&zoncesaid,“Eachbodyfeelsallthatpassesintheuhewhoseesallmayreadiwhichpasseseverywhereelse,awhichhasbeenandshallbe,disthepresentthatwhichisremovedintimeasace。”Wedoeverythingisthere,reatotheinfinite。Amaniswhatheeats,andtheworkoftheDakotafarmer,theiafruitgrower,andamillionotherfoodproviderslivesinhim。Amaniswhathethinks,andeveryonewhohasinfluencedhim—fromSocrates,Plato,andfutohisparishpreadhisnurserygoverness—livesinhim。Amanisalsowhatheenjoys,andtheworkofsaainers,livingdead,renownedornameless,sublimear,livesinhim。Andsoonadinfinitu。
FourteeuriesagoamanwroteanessayoibilityoftheSoul”whisideredsiousthathisEmperreatscholarstorefuteitanditwasrefuted。But500yearslaterahistorianrecordedasummaryofthissacrilegiousessayiory。Andanother900yearspassed。Thenalittleboyof11thisbriefsummaryof35words,andthese35words,afterbeingburiedfor1,400years,suddenlybecamealiveandarelivinginhimandthroughhimihousandsofmenandwomen。
IomyAlmaMateranEurerwhogaveaheimpossibilityoffoundingarepublia。Hislecturestruasquiteabsurd,butIwasamusedbyhispeculiarpronunofthevowelo,andIsatthereimitatingitformyow。Hisspeegbeesomehowhispronunofthevowelohasstuckbymealltheseyearsandisprobablyongueofhundredsofmystudentswithoutanyawarethatitisir。J。O。P。Bland。AndMr。Bla。
&y-fiveturiesagotherediedabeggariheHimalayaMountains。Hisbodyosingbytheroadside。Therecameayoungprincewhosawthehsdwassettothiovertheimpermanenceoflifeahingelse,aoleavehisfamilyandgotothewilderhinkoutawayforhisownsalvationandthatofmaerheemergedfromthewildernessasBuddhatheEnlightenedOneandproclaimedtotheworldthewayhehadfoundforitssalvatiohedepositionofthedeadbodyofabeggarhasunwittinglytributeditsparttothefoundihegreatestreligionsoftheworld。
ThislineledmetowhatmaybecalledthereligionofSocialImmortality,becauseitisessentiallybasedoheindividualself,whichistheproductoftheaccumulatedeffectofthesocialself,leavesanindeliblemarkitisahihatlargerselfwhichmaybetermedSoanity,。Theindividualmaydie,buthelivesoniSelfwhichisimmortal。Allhisvirtueaandsin,allhisadthoughtandspeeifitortrivial,right,foodorforevil—everythiheeffectitprodutheGreatSelf。ThisGreatSelflivesforeverastheeverlastiimoriumphsahenumberlessindividualselves。
ThisofSocialImmortalityismoresatisfatheaesedoeoftheThreeImmortalitiesinthatitihelowlyandtheinsignifitaswellastheheroesandsages,viceaswellasvirtue,crimeaswellasmeritoriousserviditisthisreoftheimmortalityofevilaswellasofgoodthatstitutesthemoralsanofthedoe。Thedecayofadeadbodymayfion,butitmayalsoplagueawholet。AceremarkofabarmaidmayleadtothesuddeofaZenmonk,butawrongtheoryofpoliticalorsostruayturiesofbloodshed。Thedisicroscopicbacillusmaybemillioatinysputumfromaptivemaykillmultitudesaions。
Trulytheevilthatmehem!Itistheclearreoftheductthatstitutesoursenseofmoralresponsibility。TheindividualselfowesatremehegreaterSocialSelf,anditishisdutytoholdhimselfrespofhedoesorthinksoris。Humanityiswhatitisbythewisdomandfollyofourfathers,butweshallbejudgedbywhathumanityeshallhaveplayedourpart。Shallwesay,“Afterus,thedeluge”?Orshallwesay,“Afterus,themillennium”?
* * * *
In1923Ihadanotheroulatemyeneralway。Anarti“SdOurPhilosophyofLife”bythegeologistMr。V。K。Ting,publishedinaereditedbymyself,hadstartedalongtroversywhichlastedalmostaracticallyeverythinkerofanystandinginahadtakenpartihetroversialliteraturewascolleeenterprisingpublisherattheendof1923,itamouoover250,000words。Iwasaskedtowriteanintrodutothisyintroductoryessayaddedanother10,000wordstothisalreadyvolumiionandcludedosedas“aframehilosophyoftheuniverseaowhich,however,someofthehostilemissionarieshavemischievouslygiventhenameof“HuShih’sNewDecalogue。”Inowtraforwhatitisworth:
1。Onthebasiseofastronomyandphysics,weshheworldofspafinitelylarge
2。Onthebasisidpaleontologiowledge,weshheueetime
3。Onthebasisofallourverifiablestifiowledgeweshheuniverseahinginitfollownaturallawsofmovementaural”intheesesenseof“beingsoofthemselves”—andthatthereisheceptofasupernaturalRulerorCreator。
4。Onthebasisofthebiologices,wesherrificwaste-fulnessandbrutalityiruggleforexistehebiologicalworld,aheuyofthehypothesisofabeRuler。
5。Onthebasisofthebiological,physiologidpsychologices,weshmanisonlyoheanimalkingdomaheotherspelyiinkind。
6。Onthebasisoftheknowledgederivedfry,sociology,andthebiologices,weshoulduhehistoryaheevolu-tionoflivinganismsandofhumay。
7。Onthebasisofthebiologidpsychologices,weshallpsychologienaareexplaihroughthela>
8。Onthebasisofbiologidhistoriowledge,weshmoralityandreligiotodthatthecausesofsugebestificallystudied
9。Onthebasisofeofphysidchemistry,weshterisfullofmotionandnotstatic。
10。Onthebasisofbiological,sociologidhistoriowledge,weshheindividualselfissubjecttodeathathesumtotalofindividualat,forbetterorforworse,livesoalityerSelf;thattoliveforthesakeofthespedposterityisreligiokind;andthatthionswhichseekafuturelifeeitherihePureLand,areselfishreligions
“Thisnewcredo,
Icluded,
“isahypothesisfouhegenerallyacceptedstifiowledgeofthelasttwoorthreehuoavoidunnecessarytroversy,Iproposetoot‘astifierely‘theNaturalistiofLifeandtheUniverse。’
“Inthisnaturalistiiverse,inthisuniverseofinfiime,mawo-handedanimalwhhtisaboutfivefeetandahalfandwhoseagerarelyexceedsahundredyears,isindeedamereinfinitesimalmithisnaturalistiiverse,whereeverymotionintheheavenshasitsregulardeverygefollowslawsofnature,wherecausalitygovernsmahestruggleforexistencespurshisactivities—insuiversemalefreedomindeed。
&inyanimaloftwohandshashisproperpladworthinthatworldofiude。Makinggooduseofhishandsandalargebraiuallysumakiools,thinkingoutwaysandmeans,ainghisowncivilizatiooedthewildanimals,buthehasalsostudiedanddiscoveredasiderablehesedlawsofnaturebymeansofwhichhehasbeasterofthenaturalfordisnelectricitytodrivehiscarriageaodeliverhismessage。
“Theincreaseofhiskendedhispower,butithasalsowidenedhisvisioedhisimaginatioimeswhenheworshipedstonesandanimalsandwasafraidofthegodsandghosts。Butheisnowmovingawayfromthesechildishhabits,andisslowlyiioyofspahanceshisaestheticappreoftheuheihofgeologidareoteruheterrifichardshiphisforefathershadtoenbuildingupthishumaaheregularityofthemovementsaheheavensahonlyfurhekeytohisdomiure。
&heabsoluteuyofthelawofcausalitydoesnotnecessarilylimithisfreedom,becausethelawofcausalitynotooexplaiahefuture,butalseshimtousehisioewdattais。Evethestruggleforexistenecessarilymakehimahardehetrary,itmayintensifyhissympathyforhisfellowmen,makehimbelievemorefirmlyiyofcooperation,andportansaheonlymeahebrutalityandwastefulhenaturalstruggles。Inshort,thisnaturalistioftheuniverseanecessarilydevoidofbeauty,ofpoetry,ofmoralresponsibility,aopportunityfortheexerciseofthecreativeintelligenan。”
[1]本文收录胡适于1931年1、2月份在美国的Forum杂志上连载两期的英文自述。“WhatIBelieve”为Forum杂志的一个专题,爱因斯坦、罗素、杜威等都曾为该专题撰稿。胡适的这篇自述原名应为“MydItsEvolution”,据胡适日记记载成文于1930年3月4日,发表时改为“WhatIBelieve”。本文内容大多与1933年出版的《四十自述》相同或相通,可谓《四十自述》写作的蓝本,故附于此。