Liang Qi Chao liberal thought and moral ideology, through comparative study of the negative civil liberty and positive civil liberty Yang, Tae-keun* In late 19th century China, Liang Qi Chao was one of the most important contributors and propagators of the dissemination and absorption of concepts of Western liberalism. This paper borrows John Rawls terminology of negative liberty and positive liberty to conduct a comparative and in-depth study on the two different periods of Liang Qichao-divided into before and after his exile in Japan-discussing negative and positive theories of popular rights. Liang Qichao sought after liberty in two different periods, switching from negative to positive liberalism, and realized in the process that the pursuit of positive liberty must be constrained and governed through moralism either through moral convictions or discipline. Through his arguments related to his pursuit of liberal thought, we should understand that this was not a return towards the conservative but that the shift from negative to positive liberalism through his own direct experiences was his earnest realization of the importance of moral convictions and disciplines in order to achieve the goal of pursuing liberalist thought. The concept of "return to the conservative" referring to Liang Qichao in academic circles, when considered from this perspective, makes it apparent that new and more probing research and discussions are needed.

Liang Qi Chao liberal thought and moral ideology, through comparative study of the negative civil liberty and positive civil liberty Yang, Tae-keun* In late 19th century China, Liang Qi Chao was one of the most important contributors and propagators of the dissemination and absorption of concepts of Western liberalism. This paper borrows John Rawls terminology of negative liberty and positive liberty to conduct a comparative and in-depth study on the two different periods of Liang Qichao-divided into before and after his exile in Japan-discussing negative and positive theories of popular rights. Liang Qichao sought after liberty in two different periods, switching from negative to positive liberalism, and realized in the process that the pursuit of positive liberty must be constrained and governed through moralism either through moral convictions or discipline. Through his arguments related to his pursuit of liberal thought, we should understand that this was not a return towards the conservative but that the shift from negative to positive liberalism through his own direct experiences was his earnest realization of the importance of moral convictions and disciplines in order to achieve the goal of pursuing liberalist thought. The concept of "return to the conservative" referring to Liang Qichao in academic circles, when considered from this perspective, makes it apparent that new and more probing research and discussions are needed.

Liang, Qichao, moralism, John Rawls, negative liberty, positive liberty, nationalism