布朗大學羅浩教授認為整個道家文本譜系中存在關於沉思靜坐（如「心齋」）的實踐和理論一以貫之，尤以《莊子》為典範和成熟形態。他主張對莊子道家之學派、哲學、工夫、文本形成等方面的理解，都應同步於這種沉思實踐，以更新對早期道家傳統之歷史源流的認識。羅浩結合「沉思詮釋學」形式和「沉思現象學」視域，指出莊學作為典型「道家沉思學」，要旨在於「認知調適」。透視羅浩莊子哲學觀可知，其莊子沉思論之終旨乃是對萬物生命之整全性的不懈追求，藉此顯示莊學實乃一門深邃複雜的生命之學。這也反映於羅浩在哲學研究方式上積極吸納沉思實證方法，以使對莊子的哲學認知更為客觀。

Roth argues that there is one principle of contemplative practices throughout the genealogy of early Daoist texts and exemplified by the Zhuangzi. It is contended that the meaning of “school”, “philosophy”, “cultivation” and texts formation should be synchronized with the contemplative practice in order to restore the real of Daoist origin. Through contemplative hermeneutics and combining with contemplative phenomenology, Roth reasons that Zhuangzi’s thought, which as a typical Daoist contemplation, aimed at cognitive attunement. Roth shows that the fundamental concerns of Zhuangzi’s contemplation is the wholeness of life. It determines that the study of Daoist philosophy should incorporate contemplative practices to achieve more objective understanding of the Zhuangzi.