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Chinese Communism Versus Pragmatism: The Criticism of Hu Shih's Philosophy, 1950–1958

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2011

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The relationship between pragmatism and Chinese Communism is a question important in its consequences but ambiguous in its content. By careful reading of the intellectual history of China during past half-century, certain implications on the intertwined relationships between them can be easily detected. For example, both pragmatism and Marxism were introduced to China during the May Fourth era, a time of unprecedented intellectual ferment. Their common belief in the Western materialist tradition had not only paved the way for a brief united front in the struggle against the dead weight of the Confucian tradition, but their shared emphasis on scientific culture reinforced their common goals and made “science” one of the most worshipped watch-words in contemporary China. Such backgrounds have in fact led many to think that pragmatism represented only a transitional stage on a road that “led naturally and easily to communism as the science of society.” Some claimed that pragmatists not only tended to be tolerant of dialectical materialism and the Communists, but they admired the Communist movement as an integral part of the democratic ideal and helped to prepare the way for the spread of materialism in China in the next few decades. Although the precise relationship between pragmatism and Chinese Communism remains undefined to this day, the pragmatic element in Chinese Communism is a popular theme which has gained wide currency among some recent interpretations.

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Copyright © Association for Asian Studies, Inc. 1968

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References

1 Kwok, D. W. Y., Scientism in Chinese Thought 1900–1950 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965), pp. 1320.Google Scholar

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4 In addition to the above-mentioned interpretations, the most recent interpretations along this line are to be found in Holubnychy, Vsevolod “Mao Tse-tung's Materialistic Dialectics,” The China Quarterly, No. 19, July–September, 1964, pp. 18 ffGoogle Scholar. and Cohen, Arthur A., The Communism of Mao Tse-tung (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1964), pp. 27, 188 ff.Google Scholar

5 For example, such criticisms can be found in the following writings. Chi, Li, Hu Shih chung-kuo che-hsüeh-shih ta-kang p'i-p'an (Critique of Hu Shih's “Outlines of Chinese Philosophical History”), (Shanghai: Shen Chou Publication Company, 1931)Google Scholar. Also his Pien-cheng-fa huan-shih shih-yung-chu-i (Dialectics or Pragmatism), (Shanghai: Shen Chou Publication Company, 1932)Google Scholar. Yi Tsing (Yeh Ch'ing) Hu Shih p'i-p'an (Critique of Hu Shih), (Shanghai: The Thinking Bookshop, 1933)Google Scholar. Hu Ch'iu-yuan, “P'in ch'iung ti che-hsüeh” (The Poverty of Philosophy) in Tu-shu tsa-chih I and II. Kuo Mo-jo's criticism of Hu Shih are to be found only in scattered places such as his Shih p'i-p'an shu (A Book of Ten Critiques), (Peking: Science Publishing Company, 1957), pp. 4349, 119, 463Google Scholar. Mo-jo Wen Chi (Collected Works of Kuo Mo-jo), Peking: People's Publication Company, 1959), XII, 331, XIV, 430Google Scholar and his Ko-min ts'un-ch'iu (Autobiography), II (Shanghai: Hai-yen Book Company, 1947), 148–56Google Scholar. Among the Marxist criticisms, however, Ch'en Tu-hsiu's criticism of Hu Shih can perhaps be singled out as the most representative of their mentality at this time. During the debate between science and metaphysics in the early nineteen twenties, Ch'en, as an admirer of Western progressive civilization, was basically sympathetic to the science-minded group and wrote enthusiastically on its behalf. But as a newly converted Marxist, he believed that “only objective materialistic causes could change society, explain history and control views of life” while Hu Shih and other liberals, with their “dualistic-idealistic emphasis on spiritual forces such as knowledge, speech and education” would inevitably be defeated in front of the metaphysicist assault. Hu Shih answered this materialistic challenge as ridiculous and pointed out that Ch'en's preoccupation with dialectical materialism could easily lead to an unbalanced view of all things. This exchange of opinion is recorded in Hu Shih Wen Ts'un (Collected Works of Hu Shih) III, 4051.Google Scholar

6 The Communists lost no time after their capture of Peking in launching a general attack against Hu Shih. One of the earliest attacks was made by Chen Yuan, then president of Fu Jen University. In an “open letter” published by the Chin-pu Jih Pao in May 17, 1949Google Scholar, he accused Hu Shih for having misinterpreted Communism and “run away.” See Bodde, Derk, Peking Diary: A Year of Revolution (New York: Henry Schuman Inc., 1950), pp. 183–84Google Scholar. Also Johnson, Chalmers A.Communist Policies Toward the Intellectual Class (Hong Kong: The Union Research Institute, 1959), p. 85Google Scholar. In 1950, another vicious attack against Hu Shih was launched, and his son, Hu Shih-tu, was used as the mouthpiece. In his “open letter,” young Hu accused his father as an “enemy of the people” who “intimately associated with the cultural exploitation of imperialism.” This letter, which was reprinted in newspapers throughout the nation, is reproduced in toto in Hunter, Edward's Brainwashing in Communist China (New York: Vanguard Press, 1951), Appendix I, pp. 331–35Google Scholar. On December 2, 1951, a “symposium on the Criticism of Hu Shih's Thought” was initiated in Shanghai under the auspices of the Ta Kung Pao. Distinguished scholars such as Shen Yin-mo, Ku Chieh-kang and T'ang Yung-t'ung have all participated in the “symposium” by contributing denunciatory articles on Hu Shih. These articles were subsequently published in the Shanghai Ta Kung Pao on December 16, 1951Google Scholar. The gist of these confessions was that Hu Shih was a “cultural compradore imbued with the feudal ideology.” Major articles such as Shen Yin-mo's “This Man, Hu Shih” and Chen Yuan's “What Kind of Man Is Hu Shih,” were translated by the American Consulate General in Hong Kong and published in the Current Background 167, March 25, 1952Google Scholar. See Johnson, Ibid., p. 88. Also see Ta-kai, Kin (Chin Ta-k'ai) Chung-kung p'i-p'an Hu Shih ssu-hsiang yen-chiu (The Chinese Communists' Criticism of Hu Shih's Thought), (Hong Kong: Liberty Publication Company, 1956), pp. 22 ffGoogle Scholar. To this time, however, the attacks were directed against Hu Shih personally. It was not until late 1954, touched off by different interpretation of one of China's most popular novels—The Dream of the Red Chamber—that Hu Shih's thought was for the first time “penetratingly analyzed.” See Johnson, Ibid., p. 89. Also see Current Background 315, March 4, 1955, p. 2Google Scholar, and Chung, Chao, The Communist Program for Literature and Art in China (Hong Kong: The Union Research Institute, July, 1955), p. 53Google Scholar. Starting from late 1954, the campaign was rapidly expanded by the joint effort of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Writers Union so as to embrace not only Hu Shih's literary views but also his philosophical thinking and Weltanschauung as well as his political beliefs and historical interpretations. In due time, institutions of higher learning in various parts of the country also began to respond “enthusiastically” to this undertaking and numerous meetings and forums were organized. The ferocity of the campaign seemed to have rendered only more violent by the passage of time and by the end of 1955, the quantity of the purge literature has well surpassed three million words and the number of participants also registered an unprecedented high over and above all remoulding campaigns previously held in Communist China. See Chen, Theodore H. E., Thought Reform of the Chinese Intellectuals (Hong Kongs Hong Kong University Press, 1960), pp. 4346, 8385Google Scholar. Also see Kuo Mo-jo, “Shan tien chien i” (Three Proposals), Hu Shih ssu-hsiang p'i-p'an (Criticism of Hu Shih's Thought: Symposium of Essays), (Peking: San Lien Publications Company, 1955), I, 11Google Scholar. The various critical essays were later published in an eight-volume work under the title of Hu Shih ssu-hsiang p'i-p'an. In addition to these volumes, criticisms made by leading Communist theoreticians such as Ai Ssu-ch'i, Li Ta, Sun Ting-kuo and Yao P'eng-tzu were also subsequently expanded and issued under separate titles. See footnotes 14, 15 and 51. The attack against pragmatism was once again renewed during the anti-rightist campaign. As Lu Ting-yi pointed out, if there were still places where such reactionary ideas (The thoughts of Hu Shih, Hu Feng and Liang Shu-ming) had not been completely eliminated, the campaign against them must continue and “must not stop halfway.” See Chen, Ibid., pp. 118–20. The recent purge in Communist China under the euphemism of “cultural revolution,” despite its political ramifications, however, seemed to have shown once again the salient features of the earlier campaigns. Spearheaded by what was called “the Movement of Outstanding Politics” launched within the armed forces in November, 1965, it went through different twists and turns, and by April of 1966, began to engage not only numerous ranking party officials who seemed to have doubted the Maoist policies in the past through some realistic viewpoints, but also a host of “pragmatic economists, scientists and technicians who failed to pay heed to ideology.” Chieh-jang Chan Pao, the army's newspaper which started the movement, was reported in May of 1966 as “busily leading the criticism of the pragmatists.” The acme of the “revolution,” however, was not reached until July when Mao Tse-tung was reported as having “personally guided” the campaign as his “crowning gift” to the revolution he has led for forty years. By committing himself and his army firmly behind the campaign, Mao seemed to have made the issue quite clear. Instead of regarding the realistic and pragmatic attitude as something worthy of emulation, he took them once more to task and treated them as one of the leading pawns in his favorite game of ideological reform.

7 Hu Shih, “Shih-yung chu-i” (Pragmatism), Hu Shih Wen Ts'un, I, 414–44, 453–58Google Scholar. Genetic Methodology is used to denote the Deweyan five-stage methodology which includes the recognition of problem, the observation of data, the formulation of hypothesis, the verification by experiment, and finally, the making of judgment.

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10 Ai Ssu-ch'i was director of the department of philosophical teaching and research of the Marxism-Leninism Institute in Peking. Li Ta, a founding member of the Chinese Communist Party and one-time president of Hunan University, was president of Wuhan University at the time of this criticism. It is recently reported that Mao had written him personally asking him to guide the campaign against Hu Shih in central China. See Chung-yang Jih Pao, August 9, 1966Google Scholar. Hu Sheng is a Marxist popularizer. He is the author of many slim volumes such as Hsin-che-hsüeh ti jen-sheng-kuan (Introduction to Dialectical Materialism), Li-hsing yu-tzu-yu (Reason and Liberty) and Ssu-hsiang fang-fa yu tu-shu fang-fa (How to Think), in which the essentials of Marxism are well stated. Wang Jo-shui and Sun Ting-kuo were members of the Chinese Federation of Literature and Arts. Yao P'eng-tzu and Jen Chi-yü have been Communist essayists and writers for many years.

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14 Ssu-ch'i, Ai, P'i-p'an Hu Shift ti fan-tung che-hsüeh ssu-hsiang (Criticism of Hu Shih's Reactionary Philosophical Thinking), (Peking: China Youth Publication, 1955), pp. 211Google Scholar. Also Ta, Li, Hu Shih fantung ssu-hsiang p'i-p'an (Criticism of Hu Shih's Reactionary Thought), (Hankow: Hupeh People's Publication Company, 1955), p. 7.Google Scholar

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17 Ibid. Also Ai Ssu-ch'i, op. cit. Li Ta, op. cit.

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23 According to Dewey, one of the contracts between the orthodox description of experience and that congenial to present conditions is that “in the orthodox view, experience is regarded primarily as a knowledge-affair. But to eyes not looking through ancient spectacles, it assuredly appears as an affair of the intercourse of a living being with its physical and social environment.” See Dewey, John, Creative Intelligence (New York: Henry Holt & Co. 1917), p. 7.Google Scholar

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93 Although Hu Shih's liberal thought has not been adequately studied in the past, he did present his justification for freedom and democracy based on pragmatism. His major theoretical writings in this area were rather late in appearing. See Shih, Hu, “Instrumentalism as a Political Concept,” in University of Pennsylvania Bi-Centennial Conference, Studies in Political Science and Sociology (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1951), pp. 1 ffGoogle Scholar. and his article in The Philosopher of the Common Man: Essays in Honor of John Dewey to Celebrate His Eightieth Birthday (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1940), pp. 215 ffGoogle Scholar. His other political writings, which are voluminous, were written throughout an extended period from the establishment of the Nu-li chou-pao (The Endeavor) in May, 1922Google Scholar, in Peking to February, 1962, when he died in Taipei. Among them, his articles published in Jen-ch'üan lun-chi (Essays on Human Rights), (Shanghai: Hsin Yueh Book Co., 1931)Google Scholar, his writings in Tu-li ping-lun (The Independent Critic) between 1932–1937, and his discussion on liberalism in the small pamphlet entitled Wo-men pi-hsu shuan-tze wo-men-ti fan-hsiang (We Must Choose Our Direction), (Hong Kong: Free China Publication Co., 1949) are particularly noteworthy. For a preliminary study of his liberalism in terms of the Anglo-American liberal traditions, see my work “The Criticism of Hu Shih's Thought in Communist China” (Unpublished doctoral dissertation, The University of Chicago, 1965), pp. 131 ff.