不同的文化會產生不同的教育哲學，不同的教育哲學也會影響其文化的發展。就我們所生活的現代社會而言，其教育與文化和傳統的教育與文化有相當大的不同。不同的文化決定了人們對於教育的目的、功能與價值的不同信念，進而影響人類文明的發展方向。傳統文化以人道、倫理、精神、理想為本，而現代文化則以民主、自由、科技、資本主義為其特色。傳統中西教育哲學均具有深厚的人文思想和信念，現代的教育哲學思想則十分分歧。本文擬以中國儒家的六經之教與西方的人文傳統教育理想，作為傳統文化中教育哲學的代表，以美國哲學家Dewey的教育哲學作為現代文化中教育哲學的代表，探討教育哲學在傳統與現代、人文與科技衝突和對立之間所扮演的角色，進而尋求化解這種衝突對立之道。

Education being an integral part of a culture, its aims and functions are unavoidably affected by various elements of the culture. Then, the educational ideals that guide the educational practices of a society will necessarily contribute to the future development of the culture. This relationship of mutual influence between a philosophy of education and a culture can be easily found in both traditional and modern societies. Traditional cultures are characterized by humanistic ideals and an ethical spirit, whereas modern cultures are characterized by the rapid development of science and technology within a capitalistic economy and democratic political system, and above all by a strong commitment to human liberty and equality. This disparity between traditional and modern cultures has long been discussed by scholars in the fields of the humanities and especially philosophy of education. The present paper proposes to take Chinese Confucianism and classical Western humanism as the representatives of the traditional culture, and the Dewey’s philosophy of education as the representative of modern culture. Through a general analysis of their different views on education we may understand more clearly, and within a broader cultural context, the reasons for the ongoing confrontations between humanistic and scientific-technological attitudes.