鮑桑葵的現代國家理論因側重國家構成的整全性而被20 世紀宣揚個人自由的英美學者撻伐，並被視之為一套擁護國家中心主義的論述。相對於此，本文將指出：鮑桑葵的國家理論雖受維科、孟德斯鳩、盧梭和黑格爾等人影響，而重視國家整體民族精神的重要性；但鮑桑葵國家理論的特色實在於透過自我治理、共同意志、社會本務、愛國情操等概念，將民族精神與民主治理這兩個政治理念連結起來，並為民族國家的運作提出了一種合於自由民主精神的解釋。此外，在鮑桑葵的解釋中另也蘊含了一套公民民族論述，而有助吾人探索民族主義與普世人道主義的思想關聯。

Bosanquet's theory of the State has been widely recognised as a masterpiece of British Idealism. However, since he underscored the wholeness dimension of the state, many 20th-century Anglo-American scholars, who espoused individual freedom, criticised his theory as a doctrine of Statism. In contrast with this criticism, this article argues that the following: the commentaries of Vico, Montesquieu, Rousseau and Hegel on the wholeness of the state and the spirit of nation are indeed important for Bosanquet to establish his arguments; however, by utilising the ideas of self-government, the general will, social duty and patriotism, Bosanquet's account of the intellectual connection between the spirit of nation and democratic government, two significant dimensions of modern politics, is in conformity with a liberal democratic spirit. Moreover, through his account of the modern nation state, Bosanquet also developed a civic nation discourse, which can give us some insights into the relationship between nationalism and humanitarianism.