Customer Reviews

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I first read this book in 1975. I particularly appreciated then the concrete illustrations used in the development of Pirsig's philosophy. However, I was not prepared at that time to follow the details of the logic used to develop his main point, namely, that in ancient Greece rationality had unfairly toppled mysticism as a valid source of knowledge.

I always intended to read the book again and finally last month I found an open week, bought a copy of the new 25th anniversary edition, and went at it. The text is unchanged in content but the print is larger and much easier to read than in my old paperback edition. The margins are wider and allow more annotations. It is well worth getting this Anniversary edition.

This time I got much deeper into Pirsig's main premise--the one noted above. Pirsig believes Quality to be the missing element in today's culture, but he says it must be kept undefined so that rationality will not be able to kill it again as it did thousands of years ago.

My major satisfaction from this novel still comes from the unusually perceptive and cleverly-wrought metaphors that Pirsig presents to advance his philosophical arguments. I have so many favorite ones it is difficult to choose among them. For instance, he labels the University as "Church of Reason," indicating it fanatical devotion to rationality at the expense of other values not approachable through rational means. No wonder professors of philosophy feel threatened. Rationality is their bread and butter!

Other illustrations: He compares the experience of looking out of a framed car window with the frameless view you get riding a motorcycle and uses this as an example of breaking down the subject/object boundary. He indicates that his objective is not to deal with "the 'news,' the silt of tomorrow" which accumulates when the river of culture bends, but to try to deepen the channels of "the best" that lies ahead along the river's future course. He likes to follow "an arrow that enlarges sideways in flight" rather then tracking its forward path in order to find "lateral truths" that point to falseness of axioms which prevent hitting the target. He points out that "institutions such as schools, churches, government, and political organizations of every sort all tend to direct thought for ends other than truth, namely, for the perpetuation of their own functions." I have often pondered this telling truth.

Ultimately, he finds Quality to be the uppermost element of the triad of truth--the creator of both subject and object, residing in the interface between the two. His comparison of Quality with the ancient text of the Tao is exhilarating!

The Quality of this novel is extraordinary for me. It exhibits many of the aspects of Quality in writing such as integrity, imagination, flux, continuity, suspense, insight, pathos, and allegory as it attempts to find the missing element in today's technology-dominated world. It is one of the five formative books in my life, and has a place on my "favorites" bookshelf next to Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" and the poems and essays of D.H. Lawrence.

I first read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as a college senior twenty-five years ago. I remember then being frightened by how this man's determination to pursue a philosophical idea to its conclusion, even if it were against the grain of established conventions of thinking, drove him insane. I was afraid deeper study and questioning might do the same to me. I know now, however, that I'm not insane. I also know that twenty-five years ago this story of a man and his son travelling by motorcycle from Minnesota to the Pacific Ocean took deep residence in my soul.

I've been a teacher now for twenty-three years, long enough to forget some of my initial influences. But, as I read this book all these years later, I realized that my philosophical view points, examples I use to illustrate ideas with my students, what I believe the purpose of an education is, and several other bits of pedagogy and ideology originated in Pirig's story.

I highly recommend this book, maybe especially if you are unread in philosophy and would like a readable, enjoyable, and provocative entree into the history and vocabulary of philosophy.

It's a deeply moving, intellectually stiumlating story. Its devotion to story-telling and philosophical inpuiry is indeed most rare.

This book is the most impressive, encouraging, moving, inspiring book I have read thus far (I'm 31). It's not difficult. It's just big. It covers a gigantic range. Word up, people...the motorcycle journey is a frame for the interesting stuff, and allows us a short break while we process. They start low, running away. They climb. The climb gets tougher, then tops out with a gods-eye view of NOT the world as in planet Earth, but of life, the universe and everything. Too much for mere mortals such as us puny humans to endure, so what goes up must come down. Reach journey's end, and it's time to turn round and go home. And so the cycle (no double meaning intended) continues. Pirsigs message is, I think, this; the ultimate metaphysical truth is beyond our understanding - that is why it ('Quality') must be held undefined. Pursue it with our feeble mental capacities, and you will be declared insane (that's what happened to Pirsig, he was institutionalised, and got BIG voltage to the frontal lobes). The best advice he can give us after surviving this experience and, incredibly, still being able to write, is use your own judgement - 'What is good, Phaedrus, and what is not good - Need we ask anyone to tell us these things?' Nobody's ideas, notions, beliefs are absolutely true, they are all relatively true; relative to when we are, where we are, who we are. E=mc2.I'm sorry not everybody loves the book, but I cannot tell them they're wrong. Abandon shallow ego goals and open your mind to the sound of one hand clapping. Art & science aren't opposed opposites, they are both useful tools when you understand what they can do. Robert, thank you for your loving gift of this book. You will always live in my heart.

Robert Pirsig's incredible tour-de-force in this book is literally the intellectual adventure of a lifetime, and one that still leaves me shaking my head in wonder after thirty years and a number of readings of it. I was introduced to "Zen" by my brother in law, who promised me that I would enjoy it. By now I must admit to now having several short quotes from it framed under glass at various spots in the house, because I was so taken by the gravity of what he has to say, and the disarmingly simple way he usually chooses to say it. Pirsig is a man with a lot to say, and a lot of wisdom in what he has to offer.

Although I must admit that I do not agree with certain key aspects of his argument regarding the way the ancient bifurcation between what he calls romantic and classic perceptive orientations can at last be repaired and restored to cognitive and intellectual unity, I stand in utter awe at the quality of mind any human being must have to marshal such a breath-taking effort as this, at the accomplishment of conceiving and articulating the philosophical treatise described in such loving and painstaking detail here. His grasp of such eclectic, obscure and philosophically central notions truly is a feat quite the equal of the ascent of Everest in terms of the levels of concentration, mental endurance, and simple cognitive acumen necessary to muster this kind of argument.

The book works on two levels that both assist and complement each other. First, the story narrative, which he uses both to illustrate ideas he is talking about and to introduce ideas he wants to discuss, also acts to bring us back to "normal everyday reality' after spinning high in the thin cold air of his theorizing. Second, the philosophical story becomes a kind of sophisticated detective story for curious intellectuals, as Pirsig's alter ego, Phaedrus, searches deeper and deeper into the mysteries that once led him into insanity because of the sheer intensity of his efforts to solve the riddle of the difference between the two seemingly irreconcilable aspects of reality (the romantic and the classic).

The book is an awe-inspiring trip into a discovery of the nature of reality, contemporary society, and yourself. It has led to study groups, study guides, and a whole cult of Pirsig watchers who consider him the functional equivalent of the wise seer. The wildly best-selling book also led Pirsig deeper into a life of isolation, eschewing publicity and seeking greater introspection. There is a sequel, called "Lila", which also enjoyed a best-selling run on the charts in the early 1990s. This is a book that is quite unlike anything else you have ever read, and is something you have to experience to understand in its full impact. It is also a book I can recommend with a smile, knowing with confidence you will be glad you finally decided to buy it and read it. Enjoy!

A Japanese biologist wrote about this book in a Japanese magazine as
follows: Many years ago when she was studying in England and going to
buy a motorcycle, one of her colleagues recommended her to read this
book, but it was not really a book on motorcycle maintenance but a
book that taught philosophy in a simple manner. She liked this book
and read it repeatedly.

Reading this story and finding that the
twenty-fifth anniversary edition of this book was published in
paperback, I bought a copy and began to read it by expecting to learn
something about philosophy or the history of philosophy. To some
extent, this expectation made me read the book quickly in an effort to
get to possible chapters where the teaching of philosophy might be
fully given. Even without such a motivation, however, one could read
this book speedily, because the story magically enchants the reader
and because the style of Pirsig's writing is very readable even to the
non-native speaker of English who, like me, has read only a small
number of novels in English.

Surely, descriptions of classical
philosophies and contemporary philosophical problems are given in
parallel with the story of motorcycle traveling, I have found that
this is essentially a novel, which invokes ideas about the
reunification of art and technology and about the quality of life. The
great point of the book is that it can also be enjoyed as a book
on philosophy, though descriptions of ancient Greek philosophies in
later chapters are not very understandable. In the last chapters the
story of a relation between a father and his son reaches a moving
climax.

I first read ZAMM as a sociology class assignment in 1979. I hated it! I wondered why a sociology professor would want us to read this book. I bought the book second-hand, paying $.95 for it. What a DEAL! I still have it, full of my notes from my first reading.

In 1987, an interest in Zen caused me to pull the book off the shelf and reread it. I discovered something the second time around...this is a GREAT BOOK.

The relationship between the narrator and his son Chris evolves into something wonderful. The author's search for his former identity (pre electro-convulsive shock treatment) is a mystery tale unfolding. And the quest for the meaning of Quality hits home for me in my search for that inner peace that comes from "caring."

You've got to care. Quality is about caring.

You can see it at the supermarket when a checker really "cares." Most of the time, however, you see the uncaring. Ask the checker how he/she is doing, the answer you get is likely, "I'll be doing great when I get off." There's no heart...there's no caring. And so, Quality of service suffers.

ZAMM gives timeless tips on how to get the "caring" back into the things you do. My life has been greatly changed by following some of the tips. It became evident in a statement that came to mind a few months ago... "Work is a state of mind we engage in when we feel we have no other choice." We always have a choice. It's only work if you don't enjoy what you're doing. The choice is clear...either change what you're doing, or change how you feel about what you're doing.

Peace of mind comes with caring about what you're doing. All "work", every job, in some way or fashion, makes the world a better place. Find meaning in that. Find out how what you do makes the world a better place, and dwell on that contribution, rather than the short-term goal of getting off work.

By the way, I'm on my 12th rereading of ZAMM. And every time I read it, I gain some new little insight.

Enjoy!

I'm sure that in any one persons life time an event occurs that in some way makes them view the world differently. For me this book was one of those events. It is easy to get excited when reviewing a book that you particularly liked so colouring your review of it with overemphasised "rhetoric" which other people generally take with-a-pinch-of-salt anyway. The facts are that this was very good book. I didn't open the book looking for what other people had told me was there. I wasn't looking to agree or disagree with Persig I just 'listened'. His words were not so much a guide (as some people say) but more a key which unlocked a way of thinking clouded by modern society. Everybody has questions. I think the problem that alot of people have with this book is that they expect to be handed the answers by Persig. All I can say is read with an open mind and let this book be the catalyst to your own journey.

I read this book twenty years ago, and I still think about it. That, to me, is the measure of a great book.

Pirsig, of course, is writing on many levels, but the central theme is hinted at in the title. "Zen" is all about experiencing things directly, immediately, without a preconceived intellectual filter. Zen Buddhism is very anti-intellectual. "Motorcycle Maintenance", to be done well, requires a deep conceptual understanding of how a motorcycle works, and a scientific approach to trouble-shooting. Pirsig is trying, with mixed success, to reconcile what he calls "romantic" (immediate or "Eastern") thought with "classical" (scientific or Western) thought.

Pirsig believes that the reconciliation lies in a deeper (pre-classical) understanding of "quality". Quality is neither objective nor subjective, it is prior to them, it is the primordial ether from which the objective/subjective dualism arises. (I do not do him justice here, if you are interested, read the book.)

What makes the book work is that it that style of writing is a labratory for the concepts he his presenting.

His prose is simple, almost poetic, when describing what is around him and his relationships to his son and his past self. His honesty and directness are alternately refreshing and alarming. Then he shifts gears and tries to unravel and re-weave many of the core issues in Western Philosophy. He manages this without resorting to an academic style or stuffiness.

Pirsig, is a gifted thinker and writer, and certainly not a conventional one. He is a philosopher in that he is working through original ideas with courage and clarity. In the end, like most true philosophers, his philosophy is intertwined with a self-analysis and catharsis, yet has broader meaning and applicability.

There are, I presume, flaws in his reading of the ancients, and I think that his conclusions rely to much on the multiple definitions of the word "quality". The merit of his metaphysics should be discussed but mostly I admire his grit, honesty and gumption to write such a text. It is those characteristics that I would most like to emulate.

I also recommend the sequel, "Lila". It is more down to earth, but equally couragous and fascinating.

I think this book should be considered as a course prior to do any kind of research. In this book, Pirsig successfully transcends science and logic to seek truth. Knowledge is seen as a state of mind, which needs not to be stored in places such as universities. Very touching style of writing of the book makes the reader flow with Pirsig's journey.

Anybody who knows me well enough would say that this is exactly the type of book I would enjoy reading, being a blend of deep philosophy, the freedom of the open road and a spirit of adventure. And indeed, going even further, I was able to identify with both the narrator and with Phaedrus in several parts of the book, and saw various parts of my own personality and events in my life reflected in their characters and circumstances. Phaedrus, alone in his own universe, causing him to be someone who others do not always understand and who are sometimes frightened by him, when in fact he means no harm. Phaedrus who doesn't give a damn about what others think of him or being right in society's eyes as long as he knows he is right. Phaedrus, looking for meaning and purpose in life and being considered the insane one when in fact the ones doing the criticising are the ones in need of help. The narrator, going on a long drive across America as a form of therapy for the soul and a means of reflection about life and trying to determine what course his future should take and to excise some ghosts from the past.

One of the great strengths of this book is the ability of the author to present and link difficult concepts in a way that you can easily understand and which make sense. The book is heavy going in some places, but I can only imagine how much heavier going it would have been had a less skilled author tried to write it. To try and unite the concepts of ancient Greek philosophy, modern science, Eastern mysticism, and religion all into one coherent whole takes some doing, but Pirsig succeeds in this. Along the way philosophical concepts such as scientific materialism, idealism, sophism, logic, rhetoric etc. are also clearly discussed by the author, all within the underlying story of the book, together with arguments for or against these.

This book did not disappoint. In fact, the conclusions reached are quite astounding and certainly make sense. Yet I do feel that at times the way the author presents the practical application of Quality in one's life is a bit idealistic and too easy sounding. Just get interested in and value whatever you have to do and all will be fine! Even if it's fixing a motorcycle or balancing the books or picking up golf balls on a driving range ,or washing dishes. Mmm, don't think things are always quite as simple as that. But at least this is philosophy that can be applied to one's everyday life, and Pirsig makes a concerted effort to show readers how they can do so, especially so that they can live more fulfilled and meaningfully. Too often, philosophers and enlightened people are accused of being impractical dreamers whose beliefs do not address the realities of a harsh world. Not necessarily so with the ideas and concepts in this book.

So then, what is the underlying message of this book? Firstly, this is not a book about Zen Buddhist practice and nor is it a book about motorcycle maintenance. Rather, practical motorcycle maintenance is skillfully used by the author to illustrate various philosophical concepts he is thinking about during his trip (the title of this book, although strange sounding at first, was cleverly chosen by the author. I think that one of the reasons for the success of the book is its strange title. Had it been called, for example, "New Concepts in Modern Philosophy" etc. it is unlikely this book would have been the success it has been with the mass market, but that still wouldn't deter from its brilliance). Pirsig is saying that our way of dividing the world into subjects (mind/ consciousness) and objects is incorrect. There is a third entity which is independent of the two and which encompasses them: Quality, which is found in the relationship of the two with each other. It is the point at which the subject and object meet. Quality is not a thing, it is an event. It is the event at which the subject becomes aware of the object. And because without objects there can be no subject - because the objects create the subject's awareness of himself - Quality is the event at which awareness of both subjects and objects is made possible. However, it is not just the result of a collision between subject and object. The very existence of subjects and objects themselves is deduced from the Quality event. The Quality event is the cause of subjects and objects, which are then mistakenly presumed to be the cause of the Quality! While in the process of coming to the above conclusions, the author addresses such questions as: Can Quality be defined? If not, what does that imply? If it happens that Quality exists in the object, why can't scientific instruments detect it? On the other hand, if Quality is subjective, exiting only in the mind of the observer, then isn't it just a fancy name for whatever you like? Isn't an object just an intellectual construct deduced from its qualities? Pirsig continues: "People differ about Quality, not because Quality is different, but because people are different in term of past experience/ a priori analogues. The easiest intellectual analogue of pure Quality that most people understand is that Quality is the response of an organism to its environment. In our highly complex organic state we advanced organisms respond to our environment with an invention of many marvelous analogues. We invent earth and heavens, trees, stones and oceans, gods, music, arts, language, philosophy, engineering, science. We call these analogues reality. And they are reality! We mesmerize our children in the name of truth into knowing that they are reality. We throw anyone who does not accept these analogues into an insane asylum. But that which causes us to invent the analogues is Quality. Quality is the continuing stimulus which our environment puts upon us to create the world in which we live. All of it. Now, to take that which has caused us to create the world, and include it within the world we have created is clearly impossible. That is why Quality cannot be defined. If we do define it we are defining something less than Quality itself. Quality is the great generating force of all religions, past and present, all knowledge, everything." The author then goes on to explain the striking similarities between Quality and Zen/ God/ Tao/ Buddha/ Ultimate Truth etc. How he arrives at these conclusions is explained thoroughly in the book. Read the book!

While reading the story one undoubtedly gets the feeling that the author is of course speaking about events and things that really did happen in his own life. Therefore, he really did think all the things in the book and maybe "crack a great secret". Because of the depth, brilliance and originality of the way the concepts are united, you feel a little bit of arrogance between the lines coming from the author, and sometimes it seems that he skillfully diverted such possible perceptions of the reader by letting it seem as though the characters in the book discovered everything, and not the author. The book is certainly not written in an arrogant style, and the author must have a deep and brilliant mind to have synthesized all these concepts so skillfully. Also, the part near the beginning of the book where he discusses scientific laws, like gravity for example, not being real things either but only "ghosts" in people's minds ie. subjective entities, was very interesting, and a nice stab at scientific materialism which is too often criticizes other fields for their lack of "objectivity".

One of the things I found quite surprising, but in a negative way, was that at the end of the book, in the Afterword, the author speaks about one of the characters who had passed away in real life a few years after the book had been written. The author speaks about how one is always sad when this type of thing happens and a person always wonders if one lives on after death in some form of energy etc. He mentions that he eventually came to the opinion that one does, for example his newborn daughter who seems to be the incarnation of the former person who passed away. What surprised me about this piece from the author was that you would have thought he would have had his beliefs and opinions on this sorted out long ago. I found it surprising that in a book full of such deep and penetrating insights, that he would not be sure about something as fundamental as death and what that means. I almost felt as though the author let something slip here in the very end, in the Afterword of all places. Nevertheless, this book thoroughly deserves five stars, and I know I will return to it often in order to revise the concepts and ideas presented therein to feed my soul with Quality.

(By the way, there is a very interesting website called Quantonics.com which I stumbled across a couple of years ago, and which is where I first found out about this book. They go into all these concepts in a very scientific way, using quantum physics etc. Interesting stuff.)