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Summary: Will change the way you look at the world and yourself.
Review: Many years ago my brother, who is an avid "biker" showed me an old beat up copy of this book. Since I had never seen my brother reading a book, much less have one in his possesion, I became a liitle curious, yet I finally concluded that if he was interested in this book then it must only be a collection of "biker" stories and a "how-to" fix it type of book. The whereabouts of that old copy are unknown, but the title of this strange book had stayed somewhere in the back of my mind. One day while surfing the net I type the title in my search engine and was amazed to find a small following for this book. As I read the web page I became more and more intrigued. I decided to order a copy to see what in the world it was all about. Well, after reading the book I found it was not the "biker" book I expected it to be, rather a strange oddesy of a man and his son travelling across the country. I must admit that I was uterly lost at many po! ints throughout this novel, however, I don't think I will look at life the same way any more. This book has changed me and I will try to read it every year or so to see if I can make any sense of it. I would recommend this book, but be prepared to be confused.
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Summary: Good, Intense. I will read it again.
Review: RP has done a very good job. He is the types who think a lot, just because they can. He has gone into the depths of some issues and torn them apart until he figured out the cause. Your experiences might have lead you to think about those issues. In that case, you will not be completely impressed but will still feel good. But, if you have not spent too much time contemplating, this book will be an eye-opener. It carries you into the heart of the matter. He is very sharp and intelligent. He is a pleasure to read. His eye for detail is refreshing. At times, while reading the book, I felt he was sharing my experiences. He is good. No doubts here.
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Summary: I don't get it.
Review: I've read many books but this one I didn't get. I've heard so many times that this book is a classic, yet when I read it--I just asked myself why? I must be missing something. It took me two weeks to complete the book and I couldn't wait to put it down. I can never put down a book once I begin it--even a bad book--so I was forced to read the whole thing. And when I finished I was so relived--no more burdens; no more pain. I was finnally done. There was so much detail of scenery; So many pages with words without substance. I got lost in the pages and couldn't wait to get out.
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Summary: searching for quality in the landfill of throw-away society
Review: Clearly my favorite book, both as an avid reader and a motorcyclist. Pirsig accidently stumbles onto the issue that has become our biggest problem in modern, capitalistic society. The lack of quality in our actions, in our decisions, and in our lives. We no longer live and work for ourselves or to help our fellow man, but live and work only to succeed. A must read for anyone who suspects (or realizes) that the way we live in modern society has little to do with actual life.
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Summary: Pirsig's philosophy becomes more relevant over time.
Review: I read this book as a psychology undergrad at age 20 and thought it was about mental illness. I read it again as a software analyst at age 30 and found that it's about quality, and that it contains relevant, useful, and powerful tools for solving quality problems in the real world. The alienation with technology that Pirsig addresses is a bigger problem than ever. "Dummies" books are best sellers, and "web sites that suck" is a popular web site. The digital revolution is fraught with real-world quality problems, and Pirsig's metaphysics gives insight to their root causes. His metaphysics is of sound philosophical construct, and that's why it still works decades later. The book is not about Zen, art, or motorcycles, so please don't mind the title. The protagonist is a rhetorician. The title is a rhetorical tool. Pirsig defines a "classic-romantic split" that explains why we have so many technology products that are more frustrating than useful. He argues that quality can't be found in objects (products) or subjects (critics), which explains why evaluating quality is difficult. I'm reading it again this summer at age 37, and it's helping me rebuild my world view in response to the changing times, which is the primary useful value of philosophy. Next, I'm going to re-read the sequel, "Lila" which, despite its less interesting plot, has an even better explication of the "metaphysics of quality" than ZAMM.
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Summary: A dramatically different way of looking at things.
Review: This book was first read to me by my brother when I was around 6 or 7 and it has stuck with me through present college life. Recently, I've just started to read the text again....for the first time.
The book on tape read by Lawrence Pressman, though abridged, is absolutely a joy to listen to during a long airplane or car trip.
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Summary: A Work of Quality
Review: This book is a fine read on many levels. I can think of no better introduction into the basic themes of rhetorical theory, Western philosophy, and travel literature. Pirsig offers the basics of a systemic philosophy -- something no philosopher has attempted for the last fifty years. It is a fine antidote to relativistic existentialism! It is curious how readers either love or hate this book. It is less curious that those who hate the book rarely offer comments that truly engage Pirsig's main argument. If you don't like the book, slow down and read it again.
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Summary: The Paradigm Shift
Review: The book is revolutionary and has a certain timelessness about it. It is revolutionary as it questions the very essence on which our systems and beliefs are founded. It articulates a very strong case for the so called 'out of box' thinking and very logically picks holes in our current methodology of instruction and analysis. I read the book for the first time as a student some ten years back, and have read it about 5 times ever since. As a teacher, I found the section on 'grades' particularly useful and enlightening. Pirsig's analysis of the shortcomings of the present educational system is very succinct and strikes at the very root of our way of thinking and analysis. The book makes a very strong case for a definitive paradigm shift that shall help us to face the challenges of the coming century. In a lot of ways, the book is philosophical and some passages tend to be very heavy. Readers are advised to also go through the very thoroughly researched and well written guidebook that was presented to me by one of my American friends when he heard me recite an entire passage from the book verbatim sitting in a bar!! 'The Turning Point' by Fritjof Capra also makes a very similar point but his approach is more matter of fact and 'historical', Pirsig's is intuitive and compellingly sincere. Take your time over it, skip the difficult passages at first go, finish it once and you are bound to get back to it again and again. Happy reading. Mohit Misra Asian Institute Of Management, Philippines.
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Summary: Clear vision & understanding the paradox of western culture.
Review: An excellent examination of the deep, nearly invisible, internal incongruities of Western society. Read it in my early twenties and it changed my life. When you read and understand the way our minds and hearts are programmed by our society, and how that programming leads us to goals that don't satisfy or unsuccessful pursuits of happines, it's almost a religious experience. The reviews posted here don't call enough attention to the paradox Pirsig examines, and here it is: you are brought up to believe that what is right, what is true, what is logical will prevail in the end. That logic is truth. The problem is that rhetoric overpowers logic, and rhetoric is the tool of those who further their dark ends by pushing our buttons -- buttons we don't even realize we have. Sure, we all may look at that statement and say "Yeah, so what?" The beauty of this book is how it helps us get past that 'rhetorical' mind set, the "So What" mind set. Getting past it is no small feat. It's also hard to get past the smirks of your peers. This book helps you look inside yourself and realize not only where, but why you are making decisions and behaving in ways which prevent you from growing as a person and transcending the banality of consumption as a way of life. When you finish reading this book and try to explain it to someone else, you will find yourself at a loss for words because there is virtually no vocabulary, no paradigm around which to discuss it. Yet another major paradox of our society. When you extend this line of thinking a bit, it becomes clear that the message in this book is not for glib conversation, a la Frazier Crane. You can't change other people much; but you can change yourself. And that's an internal conversation. When I look at how ZAMM asks some painful, bedrock questions about our lives, I wonder where the answers are. The only book that seems to address some of the questions is Steven Covey's book on the Seven Ha! bits. Problem is, how do we un-program ourselves so we can move toward Covey's paradigm. I don't pretend to know the answer. So maybe we need the third book to complete the set for the modern philosopher. This book demands multiple re-reading. It's the most profound book I've read in English.
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Summary: Just ignore the title.
Review: There are at least two reviews here which criticize the lack of factual infomation on the subject of Zen philosophy in this book. Perhaps it would be a good idea to check the first few pages and read Pirsig's disclaimer. I don't have a copy handy, but he says something about the fact that the reader shouldn't mistake his book for an actual treatment of Zen philosophy. So if it bothers or offends you, scratch out "Zen" and write in "Quality". Then, if you feel you must, present some sort of valid criticism.
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