Intolerance Roots in Absolute Certainty | Generated by AI
This question is about Hu Shi’s essay “Tolerance and Freedom” (《容忍与自由》), specifically analyzing why Calvin burned Servetus at the stake. You correctly chose B.
The Core Argument
The fundamental reason Calvin executed Servetus was his deep conviction that he himself “could not be wrong” (深信自己”不会错”的心理).
Hu Shi’s Analysis
According to the essay, all persecution stems from this psychological root:
The Chain of Intolerance
- Self-certainty (深信自己不会错) ↓
- Inability to tolerate different views (不能容忍任何和自己不同的思想信仰) ↓
- Persecution of “heresy” and “dissent”
Universal Application
Hu Shi argues this principle explains:
- All persecution of heretics (一切对异端的迫害)
- All suppression of “the different” (一切对”异已”的摧残)
- All prohibition of religious freedom (一切宗教自由的禁止)
- All oppression of thought and speech (一切思想言论的被压迫)
Why the Other Options Are Insufficient
A - Servetus was dissatisfied with Roman Catholicism
- This is just the content of the disagreement
- Doesn’t explain why Calvin felt justified in killing him
C -争取”基督教的人的自由” (Fighting for “Christian human freedom”)
- This is ironic - Calvin claimed to fight for freedom while suppressing it
- This is the pretext, not the psychological root cause
D - Religious belief and freedom are incompatible
- This is too broad and fatalistic
- Hu Shi doesn’t argue that religion inherently opposes freedom
- Rather, it’s the dogmatic mindset that does
The Deeper Message
Hu Shi’s point is profound: the greatest enemy of freedom isn’t a particular ideology, but the psychology of absolute certainty.
When anyone—whether religious reformer, political revolutionary, or ideological zealot—becomes convinced they possess absolute truth, intolerance inevitably follows.
The Irony
Calvin himself was persecuted by the Catholic Church, yet when he gained power, he did the same to others. Why? Because he replaced one form of dogmatic certainty with another, never questioning his own infallibility.
This is why Hu Shi advocates for tolerance (容忍) as the foundation of true freedom—recognizing that we might be wrong, and others might be right.