欧洲思想家主要对中国的专制主义制度及其刑罚、法律与道德的结合、中国衰落的原因进行了分析。尽管认识对象相同 ,但其所持观点和得出的结论又使他们分成两派。批判派认为中国政府的形式必然是专制主义 ,把法律与道德混在一起是极大的错误 ;辩护派则坚持与任何其他政府相比中国更接近于理想模式 ,中国人正是依靠道德政治获得了成功。需要注意的是 ,他们不约而同地提出个性自由的缺失导致东方大帝国悲壮落伍 European thinkers mainly analyze the autocratic system of China and its penalties, the combination of law and morality, and the reasons for the decline of China. Despite the same object of understanding, their views and the conclusions drawn in turn divided them into two groups. The critics believe that the form of the Chinese government must be absolutist and it is a great mistake to mix law and morality. The defenders insist that China is closer to the ideal model than any other government and that the Chinese are relying on moral politics success. It should be noted that they spontaneously proposed that the absence of individual freedom led to the tragic backwardness of the Great Eastern Empire