Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values: Amazon.ca: Robert M. Pirsig, Michael Kramer: Books

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Arguably one of the most profoundly important essays ever written on the nature and significance of "quality" and definitely a necessary anodyne to the consequences of a modern world pathologically obsessed with quantity. Although set as a story of a cross-country trip on a motorcycle by a father and son, it is more nearly a journey through 2,000 years of Western philosophy. For some people, this has been a truly life-changing book.

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"Profoundly important ... intellectual entertainment of the highest order."-- The New York Times

"Brave wanderings, high adventures, extraordinary risks ... A horn of plenty."-- Los Angeles Times

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267 Reviews

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3.9 out of 5 stars (267 customer reviews)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Mind, Jun 3 2004

By

Gary R. Hubbling (Seal Beach, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Mass Market Paperback)

I first encountered this book in a university education class a few years after it was released. For some reason, "Zen" was on the required reading list for we aspiring teachers and we all wondered why until we read the book. This book introduced us to the worlds of philosophy, chatauquas, as well as the basic workings of a motorcycle. Pirsig takes us on simultaneous journeys--one across the United States with his son Chris, another as he pursues a higher education of the mind, and lastly one he takes with his son to discover each other for the very first time.
I found the chapter where he examines the idea of Quality with his students to be readily applicable to my own interest in being a teacher. Also, the travel journal parts of the story are
enjoyable in the same way as another traveler's writing--William Least-Heat Moon's "Blue Highways."
The book is also a warning about the dangers of pursuing a life of the mind at the expense of human relationships and living in the real world. The coming together of the father and son at the book's close tells us all how precious and important relationships with our loved ones must come before all else.
A great read twenty-seven years ago and still a classic one here in the twenty-first century.

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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Look ma, no hands., Nov 11 2007

By

Cannesta, Mike (Bristol) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values (Mass Market Paperback)

Great book. Not what you're thinking it's about. Love it. If I were to draw a timeline of philosophy with two markers, one marker would be the works of Plato and Aristotle, which placed Truth at the top of the heap (a proposition which forms the basis of western scientific thinking); the other marker would be Pirsig's work, which places Good at the top and Truth second. Pirsig had an insight into the Quality Relationship. Just as an eye cannot see itself, the Quality Relationship is very difficult to see because it is the means by which seeing (in the intellectual sense) takes place. Even the purest scientific truth passes into the mind of its discoverer on a rail established by the Quality Relationship. The implication is that all truth is personal and subjective, even widely accepted scientific truths. That acceptance exists in the minds of many individuals, each of whom is motivated to receive the information and judge it against scientific criteria. The motivation rests on the Quality Relationship, and that is strictly a personal value judgement of whatever the mind choses to examine. Since individuals possess the Quality Relationship, this philosophy places individuals above science (modern society seems to need some of that view). Pirsig's second work, Lila, examines what it means for larger social entities such as governments to possess their own Quality Relationships. The book is also the exquisitely told personal story of Pirsig's efforts to recover this insight after losing the memory of it to shock treatment. A beautiful book in all respects

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A real nugget of perspective on life!, Jan 7 2007

By

Ian Gordon Malcomson (Victoria, BC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values (Mass Market Paperback)

It's taken me more than twenty years to get around to reading this gem of a book. It was always something I'd plan to read but never got around to doing it. Pirsig offers us insights into why we exist and how we can share that existence with others. The story involves Pirsig doing a cross-country motorcycle trek through the western USA with his son, Chris. While this might come across as just another desperate attempt of a parent to bond with a child before he becomes a teen, the journey is much more. Acting as a philosopher-traveler, Pirsig uses a lot of life's little circumstances to draw his son's attention to the bigger purpose in life: knowing why you exist through making sense of and resolving problems. This quest is as much about feeling liberated to ask the questions as it is to be at peace in knowing that there are no simple answers but just a lot more questions. The mountains of Montana is a great setting for Pirsig to work some of the major issues of life. Take the opportunity to read his biography. Truly an interesting personality, who chose to work out his issues in a thought-provoking style. A background in philosophy is not a must. Great read!

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars profoundly life changing
I am dismayed at many of the reviews posted...I really do not understand!
As a college student some twenty years ago and having stumbled across this book.. Read more

Published 7 months ago by JetsonJoe

2.0 out of 5 stars Hard to get into
I read about 70 pages and found it just too hard to get into. I enjoyed some parts and then got lost with the rest. Going to take a break from it and maybe try it again later.

Published 19 months ago by Moebuddy