賀麟繼承道統，主張使道統相傳之思想在時代變遷中適應新的需要，以發揚儒學；並肯定新文化運動，認為它有推進現代化的意義；又儒化西洋文化，通過吸收轉化西學，來充實儒學；賀麟提出英雄崇拜，把道統一脈相傳的聖賢與英雄崇拜聯繫起來，以豐富補充聖賢崇拜；賀麟對道統之異端楊墨並不一味抹煞，而是主張部分地容納楊墨的精華，而賦予新的意義；賀麟對待道統之正統派宋明道學家，在客觀承認其偏蔽的基礎上，亦肯定他們尊王攘夷、實踐春秋大義、踐行王道、講求實用的思想和作為，以圖修正對宋儒及道統虛玄空疏、不切實用的指責。賀麟的道統思想是對時代變遷作出的回應，而對促進儒學的發展具有重要意義。

Inheriting Confucian orthodoxy, He Lin advocates that the thought of orthodoxy passing down from generation to generation should adapt to the new needs in the changing times in order to carry forward Confucianism. And he affirms the new culture movement and believes that it has the significance of promoting modernization. He also confucianizes the Western culture and enriches Confucianism by absorbing and transforming Western learning. He Lin proposes hero worship, which connects the sages from the orthodoxy lineage with hero worship, so as to enrich and supplement the worship of sages. He Lin doesn’t obliterate blindly the orthodoxy heresy, Yang Zhu and Mozi, but accommodates partially the essence of Yang Zhu and Mozi and invests it with new meaning. He Lin, on the basis of objectively acknowledging the partiality of the Neo-Confucianists of Song and Ming Dynasties, also affirms their thoughts and actions of Respecting the King and Eliminating the Barbarian, of practicing the great righteousness of The Spring and Autumn Annals, of implementing doctrine of kingcraft, and of emphasizing practicality, in an attempt to correct the illusive, mysterious, empty and impractical characteristics of Confucianists in Song dynasty as well as Confucianism orthodoxy. He Lin’s Confucian Orthodoxy is a response to the changing times and is of great significance to the development of Confucianism.