西方啟蒙所揭櫫的理性與人文精神一方面突出其普世的現代化行動，一方面則在偌大的心靈機制與生活場域裡製造了攸關人性發展及教育革新的具體困境。因此，如何通過「通識」意涵的開發，在人文意識不斷獲致新生命的過程中，進行對現代與傳統二者間的多方接榫，繼而將中國人文精神放入嶄新的詮釋領域，以便經由人文自主性的體現，使人文理想得以不斷落實於吾人之存在境遇與生活現場，實在是現代教育積極引向通識教育的重大課題。此外，歷史意義與族群認同、社會化歷程與倫理實踐以及軍事意識、國家意識，甚至於律法的不朽與崇高，在在是今日通識教育不能不予以全般顯豁並一體展開的實際內涵。

　　　　　The rational and humanistic spirit that the Enlightenment revealed on one hand was the basis for today's modernization. On the other hand, however, it created difficulties within the function of thinking, human development and educational reform. The problem remains then, how to develop what is “universal” in fusing what is modern with what was traditional. We need to do this in order to give Chinese humanism a new interpretive realm. We need to go through an autonomous humanism so that we may fuse the individual with a humanistic lifestyle. Modern education actively pursues this through a “General Education”. History, socialization, ethical practices, and the rule of law all rely on this notion of “General Education” for survival.