Editing Hu Shih (section)

=== Individualism, liberalism, and democracy ===
Unlike many of his contemporaries who later joined the Socialist camp, liberalism and democracy were Hu's political beliefs throughout his life. He firmly believed that the world as a whole was heading toward democracy, despite the changing political landscape.{{sfn|Chou|2012|p=288}}<ref>Hu, Shih (1947), 我们必须选择我们的方向 (We Must Choose Our Own Direction).</ref>{{page needed|date=March 2025}} Hu defines democracy as a lifestyle in which everyone's value is recognized, and everyone has the freedom to develop a lifestyle of individualism.<ref>Hu, Shih (1955), 四十年来中国文艺复兴运动留下的抗暴消毒力量—中国共产党清算胡适思想的历史意义.</ref>{{page needed|date=March 2025}} For Hu, individual achievement does not contradict societal good. In fact, individual achievement contributes to overall social progress, a view that he distinguishes from the so-called "selfish individualism."<ref>Hu, Shih (1918). 易卜生主义 (Ibsenisim).</ref>{{page needed|date=March 2025}} In his essay, "Immortality{{snd}}My Religion", Hu stresses that although individuals eventually perish physically, one's soul and the effect one has on society are immortal.<ref>Hu, Shih (1919). Immortality{{snd}}My Religion, ''New Youth'' ''6.2''.</ref> Therefore, Hu's individualism is a lifestyle in which people are independent and yet social.{{sfn|Chou|2012|p=290}}

Hu sees individual contributions as crucial and beneficial to the system of democracy. In "A Second Discussion on Nation-Building and Autocracy" ({{lang|zh|再談建國與專治}}), Hu comments that an autocratic system needs professionals to manage it while democracy relies on the wisdom of the people. When different people's lived experiences come together, no elite politician is needed for coordination, and therefore democracy is, in fact, easy to practice with people who lack political experience. He calls democracy "naive politics" ({{lang|zh|幼稚政治}}), a political system that can help cultivate those who participate in it.<ref>"[https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hans/%E5%BE%9E%E4%B8%80%E9%BB%A8%E5%88%B0%E7%84%A1%E9%BB%A8%E7%9A%84%E6%94%BF%E6%B2%BB 从一党到无党的政治 – 维基文库，自由的图书馆]". ''zh.wikisource.org''. Retrieved 15 April 2019.</ref>

Hu also equates democracy with freedom, a freedom that is made possible by tolerance. In a democratic system, people should be free from any political persecution as well as any public pressure. In his 1959 essay "Tolerance and Freedom", Hu Shih stressed the importance of tolerance and claimed that "tolerance is the basis of freedom". In a democratic society, the existence of opposition must be tolerated. Minority rights are respected and protected. People must not destroy or silence the opposition.{{sfn|Chou|2012|pp=290–292}}

==== The Chinese root of democracy ====
A large portion of Hu Shih's scholarship in his later years is dedicated to finding a Chinese root for democracy and liberalism. Many of his writings, including "Historic Tradition for a Democratic China",{{clarify|reason=Is the word "Historic" part of the title? If not, it's unclear what it's doing here.|date=May 2019}} "The Right to Doubt in Ancient Chinese Thought", "Authority and Freedom in the Ancient Asian World" make a similar claim that the democratic spirit is always present within the Chinese tradition.<ref>{{Cite book |title=English Writings of Hu Shih |first=Shih |last=Hu |year=2013 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-642-31180-2 |editor-last=Chou |editor-first=Chih-P'ing |series=China Academic Library |location=Berlin |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-31181-9}}</ref> He claimed that Chinese tradition included:

# A democratized social structure with an equal inheritance system among sons and the right to rebel under oppressive regimes.
# Widespread accessibility of political participation through civil service exams.
# Intragovernmental criticism and censorial control formalized by governmental institutions and the Confucian tradition of political criticism.