錢穆先生和季羨林先生都認為，「天人合一」是中國文化對人類最重要的貢獻。「天人合一」是中國人的終極關懷，是人所能達到的最高境界，是人的最佳生存狀態，也是自覺服從自然規律（天命）的文明狀態。人類有兩種基本的追求理想生活的途徑：「內向超越」和「外向超越」。前者是改善自我，提升自我；後者是改造世界。「窮理盡性以至於命」一語概述了「內向超越」與「天人合一」的內在關聯。中華文明之所以可大可久，因為它激勵人們「內向超越」而力臻「天人合一」。現代工業文明之所以導致了全球性的環境污染、生態破壞和氣候變化，因為其指導思想——現代性預設了主客二分、事實與價值二分，把人生與自然分成互不關聯的兩截；因為它一味激勵人們外向超越，征服自然，從而激勵了無法遏制的物質貪婪。為走出現代工業文明的危機，人類必須要找回「天人合一」的智慧，體認「內向超越」的重要性。

Both Qian Mu and Ji Xianlin assert that the notion of “harmony between nature and humanity” (tian ren he yi) is the most important contribution to human kind given by Chinese culture. Harmony between nature and humanity is the ultimate concern of Chinese, the fullest self-actualization of a person, the best state of human being, and a kind of civilization obeying natural laws (Tianming). There are two ways for human being to improve his living: internal transcendence and external transcendence. Internal transcendence means to improve or promote oneself, and external transcendence is to change the world. The intimate relationship between tian ren he yi and internal transcendence can be interpreted as “exploring truth and developing one good potentials according to orders from Nature ”. Chinese civilization can be both great and sustainable, mainly because it encourages people’s internal transcendence, and encourages people try their best to live peacefully with nature. Modern industrial civilization has been leading to global pollution, ecological damage and climate change, just because its guidance—modernity—presupposes the dichotomy between subject and object, and that between fact and value, and it asserts that human values have nothing to do with nature. Modern industrial civilization is unsustainable because it just encourages human beings’ external transcendence, and human’s external transcendence is shown as conquering nature and material greed. To get out of the deep crisis of modern industrial civilization, human beings have to regain the wisdom of tian ren he yi, and to realize the importance of internal transcendence.