洪堡的教育理念提共了現代大學制度的理論基礎。但是若要理解洪堡的教育理念的話，必須從他個人對人格培養以及他當時處的文化背景理解之。本篇論文分三個部分：第一部分先簡略地介紹洪堡所處的文化背景而後詳細地討論他對大學制度以及個人修養的幾篇論文。重點放在普遍教育的理念與人格培養之間的關聯；第二部分即以席勒、費希特和施萊爾馬赫的文章補充與豐富洪堡的教育思想；本文第三部分選了三個二十世紀的哲學家探討他們如何繼承與發展洪堡的教育理念。最後，筆者想從這個教育傳統談一談臺灣的通識教育該有的理想。

The educational ideas of Wilhelm von Humboldt still form the basis of our system of higher education. But to understand these idea we have to go back to the philosopher Humboldt and consider his notions on education in the framework of his time. This paper has three parts: In the first part Humboldt own ideas on education will be expounded. Special attention will be given to the relationship between general education and personal self cultivation in Humboldt’s thought. In the second part the ideas of three thinkers contemporary to Humboldt Schiller, Fichte and Schleiermacher will be treated in order to put Humboldt’s educational ideals into context. In the third part three contemporary positions on education that further develop Humboldt’s ideals will be introduced. The paper ends with some random thoughts on education in Taiwan.