Actually, I am listening to a free MP3 version of this book which was available through The Guardian newspaper web site until Feb. 5th.

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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance holds a significant place on my short list of the most influential books I've ever read. This is my third encounter with it, and this time, I'm experiencing it through an audio version. My wife selected it for the book club, and since it's been twenty years since my last reading, I'm eagerly anticipating it. An audio read is an interesting choice as Pirsig patterned this work after the Chautauqua, an old-time series of oral presentations designed to both educate and entertain.

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So, I completed it today. How does it fare after twenty years from my previous reading and almost forty years from its initial publication? I think it stands up marvelously well. However, I wonder how a younger audience would receive this work. ZATAOMM's popularity was closely tied to its timing. Many of us were unimpressed by the American dream of material success and yet disillusioned by the 60s hippie dream of "love, peace and flowers." Pirsig delves into the exploration and definition of "quality." To him, quality is an elusive entity that is not well-defined by either the Romantic mind (the artistic) or the Classical mind (the scientific). The author's attempt to define quality is only partially successful, yet this partial success deeply resonated with my generation.

But ZATAOMM is not just a philosophical treatise; it's also a personal journey. Pirsig examines his own past, dealing with his mental illness, and a current journey where he travels cross country on a motorcycle with his son, who is developing similar mental issues. This is what transforms this work from a dry intellectual exercise into something more profound. Pirsig masterfully weaves his thoughts, his philosophy, and his emotions into this philosophical travelogue, allowing us to absorb the information and apply what we find useful to our own lives.

I'm acquainted with a number of Philosophy professionals and armchair experts who dismiss this book as trite. I don't claim to possess enough philosophical knowledge to offer an expert judgment, but what I do know aligns comfortably with Pirsig's Chautauqua. More importantly, the author does an outstanding job of immersing the reader in his tale and prompting us to reflect on the meaning of quality and how it can enrich our own lives and the lives of those we care about.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a truly remarkable and complex work. It is a fictionalized memoir that takes readers on a journey through various aspects of life. It delves into the analysis of motorcycles, but it is so much more than that. It's a travel book that explores different places and experiences, an examination of psychological breakdown, a tale of father/son conflict, a book of philosophy, and even a ghost story. Pirsig's writing is excellent, as he skillfully weaves together all these elements to present his overarching theme, the metaphysics of quality.

Some may dismiss this book as pop philosophy, but that would be a misrepresentation. While it is indeed a philosophical work that became a bestseller and a cultural touchstone, it is far from being light or unserious. Pirsig grapples with profound philosophical questions that he was deeply committed to, and these questions even led to his own psychological breakdown, which he vividly describes in the book. It is not an easy read, nor should it be expected to be. To appreciate it, one doesn't have to be a philosopher, but at least a deep interest in the subject is required, and some passing knowledge can be helpful.
Over the years, this book has acquired some heavy baggage. The title, with its mention of "Zen," may lead some to believe that it is primarily a spiritual book, which it is not. And perhaps the many old hippies who read it without fully understanding it and claim it as a life-changing must-read have also contributed to some misunderstandings. Pirsig was not a guru dispensing wisdom from on high. He was a thinker, a doubter, a systematic inquirer, and a man who had been broken by the society he questioned. He wrote, "What I am is a heretic who’s recanted, and thereby, in everyone’s eyes saved his soul. Everyone’s eyes but one, who knows deep down inside that all he has saved is his skin." This book may not give you the ultimate Truth or all the answers, but it can encourage you to ask questions and, if you enjoy philosophical musings like I do, it can also provide entertainment.

”To reject that part of the Buddha that attends to the analysis of motorcycles is to miss the Buddha entirely.”

This quote sums up the essence of the book, highlighting the importance of not dismissing any aspect of life as unimportant or beneath our notice. We should strive to see the interconnectedness of all things and approach everything with an open and curious mind.

”Modern man has his ghosts and spirits too, you know — the laws of physic and of logic, the number system, the principle of algebraic substitution — these are ghosts. We just believe in them so thoroughly they seem real.”

Pirsig challenges our assumptions about what is real and what is not, making us question the very foundation of our beliefs and understanding.

”Laws of Nature are human inventions, like ghosts. Laws of Logic, of Mathematics, are also human inventions, like ghosts. The whole blessed thing is a human invention, including the idea that it isn’t a human invention…It’s all a ghost, and in antiquity was so recognized as a ghost.”

This thought-provoking statement forces us to consider the role of human perception and creativity in shaping our understanding of the world around us.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a book that will make you think, question, and perhaps even change the way you look at life. It is a classic work of philosophy that continues to inspire and challenge readers today.

I made up my mind to complete the book that I have been engrossed in throughout the summer: "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert M. Pirsig. As I delved into its pages, I had numerous gripes about this book. It was indeed a rather arduous undertaking, far from what most people envision as summer reading. However, now that I have just finished it, I can assert that it was truly a worthwhile experience.

This book completely颠覆 our conception of what it means to be sane. Generally speaking, the book can be regarded as a thesis on substance, form, and spirit, which I will label as such. Pirsig referred to these ideas as classical, romantic, and Quality. It reads much like a thesis, interspersed with captivating and true accounts of the author's life.

I would love to include some of the passages that caught my attention here. But as I look back at the book, I realize that it is impossible to convey the context. One must read the book and be touched by its perspective. I cannot recreate what is a complex tapestry by simply pulling out a few threads and claiming they are the best.

Perhaps, at a later time when I have some distance from what I have witnessed, I will attempt it. I have no desire to read it again because it was just too painstaking and complex, and I have a limited amount of time to read (as we all do). Therefore, I hope to flip through the book and jot down some of the quotes that struck me... just not today.

I'm well aware I'm probably going to send the cat among the pigeons here. One star, indeed. Just to show that I felt quite deceived after having read this cult book. I had expected so much, but instead it gave me the cold shoulder.

For starters, Pirsig's writing style is very rudimentary and dry. The final chapter, for instance, is the kind of writing you only expect from a college boy or girl. I must acknowledge that his technique of using a motorcycling journey to ease the heaviness of the philosophical parts works quite well, but I haven't the slightest interest in motorcycles.

Now, as to the philosophy behind the book. Pirsig offers a critical view on the western way of coping with reality, such as the divide between object and subject, the rational method to dissect reality, etc. However, there's nothing really new here. Plato and Aristotle are his culprits, and the Greek sophists (of whom we know practically nothing) are his heroes, which is a very strange reading of the classics. Pirsig (or better, the mysterious alter ego Phaedrus) introduces a third way of coping with reality, next to the classical and romantic way, by focusing on the notion of "Quality". Unfortunately, he does not succeed in making clear what he means by this. He refers to "excellence", "thoughtfulness", and "accuracy", all very ambiguous notions. Apparently, he opens up to the eastern way of coping with reality. The word "Zen" in the title of the book seems to confirm that, but in reality, there's only one short piece in the book, with a citation of Lao Tse.

The best element to substantiate my critical remarks is to look at the way Pirsig in the novel relates to his own son. Throughout the whole journey, the 11-year-old Chris is sitting behind him on the motorcycle. But Pirsig treats him in a demeaning and disdaining way, really horrible, not quite the way you would expect from someone who values 'Quality' so much. That opened my eyes: Pirsig's view only relates to things, both concrete (motorcycles) and abstract (the universe, life, philosophy). Now, if there's one thing I've learned in my personal quest, it's that life isn't about knowledge (in the broad sense of the word), but about relating to other people, interacting, bonding, caring, listening, loving... That's the only thing that really counts. But I have the impression Mr. Pirsig remains blind to this essential aspect of life. Instead, we are offered a much too long introduction (500 pages) into the presumed unique philosophy of a certain Phaedrus (Pirsig's former, genial self, before his insanity period and electroshock-therapy), an at times arrogantly formulated quest, without any suspense. So, I'm puzzled why so many people admire this book. My bad?

I worked in a bookstore for two years during my youth. Although I have numerous memories of my time in that store, I don't recall too many of our customers.

However, I do remember one. He was a rather strange guy, just a few years older than I was. He had a certain intensity and an extremely deep voice. He was a regular shopper in our store, usually in the sci-fi section. One day, as I was taking inventory at the register, he picked up ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE and said, “Oh, a must-read.”

I looked at it, and I'm certain I was thinking “Really?” but instead I said something like “Why?”

He looked down at it affectionately and said something along the lines of, “I've already read it several times. It's brilliant. Make sure you read it at some point in your life.”

Well, during this 1970s reading project of mine, I had a flashback of this conversation. And since I'm trying to embrace more non-fiction these days, I added it to my list.

Grumble... grumble... grumble.

Look, I feel for this author, Robert Pirsig. At one point in his life, he had a complete psychotic breakdown and was treated for paranoid schizophrenia and received electroconvulsive therapy. Apparently, he struggled to keep those inner demons at bay for the rest of his life.

He has my compassion, but the thing is... I might have a complete psychotic breakdown if I keep reading this.

This book truly deserves to be read by someone far wiser and far more mechanically inclined than I am.

I initially thought it was a metaphor, this motorcycle maintenance thing. Seriously. I had no idea that the book would involve actual motorcycle maintenance.

God, help me.

I mean... even a shirtless Viggo Mortensen might bore me if he turned to me and asked me to adjust his “tappet” and such. I'd be like, “Dude, I'll be inside the air-conditioned diner, looking for alcohol.”

And what's with this Robert Pirsig, talking to the grown-ass woman, Sylvia, on their road trip as if she's a 12-year-old? She's like a freaking college professor, and he keeps telling her when to look at the scenery and when to rest. Ugh! She's not your child, she's a grown woman. Shut up!

There are some truly fabulous philosophical reflections here, and some great one-liners, but I've reached the halfway mark, and I must be done.

I'm grouchy now, and I'm reminded of all those loud motorcycles that woke me up during my beach “vacation” last week. Shut up!

Can be a rewarding thought process.

This book is ideally read by Goodreads participants. There is great appeal in the argument about quality vs. the classic/romantic dichotomy. Why is it important for Goodreads readers? Well, the issue we all have with our ratings is Quality. The same issue that this novel is all about. As we all should know, the definition of quality is highly vaporous. Pirsig acknowledges that quality is actually impossible to define, but he would probably say that evaluations are very different between an intellectual and the common romantic. This issue comes up repeatedly here on Goodreads.

Pirsig argues that when we get caught up in the dichotomy of classical vs romantic evaluations, we lose track of quality. Classic novels which are of evident quality to an intellectual are often disparaged by commoners. While populist stuff like Stephen King, Harry Potter get disparaged by intellectuals. Does that mean that commoners have a better sense of quality or worse? Why is it so different than an intellectual's sense of quality? Who's right, who's wrong? Pirsig would probably say the commoner has a tendency towards the romantic side while the intellectual the classical side. But neither one has anything to do with quality. So how does this book stand up? Well, this book gets pretty average reviews by the common democratic consensus, but is considered a classic by many scholars. Which side is right? What is quality here?

I argue it depends from the point of view. Because of the general audience or even high school audience that reads it, it is considered only average. But this is a common problem with classics. Classics are heaped on people incapable of appreciating them. I do not want to disparage younger or lesser educated folk, but there are significant differences in intellectual and emotional levels (and therefore significant differences in evaluations). There is a huge list of classics on Goodreads that get average or even poor reviews (Heart of Darkness, Gulliver's Travels, Brave New World, Homer, etc). The reason is obvious upon reflection. A huge unprepared audience reads those books because of their popularity, school curriculums, etc. But because of the high level of complexity, they don't understand the book, they reject the book.

Deserved classics should not be dumped on high schoolers, but they of course need to be challenged. Too soon though and they will only misunderstand them, trash them and avoid them. It will create the opposite effect of what is intended, a negative reaction, an avoidance and a consequent dumbing-down effect that carry over into adulthood. As adulthood approaches all this negative experience causes unconscious negative reactions to complexity. The adult therefore consistently hones in on less complex young adult material instead of the maturing potential of the classics. They cling to past feelings of bliss that had occurred when reading less mature books. They don't realize that new maturer moments are the correct time to take on the more emotionally and intellectually complex classics.

Does this mean that many classics that are learned in high school or even junior high therefore should not be learned at that relatively immature point? Would they be better off zooming in on lesser high quality high school level material?

If literature scholars rave about Heart of Darkness and common people trash it, there is an audience target problem, not a quality issue. Either that or our literature scholars are just raving idiots. As questionable as the quality of our university education systems are, I am not willing to throw the baby out with bath water. Those scholars have definitely learned a thing or two more than the common folk about literature quality.

The solution is that young people tend to be romantic thinkers (with very few exceptions), not classical thinkers and they should be targeted in that way, gradually developing their classical thinking through appropriate literature for their maturity level.

Of course the argument goes that dumbing down occurs because of the dumbing down of material. But teaching physics before addition and subtraction isn't going to help us. We have a problem. The fact is that kids are less and less oriented to emotionally or intellectually complex books.

It doesn't help that libraries and schools keep heaping overly classical material on students. They, in a very authoritarian way, simply won't respect that the students aren't that interested in it. Interest is important. As the student gets older and reaches adulthood and potentially university, those books will become much more interesting. But only if they don't learn to hate complexity!

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance can appeal to a relatively developed thinker, only partially to a common romantic. But, ironically this book fails to bridge the gap between romantic and classical thinking. Clearly this is a classical novel, which attained bestselling status, but only with average reviews. Should this be a populist novel? No. That is why it has bar ratings. As bestselling as it was, most don't appear to understand it. As a novel, it can be intellectually and emotionally gratifying, but only for the right audience.

Here's hoping you that while you are reading this you get filled with peace from all that quality. But if you are a romantic, be careful, it could very well go over your head.

The book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" created a significant stir upon its release (the great Steiner dedicated an article to it in The New Yorker) - but not in our country. This is because it combines the free spirit of the 70s with a rigorously articulated philosophical discourse, always within the framework of a fictional form.

Let me clarify from the outset that this is not the philosophical version of "On the Road" (T. Kerouac), although the concept of wandering and escaping from the suffocating urban environment is a common starting point for both works. However, while in Kerouac the wandering is an end in itself and his heroes self-immolate by "going around in circles at night", the hero of Pirsig has a strictly structured philosophical thought and purpose, at least initially. And this is because gradually the reader understands that somewhere there is a time capsule of the other self - the offspring of his psychological illness - who tactically takes the "reins" of the narrative.

Analyses of Quality, thoughts on Kant, Aristotle, Plato, Zen and Dharma alternate with mechanical issues, as the journey of the spirit (accompanies) the real journey of initiation / purification of the father-son in search of Truth.

And that is precisely where the tragedy of the hero lies. Because for the sheep, Truth is always and only that of the Shepherd. And if you leave the sheep - even for a short time - free on a mountain peak or if it is accidentally led there, the anxiety will overwhelm it and its cries will only stop when it reaches the Shepherd... or the wolf. And the price, in any case, is always unbearable.

A previous reviewer (Rb1985) said, "At around page 293 one looks for reviews online to confirm one's suspicion that one has been taken for a mug." I know this because about half way through, I ran to Goodreads looking for what I was missing.

I bought the book recently, not knowing what it was about. However, I had always been intrigued by the title and recalled its popularity when I was in high school and college shortly after it came out. Also, at 52 years of age, I bought a motorcycle for the first time, and hey, it sounded like something I ought to read.

This was awful.

The story is really three separate narratives. First, there is a description of a cross country motorcycle trip. Second, there is a philosophical discussion on "quality". Third, there is the narrator's struggle with insanity.

The philosophical discussions are impossible to follow. That is not to say they are without merit or do not contain some thoughtful observations and interesting discourses. But as a whole, it is incoherent blather. I am sure that supporters of the book have an out in that the narrator is insane, so of course, some of the discussion will reflect that insanity and be difficult to follow. Obviously, you just don't get the literary method the author is using. If that is the case, why put the reader through this torture? If the author had stuck with the motorcycle maintenance, this could have been really good.

This strikes me as the type of book that gets a lot of interest because it is incomprehensible. But, my goodness, it is just so darn DEEP that it has to mean something. And I don't want to look like a total boob by saying I don't get it, so I'll say it changed my life. I'm not falling for it. Yes, the discussion is deep, but ultimately, I found the well was empty.

There are not many occasions when you almost love a book and still wish others to read it, mainly because they might have an experience that you couldn't. Regrettably, it didn't touch me. However, it is a work that belongs to that esteemed group which challenges some of our basic assumptions about life and could potentially transform our worldviews, if not completely alter them.

There are numerous scattered gems within it, too many to enumerate. But overall, it just fails to engage as fictional or road-trip philosophy. I wonder if Pirsig ever considered presenting it as a strictly non-fictional work in the vein of popular philosophy.

Update: May 2022

So I picked it up approximately 10 years later and almost impulsively reread various sections. Here's what occurred: I instantly grasped what I couldn't the first time. The issue with the first-person voice is that the author is confined within the narrator's mind and can't obtain an external perspective. What I failed to understand in my initial reading was that the reader is also in the same mental prison. It's astonishing how we age and mature as perspective readers. I have now revised the rating by adding one more star.

When I was quite young, after a particularly long and stoned session listening to Pink Floyd and discussing philosophy, my brain said to me, 'oh give me a break'.

I replied to my brain, 'there's no need to be so rude,' and my brain responded, 'no seriously, I can't handle this anymore, really, let me take a break'. So it did, and I've been operating on brain-stem alone ever since. I'm not sure if it's made that much difference.

I wonder if the author's brain was thinking like mine was?

Certainly, when I was reading this book and sort of enjoying it (2 stars-worth), I was also thinking I am just too old to be reading this sort of cod-philosophy, too old and not stoned enough. I read other people's reviews and have to conclude that they all saw something in this book that impressed them as deep and me as deeply populist. Either way, I didn't really enjoy it and it only gets two stars because the writing was okay, the book wasn't arduous to read, and some parts of it were interesting and enjoyable.

I wasn't that keen on the author's exploration of his mental breakdown either. I find when other people tell me the dreams they had last night, or I have to read them in a book, I turn off as well. I really don't know why, nor do I know if others also feel this way. When telling last night's major really interesting dream to someone else, I've never said, "Do you find this as boring as I would if it was you telling me?" Actually, that's a load of guff. I don't tell other people my dreams because I suspect they would be bored rigid, and neither do I tell them about my mental breakdown when I saw three rainbows in the sky and didn't kill myself because I couldn't find a nightie that was suitable. See, boring!

I kept thinking that Roberts (the author of Shantaram) and Pirsig would get on really well. They could sit in cafes in foreign parts swapping tales of derring-do, drugs, and their fascinating insights whilst waiting for an audience to join them. That's a bit mean-spirited as Pirsig is a great deal more appealing as an author and person than the somewhat sleazy Roberts, but I think you get what I mean. And I will say that it's quite readable, the travel descriptions are very well done, the characters, apart from the hero, are in general interesting but... I still couldn't get into it.

Anyway, it's a Sunday, much love and an extra star!

I feel like Robert M. Pirsig has wronged me personally.

His work, which is often regarded as profound and thought-provoking, seems to have overlooked certain aspects that are of great significance to me.

Perhaps it is because our perspectives and life experiences are so different. Maybe he was focusing on other elements that I simply cannot relate to.

But still, I can't help but feel a sense of disappointment and injustice. It's as if his ideas have somehow invalidated my own feelings and beliefs.

I understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinions and interpretations, but this doesn't make the sting any less.

Maybe one day I will be able to see his work in a different light and find some value in it. But for now, I can only express my sense of being wronged by his words.

I couldn't. Simply couldn't. Life is too short for such things.

I started reading the book knowing nothing about it except the title. I expected some traveling, some philosophizing, and some humor (with such a title, who wouldn't?).

There is some traveling in it. As for philosophizing - my dear mother, a dog wouldn't eat that with butter. At 39%, my head started to spin, and I began looking at the drill next to the shelf, wondering if I should drill my head in one or two places. This isn't for me.

Of course, there is no trace of humor. If anything, this book is the opposite of funny.

I'll leave a two-star review for the description of traveling, but that's it. Thank you very much. I'm going to watch the grass grow. That will be a better use of time.