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Summary: This book forever changed my life
Review: I was in college when I first picked up this book and it absolutely knocked me down. I never quite saw things the same after reading it. Through the years, I have changed my philosophy and thinking but somehow this book has always been a part of me. A wonderful book that we all too often are hard-pressed to find in the 20th century.
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Summary: Not all that it's cracked up to be
Review: My philosophy course at university was exciting and dynamic and opened my eyes and mind to all manner of different ways of thinking about the world. Imagine my disappointment, therefore, when I finally got round to reading 'Zen and...' to find a subject I had loved as a student presented in such a messy and disjointed way. I'm sure Mr Pirsig means well, and there are a number of passages in his book (well, 2 or 3) which caught my attention, but when I'd finished I was left wondering what all the fuss was about. Essentially, having put the book back on the shelf, I can readily understand why 121 publishers turned it down. (What I find harder to understand is why no.122 accepted it!) Probably I should give the book another chance, but, to be honest, I feel I have better things to do with my time.
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Summary: An intensely personal view of the history of thought.
Review: My 10-year-old son asked me what I wanted for Christmas last year, and I suggested two books I had known about for 20 years or more, but had never actually read: "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac, and "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig. He got them both for me, and now, at age 47, I've read them both. Kerouac's book is a breathless, almost endless series of cross-country treks, written in a continuous "present" with little concept of a past or future."Zen", in contrast, is a book I wish I had read years ago, knowing full well I would not have understood or appreciated it until now. Pirsig's literary journey is careful and methodical, painstakingly documenting both the physical landscape through which he and his son are riding, and the elaborate philosophical landscape through which humanity has traveled in the last several millennia. It is a history of philosophy which ultimately rejects much of the Aristotelian analysis underlying Western scientific method. I hated philosophy and theology in college, for a variety of reasons, and wish I had this guidebook (and 40+ years of experience) handy as I sat through Metaphysics. Pirsig makes clear the seminal importance of many of the competing ideas of Eastern and Western philosophy, in ways I don't think any of my college professors could have. On a more personal note, Pirsig develops his complex line of thought while traversing the American west with his son Chris on the back of his motorcycle. His discourse with the reader is extensive, highly emotional and intensely personal, while his interaction with his son is almost non-existent. More than once I wanted to yell at Pirsig to stop the bike and talk to Chris instead, only to realize that my own conversations with my own son Chris were, in many ways, similarly perfunctory and self-limiting. In my opinion, no one can read this book without gaining some insight into their own soul, their own values and their place in the world.
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Summary: Inspired, intellectual entertainment of the highest order
Review: Stirring, interesting entertainment of the highest order. A profound book that is enjoyable to read. This extraordinary book works on many levels. 1) Pirsig traces the split between Eastern and Western philosophy (and, by extension, religion) to the misunderstandings of a rational, linear Aristotle in interpreting the great mystic Plato. (An original idea I've never encountered in any book, philosophical or otherwise). 2) He provides the non-philosophically inclined reader with insight into Plato's greatness (and why Plato is revered to this day). 3) He connects Plato with the Transcendent ("the One") and then provides a basis to begin understanding eastern philosophy and what is wrong with the western philosophical tradition. 4) He offers insights into life and the ills of our present society in an entertaining fashion. He also tells a nice story about a journey he takes with his son, and his struggle to reach some profound intellectual conclusions about life. If there is anything to be said negatively--and having read the book three times for enjoyment I am loath to say anything negative--it is that in writing for dramatic impact, some points are not explained in sufficient detail for readers encountering philosophical ideas for the first time, and they may miss the importance of his ideas altogether (as some of these other reviews might suggest).
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Summary: The book who have changed my life !
Review: ÷øàúé àú ¢æï¢ áôòí äøàùåðä áâéì °² åîàæ çæøúé å÷øàúé áå ùåá åùåá® æï ñééò ìé ìîöåà àú î÷åîé áòåìí åìâìåú áúåëé àú äëåçåú ùäúòìîúé î÷éåîí§ áâìì äùôòä ñáéáúéú® òã ù÷øàúé àú æï äééúé òëáø ñôøéí äìäåè ìçôù øéâåù àéðèì÷èåàìé® äøéâåù ùæï äëðéñ àåúé àìéå§ âøí ìé ìäôñé÷ ì÷øåà ñôøéí ìú÷åôä ùìîòìä î°± ùðéí§ åàðé ìà îöèòø òì ëê ìøâò® æï äéä äãìú ùôúçä àåúé àì òöîé åäùìéîä áéï äçì÷éí äîôåöìéí ùîäí àðé îåøëá® úåãä ìê ôéøñéâ òì äñôø äæä®
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Summary: easy thinker
Review: What a mess. Juvenile egomania with its occasional fervid appeal but overall Ayn Rand-ian laughability. The good points--most notably that the scientific method actually expands hypotheses rather than eliminates them (or creates them at a faster rate than it resolves them)--are buried amid macho-rebel gunk notable for a peculiar degree of lack of insight and self-awareness. Quasi-autobiographical road trip format is pure padding. Again, there are several strong points in here (though only a few are original) and I tend to agree with some of its anti-academic viewpoints, but ultimately this says more about maniacal egotism than anything else. Oddball helter-skeleter thinking communicated through many would-be guru-isms.--J.Ruch
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Summary: Mu
Review: If I had to say something good or bad about it, I would say I missed the point. What is good, and what is bad? What is "Mu"? Read the book and find out for yourself the truths about yourself and the world that only you yourself could find out from reading the book.
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Summary: my favorite book
Review: i didn't know that this was biography until i finished it; thought it was one of the best novels i'd ever read. chasing a ghost and talks on philosophy are juxtaposed. the ghost story is especially fascinating. what a shock to realize it had really happened! have not bothered to go over his beliefs with a fine tooth critical comb but that's ok with me. i enjoyed his insights and found it riveting to watch him trace his thinking back to its origins. i have reread this book over the years and it is still a favorite of mine.
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Summary: Great title, pity about the book.
Review: The amazing thing about this book is not that 121 publishers turned it down, but that no. 122 actually decided to publish it! A friend gave me a copy, with the exhortation that I 'HAD to read it'. I'd heard about it, of course, and its BIG reputation, so it was with eager anticipation that I settled down to do so. A week later... well, the most charitable thing I can say is that I managed to finish it. It had no effect whatsoever on me, absolutely ZILCH. It started off slowly, dragged its way through the middle and just fizzed at the end. (Newsweek talked about its 'shattering final pages'. Help! What was the reviewer ON!?) Now, obviously this book does a lot of things for a lot of people, so it must be me that there's something wrong with! The only thing it DID do was make me wonder why certain books receive universal acclaim, with nary a word of criticism spoken against them, and the answer's simple: king's new clothes syndrome (no doubt you'll be able to think of some others yourself). The most moving part of my copy (the 1984 edition) was the author's afterword, which touched a chord that the previous 373 pages never came near to doing. Perhaps if this had been a foreword, I'd have seen the text in a different light, in view of the personal tragedy which befell the author. Ignore all the hype. ZATAOMM is NOT a classic, and, please, school authorities everywhere, DON'T inflict it on unsuspecting students (you should be encouraging young people to ENJOY reading, not putting them off!).
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Summary: Elegant book about the Dynamic Quality of Life
Review: Robert's book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is more than a primer for beginning philosophy, psychology and zen students of life. It's not only a story of a Father and his son traveling from one state to another. Its about the difference between "static quality" and "dynamic quality." One may imagine learning about the better questions. It's not a book about motorcycle maintenance per say. It's about the history of philosophy and an inquiry into values. What is Quality? What is Philosophy? This is truly the great american novel. No big explosions or human killings, but a culture bearing book about the dynamic quality of life. I had an interesting experience with the author, 9 years ago. I sent him my graduate psychology paper on "Personality Psychology." He read inked most of my letters and my paper then sent it back to me. He said do a zen sesshin, and that my work was unfocused. I read his book around 5 times to try to find the meaning of what he said. Since then I'm just beginning to understand the difference between "classic quality or static quality" and "dynamic quality." This book will help you think upon things deeply. It's not for weary, it's for those who want to challenge themselves and their life with new philosophy and new paradigms.
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