Towards "Real Freedom": Study On Li Dazhao’s View Of Freedom

Li Dazhao is an important one of the disseminators of the concept of enlightenment inModern China. In Li Dazhao’s academic system,“freedom” is the academic concept that hehas kept in memory throughout his life span, and it is the concept of enlightenment that he haskept in memory throughout his life span. Li Dazhao’s systematical expounding on “freedom”constitutes “Li Dazhao’s View of Freedom”.In the early phase of his thoughts, Li Dazhao’s “Min Yi” concept was resulted from theintegration of modern western democratic theory and traditional Chinese thought.“Min Yi”exists in every individual congenitally, universally and coequally. Adapt to the essentialstipulation of “Min Yi”, the freedom of idea is the type of freedom to which Li Dazhao paidattention at first. In Li Dazhao’s opinion, the freedom of thought and equality of personalityare significantly important. Li Dazhao promoted “shiyi zhi zhengzhi”(suitable politicalsystem), whose spirit is peoplism and whose form quality is representative system, in theearly phase of his thoughts. The execution of representative politics must be based on freedom,which should be the sound foundation of “the spirit of qun (group)” within a country. Heroworship and sage worship that made national forfeit “for me” are “masking” of “Min Yi”.Constitutional politics contains ideological trend of freedom and ideology that advocatesgovernment by the People, and accords with “world trend of evolution”. Liberty theory is thetheoretical basis of constitutional politics. In Li Dazhao’s opinion, constitutional politicsshould be advocated so as to change “national of autocracy” into “national ofconstitutionalism”. The responsibility of national of constitutionalism is not only to remainstate authority but also to respect person’s survival value. Organic unity of order and progressmust be completed under the integration of “law force” and “force of reason”.“Youth ofChina” ideal must be realized to realize the transformation from autocracy toconstitutionalism. Li Dazhao defined the essential attribute of “good constitution” that isguaranteeing freedom. Li Dazhao pays much more attention to the guarantee role ofconstitution on freedom of national. He holds that constitution is “blood gas and spirit” ofmodern national. In order to realize the guarantee role of constitution on freedom of national,Li Dazhao has discussed some topics including the power of establishing constitution and theright to make constitution public，the capacity of law，the power of localities and provincial system written in the constitution, the standard of “good constitution”, and so on. He hasrefuted the clause of “the Tiantan Constitution Draft” that the Confucian tradition is thefoundation of self-cultivation on national education. He held that this clause is restriction onfreedom of national thought. The state under autocracy built on mightiness under. However,the state under constitutionalism built on public opinion. Sufficient communication betweennational meaning and people’s meaning can ensure freedom of constitutionalism national. TheTrue Meaning of free government is general acknowledgement. In Li Dazhao’ opinion,modern transformation of Chinese civilization must be achieved in order to change Chineseautocratic tradition and realize freedom of national. The discord of “new and old”,“China andthe west” make it very important to regulate eastern and western civilizations. RussianCivilization, the third new civilization, is high civilization. At period of constitutionalismpolitics and freedom theory, Li Dazhao took theory of evolution as philosophical foundation.Evolution from dictatorial politics to constitutionalism politics is the realization process offreedom.The Russian October Revolution which happened on October7th,1917had influencedthe progress of world history. In July,1918, Li Dazhao finished A Comparison of the Frenchand Russian Revolutions which justified the Russian October Revolution in public, and itacademically denied the “free scheme” at his early period that advocate constitutionalismpolitics to realize freedom of national. According to Li Dazhao, Russian civilization based onhumanitarian spirit and free spirit is the dawn of world new civilization. In order to realize hisnew life “utopia”, Li Dazhao has introduced the formation of Marxism and thought it is thescientific theory constructing his new life “utopia”. Li Dazhao took the relationship betweeneconomic phenomenon and legal phenomenon as an illustration to expound that economicphenomenon is absolutely significant for human evolution. And then, Li Dazhao reducedMarx’s materialist conception of history to two main issues, explanation for experience ofhuman culture and evolutionary theory of social organization, so as to elaborate whyproletariat is non-freedom. Marx’s theory of surplus value and centralization of capital cantheoretically expound why workers can not freely dispose their own labour force. In LiDazhao’ opinion, there is certain deviation and defect in Marx’s theory as an explanatoryframework. In the middle phase of his thoughts, Li Dazhao tried to correct deviation anddefect of Marx’s theory by humanitarianism. Devote to ethic influence and humanitarianismmovement in order to eliminate the evil born in human pre-history. It does not purely lie with physical change to realize the state of human freedom. The evolution of the human species isa journey from individualism to the situation of synergism and equality. Li Dazhao tried toconciliate mutual aid theory and class competition theory. The human “real history” that hasexterminated class and has transformed both the matter and the soul is the world of mutual aidand survival. Social problems must be thoroughly solved in order to realize the world ofmutual aid and survival. Meanwhile, Li Dazhao pinned his hope for concrete solution ofsocial problems on juvenile movement of Young China. The ideal prospect of new life whichfollows humanitarian spirit includes both completing one’s personality and hoping for worldhappiness. Li Dazhao doesn’t rest on introduction of Marx’s theory. He transformed theoryinto method, and used materialist conception of history to explain moral evolution and theideology history of modern China. Humanitarianism in the Chinese Context is that new ethicof new life should give prominence to people’s moral. There is the freedom in the ChineseContext. In Li Dazhao’s opinion, previous Chinese society is a group of families in whichindividual personality, right and freedom were bound to family. And in current China, with theimport of new economic Influence, liberalism and individuality principle have been inputted.Authentic democracy must includes women liberation. Li Dazhao has investigated Britishwomen’s suffrage movement to discuss female suffrage. The dictatorship of plebeian helps tocentralize capital, develop industry and commerce, and realize economic freedom. Thefoundations of the creation of new life are universal fraternity, equality, freedom and sacrifice.“The human real history” is obtained by means of transforming both the matter and the soul.The possibility of freedom and equality in the field of social ethics and morals exists. LiDazhao thought real and reasonable individualism must consider social order, and real andreasonable socialism must consider individual freedom. Li Dazhao has put forward hisdialectics of liberty and order. The order must ensure freedom, and freedom must be in order.Individual and society, freedom and order are inseparable from each other. At the period ofhumanitarianism and liberty theory, Li Dazhao took humanitarianism as his philosophicalbasis. The reconciliation of humanitarianism and socialism is the realization of freedom.In the late phase of his thoughts, Li Dazhao paid special attention to personalities’ freedevelopment. He held that the authentic democracy and the real socialism aim at the abolitionof relationship between “rule” and “yield”. Real politics of the workers is the politics forworkers, of workers, and by workers. The pure plebeianism will safeguard political rights ofworking people and will make working people obtain freedom. Li Dazhao has discriminated plebeianism in order to expound what real freedom is. In term of spiritual essence,plebeianism and socialism require to respect personality and to safeguard freedom andequality. The essence of free government lies in “public approval”. Plebeianism is the real freegovernment. No women liberation, no real plebeianism. Li Dazhao thought legal reformfocuses on specific content of female right should be put into execution to realize women’sfreedom and equality. Li Dazhao has refuted the misunderstandings about concept ofsocialism among academic circles at that time. The socialist spirit requires that humanindividuality should be respected in the areas of politics, economy, society, and so on.Socialism tries for the happiness of majority people, and it is the system which promotessocial improvement. Socialism will protect and increase freedom rather than binding personalfreedom. The acquirement of freedom has great relationship with economic essentials. It isreal freedom that economic freedom is. Li Dazhao thought only a few people own freedom,while the majority do not own freedom in capitalism. Capitalist system must be overthrownand socialist system must be realized in order to realize “real freedom” and “most equalfreedom”. Li Dazhao has put forward “the theory of national life Yangtze River” and appealedto recover independence and freedom of the Chinese nation. In order to realize theindependence and freedom of the Chinese nation, Marx’s materialist conception of historymust be in further study and must be used in political and economic situation of China.Various unequal treaties were used to restrict independence and freedom of Chinese judicialright and tax power by imperialist powers. A new policy must be adopted to realize theemancipation of Chinese nation and to realize the independence and freedom of Chinesenation. In Li Dazhao’s opinion, to realize the emancipation of Chinese nation is to realize realfreedom. And to realize real freedom, socialist system must be realized. At the period ofsocialism and liberty theory, Li Dazhao took materialist conception of history as hisphilosophical basis. The freedom under socialism is the ideal prospect of freedom.Freedom is the main theory that Li Dazhao has kept throughout his life. And freedom isthe concept of enlightenment that he has kept throughout his life.