Hu Shih: The Philosopher Who Tried to Modernize China Through Pragmatism and Doubt
In short: Hu Shih was a titan of 20th-century Chinese intellectual life, championing vernacular language, liberal democracy, and the scientific method. By applying John Dewey’s pragmatism to Chinese tradition, he sought to replace dogmatic ideologies with experimental inquiry, forever altering how China understood its own history, politics, and potential for individual freedom.
Born in 1891, Hu Shih became a central figure in the May Fourth and New Culture Movements. Educated at Cornell and Columbia, he was deeply influenced by John Dewey, whose philosophy of pragmatism he translated as 'experimental-ism.' For Hu, pragmatism was not an abstract system but a scientific methodology—a tool to test hypotheses rather than accept dogmas. He famously argued that ideologies should be viewed as sources of reference rather than absolute truths, believing that this scientific spirit could transcend cultural boundaries and help solve the specific problems facing the Chinese people.
Hu’s most enduring legacy was his campaign to replace Classical Chinese with written vernacular Chinese. He believed that a 'dead language' could never produce a living literature, and his efforts were credited by historian John Fairbank with breaking the 'tyranny of the classics.' By analyzing traditional novels like Dream of the Red Chamber, Hu sought to standardize a modern language rooted in Chinese culture. This linguistic reform was part of a broader intellectual project: applying skepticism and textual criticism to Chinese history. In his 1919 work, An Outline History of Chinese Philosophy, he controversially 'cut off' pre-Warring States schools to focus on verifiable texts, a move that sparked intense debate among his peers, including Feng Youlan.
Throughout his life, Hu remained a staunch advocate for liberalism and democracy, which he defined as a lifestyle of tolerance and individual independence. He argued that democracy was not a complex system for elites but 'naive politics' that could cultivate the wisdom of the common person. Even as he faced political persecution and criticism from the Chinese Communist Party, he maintained that the democratic spirit was embedded in Chinese tradition, citing historical practices like the right to rebel against oppressive regimes. By the time of his death in 1962, Hu had established a legacy of intellectual independence that continues to influence modern Chinese scholarship.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Hu Shih
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