梁啟超的史學思想是中國現代史學的開端，透露出二十世紀以來中國史學發展的重要方向。許多學者（如唐小兵與王晴佳）都指出任公的史學思想主要可以分為兩個階段，一為1902年〈新史學〉時期，注重科學史學、啟蒙史學與演化史觀；一為1920年代《中國歷史研究法》出版之後，轉而強調歷史、文化的獨特性與多元性。這樣的轉變是如何產生的呢？就外在的因素來說，歐戰的刺激，以及德國歷史主義、新康德主義的影響，無疑地具有關鍵地位，但是任公思想與傳統學術的關係亦不容忽略。本文嘗試從任公與中國佛學與儒家傳統的關聯性來說明任公所建立的中國現代史學及其延展，不僅是引進西方觀念，也是將西方思想與傳統學術融洽地結合在一起。此一史學路徑和任公畢生對「現代」學術的追尋密不可分。

　　　　　Liang Qichao's historiographical thought represents the beginning of modern Chinese historiography and reveals some important directions of Chinese historiography in the twentieth century. As pointed out by many scholars, recently including Tang Xiaobing and Edward Wang, the development of Liang’s historiographical thought can be divided into two stages. First, Liang’s 1902 “New Historiography,” published in his New Citizen Journal, emphasized scientific, Enlightenment, and evolutionary vision of history. The second stage emerged in the 1920s, especially with the publication of Liang’s Methods for the Study of Chinese History. Here he emphasized the uniqueness and multiplicity of history and culture and criticized the Western-centered, evolutionary historiography that he had earlier advocated. How did this change occur? In terms of external reasons, the impact of World War I and the influence of German historicism and Neo-Kantianism played crucial roles. Yet Liang’s relationship with Chinese traditional scholarship also contributed to this change. This paper argues that Liang’s “new historiography” in both stages was based on the Buddhist and Confucian traditions to a considerable extent. Thus he not only introduced Western ideas but also sought convergence between Western ideas and concepts rooted in Chinese tradition. His efforts to establish a “new historiography” cannot be separated from his lifetime search for “modern” scholarship for China.