西学东渐以来,庄子的逍遥被视为精神自由。以柏拉图为代表的西方古典哲学中的心灵自由是群体中的个人依内心的规则决定自己的行为。该结论的前提是:有一个超越形体的神圣规则世界,不朽的人心能认识并在形体消亡后能进入神圣世界。在庄子处,大道并非超越形体的规则,也无灵魂不朽,故未能建立超越形体局限的自由的精神世界,与道合一的逍遥只是幻想摆脱身体需要隐居世外,回到现实生活中逍遥人生就蜕变为放弃社会责任的保命哲学。
The "Xiaoyao" in Zhuangzi has been explained as freedom under the influence of western philosophy. In western philosophy, both freedom and autonomy mean that someone can decide his own behavior according to the rules which he has judged right. How could he do that? Firstly, he must believe that some basic rules are sacred and must be carried out by human being. Secondly, he must believe that his soul can go up the Heaven as soon as he carried out these sacred rules in this world. On the contrary, the "Dao" in Zhuangzi has not provided some sacred rules for human beings. Further more, Zhuangzi doesn't believe the soul is immortal. For these reasons, the "Xiaoyao" in Zhuangzi can not be explained as freedom or autonomy.