本文以戴震「以理殺人」說為主線，論述清代下迄現代多位學者包括焦循、劉師培、章太炎的闡釋，而特提示胡適、余英時、何佑森三位祖籍安徽的先生對其鄉先輩戴震關乎反權威、平等、個體、人權、自由等觀念的闡發。中國傳統社會受制於儒家倫常綱紀觀念的約束，個人意志、權利、價值、地位常屈服於群體倫理而不能獲得彰顯。17世紀思想界注意及此，而醒悟確立個體性對於支撐起健康強大的群體社會實至為重要。戴震論「理」精神價值第一要義，是從宇宙論的高度確立「分殊」的大纛和「個體性」的價值，而暢論理欲之辨。發揚戴震思想的學者繼起的詮釋，豐富了此一思想主脈，為中國思想現代性的確立作出貢獻。

This essay reexamines the key idea“Li”(as well as Dai’s statement“yi li sha-ren”[以理殺人,killing in the name of Heaven]) in which Dai declares the meaning and value of“particularity”from a cosmological level highlighting“fenshu”(分殊,differentiation) to its functional meaning“fenli”(分理,differentiated reason) on defending individual rights and values such as equality and freedom to contend with ethical constraints from traditional Chinese kinship family/society. By elaborating the multifaceted discussions and interpretations of later scholars who admire and inherit Dai’s philosophy, especially Hu Shih, Yu Ying-shih and Ho Yu-sen who are also from the An-hui province, the author attempts to point out that the new paradigm for reexamining the philosophical meaning of “li” and its social and political extension has essentially opened a major intellectual flow recognizing individual rights and value, which later became a major pillar in Chinese modernity.