&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。