道家向來和隱者之學頗有淵源，《莊子》亦經常出現視政治為污濁的言論。相對於儒家的士君子形象，儒者在中國政治思想傳統中，多和知識分子的公共參與相連；而道家人物則經常被視為逃避政治，傾向個人式的生存美學之追求。本文嘗試透過《莊子》，重新省察生存美學與政治避難的共構性，一方面企圖彰顯《莊子》生存美學所隱含的政治批判性格，另一方面從微型權力的角度來重新揭露《莊子》對政治的回應方式。而這兩方面的重新探討，都為了重建所謂的道家型知識分子論。換言之，基於對權力和語言的深刻關係之細察，使得《莊子》主張：權力的支配無所不在，人也無所逃於倫理、政治，因此個我生命的真實安頓，自然也要觸及對政治的權力批判與策略回應。

Daoism has always been closely linked to the philosophy of the hermit as politics often appear vile in Zhuangzi. This is in sharp contrast to Confucian intellectuals who are expected to participate and serve in the public domain. Daoist figures are often regarded as political escapists, preferring to stay true to their personal aesthetics. This paper aims to rethink the simple equation of Daoist aesthetics and political escapism so as to make manifest the political criticism implied in the Daoist aesthetics of Zhuangzi, and to disclose the political responses in Zhuangzi in terms of micro-power. By re-examining these two aspects of Zhuangzi, the idea of Daoist intellectuals may be redefined. Zhuangzi shows that due to the interconnectedness of language and political power, political domination prevails, and there is no escape from social responsibilities and politics. Thus to find true inner peace, one must not only return to ”zi ran”, but also participate in politics and respond to it strategically and critically. This paper also briefly engages in the discussion of a cross-cultural exchange in the effort to bring together Mo Zhongshan's criticism of the ”observation of change” in Daoism with Yu Lien's ”strategic positioning,” in order to, from the viewpoint of Daoist intellectuals, disclose the insight into biopolitics in Zhuangzi.