Biographical Review of the Academic Thought of Zhang Junmai

Author: Zheng Dahua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-05-01
Features: This book is divided into five chapters, systematically elaborating on the intellectual origins, developmental trajectory, major works, academic contributions, and historical significance of Zhang Junmai. It also includes a concise chronology of the subject's academic career and an index of research works.
In the 20th century, liberalism began to evolve into new liberalism (also known as modern liberalism). New liberalism is grounded in moral philosophy, asserting that humans are moral beings and the sole judges of their own interests, but individuals cannot exist in isolation from society; solitary individuals cannot achieve happiness. When safeguarding personal rights, individuals should promote social harmony, and people can only advance societal development and achieve collective happiness through mutual assistance.
New liberalism emphasizes individual freedom, but it is no longer the passive resistance to old systems or the denial of state intervention, but rather active freedom characterized by initiative, creativity, and advocacy for new orders. Eliminating poverty, hunger, disabilities, ignorance, and other social ills is a crucial condition for achieving this active freedom. New liberalism advocates expanding the role of the state, believing that the state can take measures to remove obstacles to personal freedom and create more opportunities.
New liberalism stresses social obligations of citizens, requiring individuals to uphold the nation. Society is an organic whole, and the existence and fulfillment of individual rights depend on state protection and societal development. Only by contributing to national strength, social harmony, and public welfare, and by assuming greater responsibilities, can individuals enrich and develop themselves.
New liberalism proposes reforms to the political and economic systems of capitalism while maintaining the existing social order, aiming to alleviate social conflicts and prevent social revolutions. It calls for more social cooperation and promotes ( c?i thi?n ch? ngh?a), criticizing imperialism while also opposing scientific socialism and proletarian revolutions, advocating instead a "third way" that seeks a degree of synthesis between liberalism and socialism.
Zhang Junmai once claimed that his philosophical thought was German, while his political thought was British. The British influence on his political thought primarily stems from his exposure to the liberal tradition of British thought. Zhang Junmai was exposed to the British liberal tradition earlier than he was to Western (primarily German) philosophical thought. In the early 20th century, while studying at Waseda University in Japan, he pursued Western law and political science. His political science textbook was Locke's Of Government, and his reference materials were almost entirely works by British liberal thinkers, including Wilson's The State, Burke's Constitutional Studies, and Salter's Principles of Economics.
During his time at Waseda University, he also published a translation titled John Stuart Mill on Parliamentary Government under the pen name "Lizhai" in the 18th issue of the New People's Magazine (418). This was Zhang Junmai's first translation and one of the most significant works of his life. Some even argue that "in a certain sense, John Stuart Mill on Parliamentary Government laid a milestone for the development of Zhang Junmai's political thought."
John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) was a British philosopher, political theorist, economist, and logician, representing 19th-century British liberalism. His major political works include On Liberty (1859), The Representation of the People (also translated as Studies on Representation (1861)), Utilitarianism (1863), and Essays on Representative Government (1875), a four-volume collection of political essays.