本文借用哈柏瑪斯關於文化現代性與社會現代性的對比，說明現代性不僅不同於單純的現代化，並且由於文化現代性具有反思與自我正當化的基本特色，現代性內都其實涵蘊著豐富的批判能量。從一個有限的意義上說，這種批判性格，在自由主義的基本立場上，可以見到明確的表現。自由主義乃是現代性的承載者：不面對現代性的嚴肅挑戰，不會感受到自由主義的真正意義。值此各類傳統勢力甚囂塵上、各種保守意識正忙著提供興奮劑與避風港之際，正視現代性的嚴峻要求，乃是維持社會改造的動能、維護社會進步遠景的重要一步。

　　　　　Invoking Habermas's distinction between cultural and societal modernity, this article—a response to Wang Hui's justly celebrated discourse on Chinese modernity—separates modernity from modernization by emphasizing self-reflection and self-legitimation as the defining characteristics of cultural modernity. It is argued that herein lies the critical potentials of the modern consciousness. The unbalanced state of Chinese modernity is then explained in terms of its ties to nationalism. It is further argued that in this age of late modern exhaustion the critical thrust of modernity is best represented by liberalism, which serves as a bulwark of post-metaphysical sobriety against all sorts of conservative/romantic regressions.