凡期望對永續發展有所貢獻的教育都面對著雙重問題：其一是它如何與永續發展本質上的爭議性對接，能公允地理解不同觀點再提出主張；其二則是它如何能與眾多教育目的並列，並聲稱自身值得採納。對此，本研究以近10 年來國際永續發展教育建議中最嚴謹的「核心素養的定義與選擇」（Defining and Selecting Key Competencies, DeSeCo）為探究對象，藉由文本分析與哲學論證，指出作為其理論基礎的文化心理學，固然能透過重視理解歧異與鼓勵對話來回應永續發展本質上的爭議性，卻尚不足以在眾多教育目的中凸顯重要性，從而消弭學者對 DeSeCo 恐造成全球化壓力的疑慮。為此，本研究要主張 M. Oakeshott 的教育哲學既能與 DeSeCo 的文化心理學基礎相通，其以應對人類普遍處境為教育目的之論述，還能以其人文取向平衡素養教育的實用傳統，強化採納 DeSeCo 的合理性，同時又與永續發展教育之需求契合。綜合地說，經 Oakeshott教育哲學補充的 DeSeCo，它除了值得各種學科考慮，還尤其適合探討迄今仍在經濟發展、社會平等與環境保護領域間持續爭論和變動的永續發展問題，它要帶領學習者參與在豐富且實際的討論裡，面對差異與衝突，學習對話、協商、構思解決方案，從而回應複雜的人類生活情境。

Any education aiming for sustainable development (SD) is confronted with a dual problem: how to interface with the essentially contested nature of SD—fairly understanding diverse viewpoints before advancing its own claims—and how to justify its adoption alongside a multitude of competing educational aims. Employing textual analysis and philosophical argumentation, this research examines the Definition and Selection of Competencies (DeSeCo) framework, regarded as the most rigorous proposal for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in the past decade. The analysis reveals that while DeSeCo’s foundation in cultural psychology effectively addresses the contested nature of SD by valuing the understanding of differences and encouraging dialogue, it remains insufficient to highlight its importance among competing educational aims, thereby failing to assuage scholars’ concerns that DeSeCo might serve as a vehicle for globalization pressure.

Therefore, this study argues that Michael Oakeshott’s philosophy of education not only resonates with DeSeCo’s cultural-psychological underpinnings, but his discourse on addressing the universal human condition as the purpose of education can also use its humanistic approach to balance the practical tradition of competency-based education. This reinforces the rationale for adopting DeSeCo while simultaneously aligning it with the demands of ESD.

Ultimately, a DeSeCo framework enriched by Oakeshott’s educational philosophy is not only worthy of consideration across various disciplines but also particularly suited to exploring SD issues that continue to be debated and fluctuate among the realms of economic development, social equity, and environmental protection. It aims to guide learners to participate in rich and practical discussions, confront differences and conflicts, and learn to dialogue, negotiate, and formulate solutions, thereby responding to complex human life situations.