论梁启超史学的前后期

现代学者大都将梁启超的史学以欧战为转折点分为前后两期,认为无论在史观与方法上,前后两期绝异。梁启超前期提倡进化史观、启蒙精神以及科学的史学,而后期则放弃进化史观,转而关注中国历史文化的特殊性。为了检视梁氏史学是否可以绝然划分为前后两期,我们有必要参照中外学子的研究成果,并按梁氏原著,观察现代史学走向,深入探讨梁氏史学的本质、意义及其转变。其实,欧战对梁氏的影响并不如许多人所说的那样悲观,他的史学思想固然有所改变,但也有持续。晚年他因寄身学院,有更多时间从事读书与写作,史学知识与日俱增,后期可以说是前期的进一步发展。总体而言,梁启超是中国现代史学的拓荒者,主要贡献有二:其一,引进西方的史学概念与方法;其二,凭所知之西方史学知识批判与评论中国传统史学,促使中国史学的现代化。

Reconsider the Two Periods of Liang Qichao's Historiography

Modern scholars generally classify Liang Qichao's historiography into two drastically different periods:while Liang advocated Socio-Darwinian view of history,enlightenment,and scientific history in his early years,he abandoned much of his earlier commitments and returned to a rather conservative position following his European tour after the Great War.Having reconsidered Liang's two-period historical thought,this essay finds that the impact of the war on him was not so pessimistic as many thought.While indeed the aftermath of the war changed his intellectual position somewhat,there was a distinct continuity in his view of history.Thanks to his presence in an academic environment during his final years,he made greater advance in acquiring knowledge of history from the West as well as in pursuing historical research.In essence,Liang's major contributions to modern Chinese historiography have twofold:One,he pioneered the introduction of Western conception of history,largely via Japan,to China.Two,he sharply criticized the traditional Chinese historiography in the light of modern Western historiography.