中國「五四」時期所開出的新文化、新思想、新文學的各種論述，原與晚清感時憂國、變法圖強的時代意識一脈相承；然尤有進者。在民主與科學的前提下，「五四」精神對個體的改革要求，主要含括了人身自主、人權平等與人格獨立的探索憧憬。此一社會脈動復與一九二○、三○年代世界性的人道主義思潮有關。於五四洶湧的革新運勢底下，周作人最先關注的，就是「人」的問題。這種頗富啟蒙意味的人權提倡，不只泛指一般個人，女權與兒童議題亦含納其中。就整個中國歷史來看，知識界這樣熱烈討論個人主體性與女性切身的問題，幾乎是空前。作為「五四」前驅之一的周作人，以論評譯介的雜文方式，依據漢文化的古典傳統，整合融貫現當代西方性心理學、生物學、人類學與民俗學，所建構起來的「人學」與「性學」乃隊全民身心之徹底解放為旨歸。其持久深入之關懷，就質與量言，同時代幾難找出第二人。本文擬擇要取樣周氏有關人權、性別的論述，詳予爬梳，以明其思想淵源與匯聚進程，並闡析其生命主張，庶幾為學界之文學文化評論略盡棉薄。

Various kinds of cultural, philosophical and literary discourses emerging during the May Fourth Movement in China came from the ideology of reform of the late Ching Dynasty and was then better developed. On the basis of democracy and science, the spirit of the Movement searched for the reform of the individual, including autonomy, equality and independence. The social movement was relevant to the global tendency of Humanism in the 20s and 30s. Under the circumstances, Chou, Tso Jen, in the first place, was concerned with the human-being. The claim for human rights ranged from the individual and female rights to children's issues, which was regarded as a breakthrough in Chinese history. As a pioneer of the May Fourth Movement, Chou, based on the Han culture, constructed with a goal of liberating the body and the soul, the Human Studies and Gender Studies through criticism and translation. His everlasting and profound concerns were beyond all those who got involved in the Studies above in his epoch. This essay aims to analyze the source and development of Chou, Tso Jen's Human and Gender Studies and to examine his life-long declaration.