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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values Paperback – August 2, 2005

by Robert M. Pirsig (Author)

1,327 customer reviews

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A penetrating examination of how we live and how to live better

A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his son, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental questions on how to live. The narrator's relationship with his son leads to a powerful self-reckoning; the craft of motorcycle maintenance leads to an austerely beautiful process for reconciling science, religion, and humanism. Resonant with the confusions of existence, this classic is a touching and transcendent book of life.

This new edition contains an interview with Pirsig and letters and documents detailing how this extraordinary book came to be.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values

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Product Details

Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; 1 edition (August 2, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060839872
ISBN-13: 978-0060839871
Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 1 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1,327 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #19 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Eastern > Buddhism > Zen > Philosophy
- #41 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Emotions
- #82 in Books > Travel > Travel Writing

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Customer Reviews

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4.1 out of 5 stars

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3 star		9%
2 star		7%
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

869 of 908 people found the following review helpful

Why I'm Writing Review Number 473 of a 30 year old book

By Gary R. Larson on November 2, 2006

Format: Mass Market Paperback

I'm compelled to write this review after browsing the others, because something has to be said about book that isn't being pointed out for someone who is interested in the book for the first time.

At this point, this book can be found on the front table in your local bookstore. Other philosophy books can be found in the philosophy section either collecting dust, or being perused by someone intensely interested in philosophy who is well versed in debates that have gone on for centuries.

I have listened to the author, Robert Pirsig, being interviewed, and it seems that he did, in fact, intend for this book and its premise of "Quality" to be the great, all encompassing philosophy, presented in a straightforward, readable manner. However, despite Pirsig's intention, that is not quite why this book has become so famous.

This book is famous because it fills a perfect niche in that it introduces some very complicated philosophical questions in a form that the common reader will find interesting. Pirsig is attempting to create a practical philosophy and sets the book against the background of actual experience to make the questions he ponders real for the reader.

With that in mind, if you are not clamoring for a debate with someone else who is knowledgable on the ins and outs of Kierkegaard and Spinoza and are simply looking for a readable book that makes a real attempt of answering the big questions in life, this book is for you.

What I find interesting, and somewhat disturbing, is that many choose to deride this book because it doesn't agree with their notions of philosopy, but fail to grasp that the people who are most likely to read this book won't even be at the table to understand their objections to it unless they read it.Read more ›

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419 of 474 people found the following review helpful

Over 2000 Years of Wisdom in 373 Pages

By Walter V. Cicha on May 2, 2000

Format: Mass Market Paperback

In my (1/e)*100 years on this planet, during which I devoured at least ten times as many books, I have read only two more than once - "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" is one of them. In this monumental 1974 work, Robert Pirsig has achieved what few others have managed before him and, to the best of my knowledge, nobody else has accomplished since: a perfect unification of philosophy, adventure and mystery. His "Chautauqua," or traveling tale, takes the reader on a profound tour of ancient Greek philosophy, the steppes of Montana, and even a little bit of Zen Buddhism, with endless surprises and much original if not truly inspired thought along the way. Through his self-portrayal by means of the unforgettable and eerily enigmatic character Phaedrus, Mr. Pirsig shares his far-reaching search for the meaning of life, and himself. His fundamental concern is with the following seemingly simple but in effect infinitely complex question: "How can one distinguish "good" from "bad?" The question is posed and addressed in many different forms throughout the book, and in the process the concepts of truth, value and quality are dissected, reassembled, and again dissected and reassembled many times. Mr. Pirsig has an uncanny sense of timing, and he never allows the heavier passages to labor on too long. This is avoided by craftily interspersing his philosophical discourse amongst very down-to-earth and charming observations made during a motorcycle trip that takes the narrator and his seemingly troubled son Chris from the American Prairies to the Pacific, and forms the prevalent background for the entire "Chautauqua." "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" is a totally unique creation.Read more ›

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148 of 167 people found the following review helpful

Well-written, thought-provoking, and courageous.

By Michael Green on December 18, 2000

Format: Mass Market Paperback

Part road novel, part philosophy, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance ("ZMM") met with huge critical and commercial success when first published in 1974. Narrator and son ride from Minneapolis to San Francisco; meanwhile, both are haunted by the narrator's past insanity, brought about by his "chasing the ghost of rationality". A series of philosophical monologues addresses questions both mundane - how to fix a motorcycle - and metaphysical.
Today ZMM retains a sizeable following, although criticism of it is very polarised: Pirsig's fervent self-assurance when dealing with philosophical questions converts some readers into "followers" and tends to exasperate everyone else. Mostly structured as a "solution" rather than an "inquiry", as the title claims, ZMM's philosophy is too often accepted without question, and it is frequently and regrettably true that the more positive the review, the more philosophically naïve the reviewer. Nonetheless, this should not disallow ZMM from being considered on its own merits.
ZMM is not an introductory philosophy text, more a "once-in-a-lifetime" philosophical statement; the comparison has already been made with Hofstadter's "Gödel, Escher, Bach", and Hofstadter's description - "a statement of my religion" - could well describe ZMM, too. When one considers the motivation required to sustain Pirsig's long and solitary struggle in writing and publishing ZMM, the rhetorical fervour of his arguments becomes more understandable. Those who attack Pirsig as pompous or narcissistic fail to appreciate the degree of self-belief needed to complete such a highly individualistic work. So, we can certainly admire him for trying - but is ZMM any good?Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Overrated and has not aged well. :-/

This really isn't as good as everyone makes it out to be. It's emblematic of the cultural relativism of our times. "Truth is whatever you want it to be. Read more

Published 2 days ago by Patrick Thomas

Awesome, deep

Awesome, deep, everything positive to say about this. If you're into transcendentalist thinking, it's a good way to get started.

Published 4 days ago by No

It's really a memoir (nonfiction) rather than a novel. A classic,...

This is really a memoir more than a novel, so the "Amazon boxes" don't really apply.
It's a classic, which I read many, many years ago, and now repurchased as a gift... Read more

Published 4 days ago by Amazon Customer

Five Stars

great read

Published 5 days ago by guy

I've read this many times and now buy it for ...

I've read this many times and now buy it for my friends. A riveting story of a man's journey with his son which takes in flashbacks to his past life as an academic, whose questions... Read more

Published 5 days ago by Amazon Customer

Uncle Milty would never read this book

Thank you Mr. Pirsig for writing this book. I bought and read your book many years ago because the title of the book intrigued me. Read more

Published 7 days ago by Norm

Five Stars

Perfect, fash shipping!

Published 7 days ago by Amazon Customer

Four Stars

It's a beautiful book!

Published 7 days ago by Maxi_jazz

Great mix of technical and philosophical concepts

There's so many people in my life I'd like to share this book with.

Published 15 days ago by Dlock

Just finished. Need to think about it and maybe never write a review.

Those who dare to think deeper than "the acceptable level" will be glad they read this thought. No reason to be afraid. Life is a gift... All life. It never ends.

Published 20 days ago by Mesmith

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