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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values (P.S.)

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Author: Robert M. Pirsig
Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$16.95~~
Buy Used: $8.50
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Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.3

ISBN: 0061673730
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780061673733
ASIN: 0061673730

Publication Date: October 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

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•	On the Road (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century)

Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com Review
In his now classic IZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance/I, Robert Pirsig brings us a literary chautauqua, a novel that is meant to both entertain and edify. It scores high on both counts.p Phaedrus, our narrator, takes a present-tense cross-country motorcycle trip with his son during which the maintenance of the motorcycle becomes an illustration of how we can unify the cold, rational realm of technology with the warm, imaginative realm of artistry. As in Zen, the trick is to become one with the activity, to engage in it fully, to see and appreciate all details--be it hiking in the woods, penning an essay, or tightening the chain on a motorcycle. p In his autobiographical first novel, Pirsig wrestles both with the ghost of his past and with the most important philosophical questions of the 20th century--why has technology alienated us from our world? what are the limits of rational analysis? if we can't define the good, how can we live it? Unfortunately, while exploring the defects of our philosophical heritage from Socrates and the Sophists to Hume and Kant, Pirsig inexplicably stops at the middle of the 19th century. With the exception of Poincare, he ignores the more recent philosophers who have tackled his most urgent questions, thinkers such as Peirce, Nietzsche (to whom Phaedrus bears a passing resemblance), Heidegger, Whitehead, Dewey, Sartre, Wittgenstein, and Kuhn. In the end, the narrator's claims to originality turn out to be overstated, his reasoning questionable, and his understanding of the history of Western thought sketchy. His solution to a synthesis of the rational and creative by elevating Quality to a metaphysical level simply repeats the mistakes of the premodern philosophers. But in contrast to most other philosophers, Pirsig writes a compelling story. And he is a true innovator in his attempt to popularize a reconciliation of Eastern mindfulness and nonrationalism with Western subject/object dualism. The magic of IZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance/I turns out to lie not in the answers it gives, but in the questions it raises and the way it raises them. Like a cross between IThe Razor's Edge/I and ISophie's World/I, IZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance/I takes us into "the high country of the mind" and opens our eyes to vistas of possibility. I--Brian Bruya/I

Product Description
blockquote p"The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called 'yourself.'"/p /blockquote pOne of the most important and influential books of the past half-century, Robert M. Pirsig's iZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance/i is a powerful, moving, and penetrating examination of how we live and a meditation on how to live better. The narrative of a father on a summer motorcycle trip across America's Northwest with his young son, it becomes a profound personal and philosophical odyssey into life's fundamental questions. A true modern classic, it remains at once touching and transcendent, resonant with the myriad confusions of existence and the small, essential triumphs that propel us forward./p

Customer Reviews: Read 95 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Neat October 24, 2008
For those who are unfamiliar with philosophy, this is a very accesible book with some nice insights.br /It reads like a train (although you might want to pause once in a while to think about some paragraphs).br /br /It is a bit outdated, and I have some personal remarks concerning a few topics.

5 out of 5 stars

Couldn't put it down. August 30, 2008
This was a thought provocing and very enjoyable read. Although it isn't "action packed" or anything, that isn't the point. The author's naration tells the tale of his philosophical journey cross country with his son on his motorcyle. Not only was this book inspirational, but provides new insight in terms of how one sees the world around them. A must read!

5 out of 5 stars

About this book August 14, 2008
I re-read this book after about 15 years and enjoyed it just as much as the first time, but I got something different out of it this time too.br /br /This book has a great calming effect on me. It's so interesting on so many subjects, and so accesssible. This is such a relevent read.

5 out of 5 stars

A book about overcoming intellectualism and becoming whole July 27, 2008
Despite the high brow reviews by self proclaiming philosophers and intellectuals who think this is a book about philosophy, it is not. It is also not a "how to" manual on maintaining a motorcycles.br /This is a book about overcoming intellectualism and becoming whole. If you are contemplating reading this book please disregard the reviewers who flex their imaginary philosophical and intellectual muscle and just read it. Yes, there will be parts that seem to endlessly pursue some thought or idea but by the end of this book you will be very glad and satisfied you read it.br /...of course if you have ever ridden a motorcycle, experienced the landscapes temperature changes, sounds and elements and/or struggled with and beat mental illness this book will take on a special dimension.

1 out of 5 stars

Self-Absorbed, Self-Pitying Rubbish July 25, 2008
6 out of 14 found this review helpful

I agree with many of the other one-star reviews, this is actually the worst book I have ever read, out of thousands read, in my entire life. The worst book designation goes to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance because it is extremely, extremely, over-rated. I found it to be one of the most self-absorbed, self-pitying, whining complaints I had ever been exposed to - and I know about those, because I'm a former junior high school teacher. br /br /Not only did it not contain any philosophical insights whatsoever, the book is just plain boring and badly written. The only book I have ever thrown in the garbage can - it's just rubbish, and that's where it belongs. I'm sure the author is a fine human being. I just think he wrote a very, very, bad book. Please don't waste your time on this book. br /

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