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Summary: One Of The Best Nonfiction Books Written In the 20th Century
Review: 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!
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Summary: Best Introduction to Western Philosophy
Review: Despite the book's title, Pirsig's journey is primarily one through the history of Western philosophy, from the pre-Socratics through Plato, Aristotle, the 18th century empricists, and 19th century idealists. On this level alone, the book succeeds in being one of the most accessible and reliable treatments of the field. But the text is also a critique of the whole Western "logocentric" tradition, with its emphasis on reason, or "dialectic." Like Kant ("Critique of Pure Reason") or Kierkegaard ("Concluding Unscientific Postscript"), Pirsig uses reason to expose the limitations of reason. And what does he replace it with? Not Eastern mysticism or Zen riddles but rhetoric. More than the classic rhetoricians that Pirsig exhalts or the 20th-century structuralists and post-structuralists (Barthes, Derrida, Foucault) for which Pirsig's narrative is practically an illustration, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" makes the case for language as the basis for all reality, for all that we think, experience and perceive. It's this conflict between dialectic and rhetoric that drives the narrative, realized in plain yet compelling prose that's capable of staying with the attentive reader for the rest of his or her lifetime. After reading the book twice, I was unable to look at the self, the world, at all things constructed by language in quite the same way. The least successful parts of the book, it seems to me, are the narrator's protracted discussions of the nature of "reality" as a moment inaccessible to human intellect and his somewhat naive, 1960's-style musings on the nature of "quality." Supposedly his English composition students were immediately able to know it when they saw it, thereby making it unnecessary for him as a teacher to talk about "standards" or to establish criteria. (The suspicion arises that Pirsig hasn't had a great deal of experience teaching students how to write.) Nevertheless, even when a cylinder occasionally misfires, this is a book worth reading carefully and more than once. Unfortunately, because of its "cult" status, many people seem to purchase the text but never finish it. Robert Redford owns the screen rights, but a reader would be ill-advised to wait for the movie version. The "visual" elements of the text--the motorcyle odyssey and troubled father-son relationship--are minor metaphors compared to the ambitious and largely successful intellectual quest.
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Summary: A man in search of himself...
Review: Author's note:
"What follows is based on actual occurrences. Although much has been changed for rhetorical purposes, it must be regarded in its essence as fact. However, it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It's not very factual on motorcycles, either." When it was first published, in 1974, this little book took the country by storm. It introduced much of America to Zen Buddhism, in spite of the author's disclaimer, above. Ostensibly, it is the story of a father and son crossing the continent on a motorcycle, but of course it is far more than that. It is essentially a journal of a journey of self-discovery. Here is a sample: "Reality is always the moment of vision before the intellectualization takes place. There is no other reality. This preintellectual reality is what Phaedrus felt he had properly identified as Quality. Since all intellectually identifiable things must emerge from this preintellectual reality. Quality is the parent, the source of all subjects and objects." There is much discussion of the importance of Quality. This book has changed the way many people thought and felt about their lives. It has also led many into the practice of Zen Buddhism. You may like it. Joseph Pierre,
Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity
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Summary: ZEN
Review: Excellent book. Beautifully written. Because of this book, I am now a zen practitioner.
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Summary: REALLY, REALLY BAD....
Review: It is with much trepidation that I disagree with the clear majority of readers and at the risk of being considered "a cynical drapchode" (expression in previous review), I think this was one bad book. The book has two three subplots: (1) the author and his son take a motorcycle trip across America (2) the author inquires into the philosophical underpinnings of Western civilization (3) the author goes totally insane his career as a college professor goes into freefall and he must have his personality expunged by court-ordered electroshock treatment. The book is chocked full of whining narcissism and self-involvement. We, the readers, have to be subjected to the author's vendettas against faculty committees, rhapsodies about screws and washers and how they relate to philosophy, and his cutting remarks to and about his son whenever the poor child interrupts (as children often do)his book-length loveletter to himself. This book has been published and republished to continual oohing and ahhing and acclaim and it probably is the duty of every sentient human being to get a copy and read it with an open mind. That being said, I plowed through the second half more from a sense of duty than from any enjoyment, and I really couldn't care less whether the author lived or died.
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Summary: Guests thank us for giving us opportunity to discover it...
Review: I never read this book. I bought it (first edition) a long time ago. Each time I lend it to our american guests in our Bed & Breakfast, they thank us warmfully for this. But no one could explicitely tell me why he was so impressed by this book. If you don't have time to come and borrow us this book in France, buy it from Amazon now!
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Summary: Beautiful, beautiful book
Review: As an avid 16 year old reader (yes there are some), I must say that I love this book. I tried to write a big review but nothing I can write now would do this book justice. This book is just amazing, it's changed how I look at things, how I appreciate them. I hope that one day I can take a class in college on this book. I know that I can't fully comprehend and appreciate everything in this book, but it still leaves me with a sense of awe. It's a profound kind of feeling on the scale of when I first say the grand canyon, or the vietnam memorial, or the first sunset I saw out west; this book is awesome. If you are open-minded and patient, please do yourself a favor and find a way to read this book.
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Summary: If you can get beyond the motorcycle references...
Review: The most common problem that I've heard about this book is that the first few (?) pages are about motorcycle repairs, so readers give up there. Wait!
Reading this book opened my life up more than any other experience. Pirsig's deconstruction of Western philosophy helped my spirit out of a closed mind that a years of study and churches and alternative experiences had not. (not that it holds the charm for everyone) It might help to have just a little knowledge of Greek philosophers first. You could check an encyclopedia listing for Plato and Socrates? It is helpful to know that those two have been very influential in Western history via the school system. I mean knowing something of their stature in Western thought may increase enjoyment of this book Pirsig presents relentless undeniable logic that you can learn to trust your own judgement, and follow your own dreams, and everything should be for the best. I also want to thank Robert Pirsig for overcoming x,000 years of persecution of quality.
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Summary: Over 2000 Years of Wisdom in 373 Pages
Review: 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. Not being one to lend himself easily to corny clichés, I nevertheless believe that this is one book that definitely could dramatically change your life, whether or not you believe in Zen or have ever sat on a motorcycle. If you love somebody, buy them this book
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Summary: It continues to be A Classic!
Review: Below, is a review I wrote about a year ago. I re read the book over Christmas break this year, and am still astounded at how much it has to say to me as an educator and to my students each year. We will be working the book in class this June if anyone would like to stop by! Last Year: I don't know if it was the timing of reading it, or the content of the book, but ZEN is a book that rang with me when I first read it over a decade ago, and still does every time I pick it up and read it to my AP Calculus classes. I had to read it 3 times. The first time was for the story of him and his son, the second as a philosophy primer and the third as a metaphysics. It was the first time that I ever read a book and really believed that the author just wanted me to think about what he was writing and not AGREE with what he was writing. I was allowed to think for myself, encouraged to think for myself as I read. It is the single most important book I have ever read in regards to my career as a teacher, and the messages about how we think and the way we perceive and learn are, I feel, so important that my classes need to see them and not just hear me talk about it. Its a tough read.....but so well worth it.
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