究竟甚麼是記憶？歷史記憶對於我們形塑國族認同與反省民主政治的未來等問題扮演甚麼角色？為甚麼哈伯馬斯在那場偉大的歷史學家之爭中主張，我們應該記憶而非修正歷史，並且在對國族歷史的反思與批判中思索未來？何以他的憲政愛國主義特重普遍主義與程序主義的精神？前者可以帶領德國人民走出納粹歷史的陰霾與調解現代生活的紛殊利益？為何他支持我們在公民身份原則的普遍主義基礎上建立後國族時代的政治認同，和據此開創新時代的民主政治典範？反省與答覆以上問題是本文的撰文旨趣，作者終將指出，哈伯馬斯的憲政愛國主義不僅為國族認同與民主政治的未來等問題，做成了深具啟發的陳述與論證，同時也為價值迷亂與道德虛無的現世，再現啟蒙主義的思想光輝。

What is memory exactly? What role should historical memory play in shaping our national identity and reflecting on the future of democracy? Why does Habermas claim in the “Historikerstreit” (historians dispute) that we should memorize history rather than revise it and ponder upon the future of the nation via reflecting and criticizing our national history? Why does his constitutional patriotism emphasize the ideas of universalism and proceduralism? Can the former help German people walk away from the shadow of Nazi history and mediate the diverse interests of modern life? Why does he advocate that we should establish our political identity based on the universal ideas of the citizenship principle as well as create a new paradigm of democratic politics of this era through the same way? To introspect and to answer the questions above are the purposes of the article. The author will point out in this article that Habermas’s constitutionalism not only makes inspiring statements for issues such as national identity and the future of democracy, but it also reproduces the radiance of the idea of enlightenment for the present world of value confusion and moral nihility.