause and effect between the building national political power and citizen society for long time that promoted the course of modernization. But as the up-and-coming modernization, all of the Chinese elite of the times advocated to make the political authority modernized from above to below, having no intention of nurturing slowly the still small and weak and non-mature society. Of course, the New Culture Movement of the May 4th maybe was an exception. So the elite's efforts would be doomed to failure. Facing the confusion situation that old system having been ruined and new system having not been founded, Liang Shu-ming realized that the key of changing the current political situation was in the society not in the politics. The small and weak society could not make the political superstructure established, so Liang chose and persisted that remaking society from below was his cause for life. But in the age of rapid change of modern China, it was hard to persisting in.Liang's theory and practice on rural development reflected his thoughts of remaking society. Influenced by the Western social thoughts on the antithesis between nation and society of John Locke's, Jean-Jacques Rousseau's and Lassa Francis Lawrence Oppenheim's, Liang's theory on rural development held the position of society divided from current government, and he regarded nurturing independent autonomous organization as his duty, such as village school, rural school, etc. Village and rural school were not only an independent and free economic organization to lay an economic foundation for society, but also a local autonomous organization to nurtures freedom democracy in village. It could be seen that Liang's theory on rural development indicated the core intension of towmpeople society, according to John Locke's thoughts on nation separating from society, or Montesquieu's thoughts on independent mass organization, or Adam Smith's thoughts on free economy, or Habermas'thoughts on public realm. Of course, Liang's thoughts did not blindly follow suit the Western thoughts on towmpeople society, but introspected and transcended the Western thoughts. Firstly Liang emphasized society separating from government, he also admitted the necessary cooperation between society and government. Secondly Liang was conscious that economy was the basic foundation to society, but he could not agree on free competition economy basing on personal standard, so he advocated free cooperative economy. Thirdly Liang appreciated the organization that was structural element, but he was dissatisfied at individualism existing in the organization. So he wanted the organization should be put into the Chinese traditional cultural spirit, i.e. personal advancement and moral principles first. Liang's Chinese problem about politics and his outlook on life about culture had become two aspects of an internal whole. His citizen society appeared obvious the spirit of Confucianism.In fact, all of these were closely related that Liang Shu-ming advocated village was the focus of citizen society. Liang Shu-ming constructed rural citizen society based on the objective reality, i.e. innumerable Chinese rural society. However the key reason was that Liang Shu-ming introspected to Western modernization. It was suited to cooperative economy and Confucian cultures that high scattered and small rural economy and the rural society hating to leave native land. And in West, civil society which was high central and mobile industry and commerce society was related to egoistical, competitive and compulsory law. Of course, Liang Shu-ming admitted to the later, but he advocated the new civilization that both of urban centre and rural centre could be accomplished without coming into conflict. That meant Liang Shu-ming sought a modernization to anti-modernization. The people who regarded Liang Shu-ming as a typical character of anti-modernization had not understood this fact.Of course, rural development was the core of his remaking society. And Liang Shu-ming devoted himself to remake society, such as arousing rural development movement, participating in mass movement, involving himself in founding Democratic United League of China and guangming Neswpaper. It was a pity that Liang's efforts got no results at the trend of the times. Its meaning did not manifest due to practice failure. The dissertation intended to promulgate the value of Liang's thoughts on Chinese modernization. It is a valuable thoughts resources that Liang's modernization method on China and criticism to Western modernization.