自由與限制這一議題在中國近代政治思想上相互爭鋒的兩大戰線，一在個人與禮教孰重，一在禮與法孰重。梁啟超在清朝末年的諸多看法，恰能具體顯現上述歷史現象的早期階段及其中的問題性。本文因此根據他在這段時間的著作，說明他如何在論述自由與限制的脈絡中，從強調自由轉至強調法治，從以權利為權力轉至溯權利思想之淵源至良知，並且同步解消「禮」和提升「法」在中國社會中應有的地位。梁啟超在這些轉變的過程中，把西方自由民主理論之中自治是為政治和法律上的自我治理，轉成為自治是為個人倫理上的自我控制，並因此重蹈中國傳統讀書人在面對政治問題上的困境。同時，梁氏在貶抑禮而頌揚法的過程中，由於未能賦與法治足夠獨立於（遑論監督）政治勢力的個性，無意之間反而助長近代中國政治勢力和政治議題在文化思想上的壓倒性地位。他經由天演論述將「禮」歸之於過去、以「法」為今日所必須的作法，更加速了近代中國反傳統運動的興起。

The issue of liberty and constraints had been embodied in two major concerns of modern Chinese political thought. One was the conflict between the li 禮 (rituals) and the individual, and the other the position of li vis-á-vis the law. The writings of Liang Qichao in the period of 1898-1906 clearly illustrate these concerns and the problems involved. This essay, therefore, aims to explicate the ideas of Liang during these years, who had changed from emphasizing the need for liberty to advocating the value of law, from understanding right as might to attributing the idea of right to liangzhih 良知 (conscience), and from endorsing the li to arguing for its replacement by the law.
In the process of such changes, Liang reinterpreted the idea of political self-rule in terms of ethical self-mastery; he, thus, had to face the same political predicament of the traditional Chinese literati. In addition, while Liang failed to articulate the distinction between a liberal democracy and the simple majority rule, he provided no theoretical basis for justifying the independence of law from politics and for protecting the individual. He in this way unconsciously fostered the increasing dominance of the political in modern China. Last, by promoting the law and debunking the li with an evolutionary rhetoric, Liang helped launching the modern Chinese iconoclastic movement in its early stage.