Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Full Text
 Starting time edition | |
| Author | Robert Grand. Pirsig |
|---|---|
| Country | U.s. |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Philosophical fiction, Autobiographical novel[one] |
| Published | 1974 (William Morrow and Company) |
| Media blazon | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 418 pp |
| ISBN | 0-688-00230-7 |
| OCLC | 673595 |
| Dewey Decimal | 917.3/04/920924 B |
| LC Class | CT275.P648 A3 1974 |
| Followed by | Lila: An Inquiry into Morals |
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Research into Values is a volume by Robert G. Pirsig first published in 1974. It is a work of fictionalized autobiography, and is the first of Pirsig's texts in which he explores his "Metaphysics of Quality".
Pirsig received 121 rejections before an editor finally accepted the volume for publication—and he did and then thinking it would never generate a profit. It was afterwards featured on best-seller lists for decades, with initial sales of at least 5 one thousand thousand copies worldwide.[two] The title is an apparent play on the title of the 1948 book Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel. In its introduction, Pirsig explains that, despite its title, "it should in no style be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practise. It's not very factual on motorcycles, either."
Structure [edit]
According to Edward Abbey, the book is a fictionalized autobiography of a 17-twenty-four hour period journey that Pirsig made on a motorcycle from Minnesota to Northern California along with his son Chris.[1] The story of this journey is recounted in a commencement-person narrative, although the author is not identified. Father and son are also accompanied, for the outset 9 days of the trip, past close friends John and Sylvia Sutherland, with whom they part ways in Montana. The trip is punctuated by numerous philosophical discussions, referred to equally Chautauquas by the writer, on topics including epistemology, the history of philosophy, and the philosophy of science.
Many of these discussions are tied together by the story of the narrator'south own past self, who is referred to in the 3rd person as Phaedrus (after Plato's dialogue). Phaedrus, a teacher of artistic and technical writing at a small college, became engrossed in the question of what defines practiced writing, and what in full general defines good, or "Quality", which he understands similar to Tao. Phaedrus's philosophical investigations eventually drove him insane, and he was subjected to electroconvulsive therapy, which permanently changed his personality.
Towards the end of the book, Phaedrus's strong and unorthodox personality, presented as unsafe to the narrator, begins to re-sally and the narrator is reconciled with his past.
Writing [edit]
In a 1974 interview with National Public Radio, Pirsig stated that the volume took him four years to write. During two of these years, Pirsig connected working at his job of writing reckoner manuals. This caused him to fall into an unorthodox schedule, waking up very early and writing Zen from 2 a.m. until 6 a.chiliad., then eating and going to his day job. He would slumber during his lunch break and and then go to bed around 6 in the evening. Pirsig joked that his co-workers noticed that he was "a lot less perky" than anybody else.[3]
Themes [edit]
Philosophical content [edit]
In the book, the narrator describes the "romantic" arroyo to life of his friend, John Sutherland, who chooses not to learn how to maintain his expensive new motorbike. John simply hopes for the best with his bicycle, and when problems do occur he frequently becomes frustrated and is forced to rely on professional mechanics to repair information technology. In contrast, the "classical" narrator has an older motorcycle which he is unremarkably able to diagnose and repair himself through the use of rational problem-solving skills.
In an example of the classical approach, the narrator explains that one must pay continual attending: when the narrator and his friends come into Miles Urban center, Montana he notices the engine running roughly, a possible indication that the fuel/air mixture is too rich. The next day he is thinking of this as he is going through his ritual to adjust the jets on his motorcycle's carburetor. During the aligning, he notes that both spark plugs are black, confirming a rich mixture. He recognizes that the higher elevation is causing the engine to run rich. The narrator rectifies this by installing new jets and adjusting the valves, and the engine runs well over again.
With this, the volume details two types of personalities: those who are interested more often than not in gestalt—romantic viewpoints focused on being in the moment, and not on rational assay—and those who seek to know details, empathise inner workings, and master mechanics—viewpoints with awarding of rational analysis, vis-a-vis motorcycle maintenance.
The Sutherlands represent an exclusively romantic attitude toward the world. The narrator initially appears to prefer the classic approach. Information technology later on becomes apparent that he understands both viewpoints and is aiming for the middle ground. He understands that technology, and the "dehumanized world" it carries with information technology, appears ugly and repulsive to a romantic person. He knows that such persons are determined to shoehorn all of life'south feel into the romantic view. Pirsig is capable of seeing the dazzler of engineering and feels good about mechanical piece of work, where the goal is "to accomplish an inner peace of mind". The book demonstrates that motorcycle maintenance may be dull and tedious drudgery or an enjoyable and pleasurable pastime, depending on mental attitude.
The narrator examines the modernistic pursuit of "Pure Truths", claiming it derives from the piece of work of early Greek philosophers who were establishing the concept of truth in opposition to the force of "The Good". He argues that although rational thought may find a truth (or The Truth) it may never be fully and universally applicable to every private's experience. Therefore, what is needed is an approach to life that is more inclusive and has a wider range of application. He makes a case that originally the Greeks did non distinguish between "Quality" and "Truth"—they were one and the same, arete—and that the divorce was, in fact, artificial (though needed at the time) and is now a source of much frustration and unhappiness in the earth, particularly overall dissatisfaction with modern life.
The narrator aims towards a perception of the world that embraces both sides, the rational and the romantic. This ways encompassing "irrational" sources of wisdom and understanding also as science, reason and engineering science. In particular, this must include bursts of inventiveness and intuition that seemingly come up from nowhere and are not (in his view) rationally explicable. He seeks to demonstrate that rationality and Zen-like "being in the moment" can harmoniously coexist. He suggests such a combination of rationality and romanticism can potentially bring a higher quality of life.
It has been noted that Pirsig's romantic/classical dichotomy resembles Nietzsche's Dionysian/Apollonian dichotomy as described in The Birth of Tragedy. For case, in his volume The Person of the Therapist, Edward Smith writes, "In his popular novel ... Pirsig besides addressed the Apollonian and Dionysian worldviews, naming them respectively classical understanding and romantic understanding."[4]
The self and relationships [edit]
Beverly Gross (1984) writes that Pirsig is seeking a synthesis of "the normal, everyday, functioning self with the person given to extremes, excesses, dizzying heights, obsessions—our crazy self with our sane self, the greatness in u.s. with our ordinariness". The exceptional in the narrator is represented by Phaedrus, who, despite the narrator's attempt to proceed him in the past, pushes to the foreground of his mind toward the volume'due south terminate, threatening the narrator'south stability and human relationship with his son. Yet, the narrator'southward difficulties with his son during the journeying also question whether giving up parts of himself in exchange for "sanity" has fifty-fifty helped this relationship. Gross writes, "He relates to mechanical things, not to people. There is beauty in his recognition that personality inheres in motorcycles, riding gloves; there is sadness and sickness in his removal from the personality of people, his own most notably". The Chautauquas, which emphasize the narrator'due south tendency toward solitary idea and over-assay, may reflect his abstention of the bug before him: his relationships and the resurrection of Phaedrus. To the extent that the narrator denies Phaedrus, the Chautauquas are practical, but when he decides that he will acknowledge himself to hospital again, he realizes the undeniable presence of Phaedrus in him, and the Chautauquas are given over to those more than abstruse topics.[5]
Gumption traps [edit]
According to the writer, A gumption trap is an outcome or mindset that tin can crusade a person to lose enthusiasm and become discouraged from starting or continuing a project. The word "gumption" denotes a combination of common sense, shrewdness, and a sense of initiative.[half-dozen] Although the terminal of these traits is the primary victim of the "gumption trap," the start 2 endure indirectly in that a reduction in initiative results in a reduction in constructive activity and therefore inhibits i's evolution of the first ii traits. Pirsig goes on to inform his readers that the "trap" portion of the term refers to the positive feedback loop that the event or mindset creates: the reduction in the person's enthusiasm and initiative decreases both the person'due south likelihood of success in that project and the degree of success likely, thus doubly affecting the expected outcome of the person's efforts. The usual consequence further discourages the person, whether it be a mere lack of success or a bigger outright failure consummate with embarrassment and loss of the resources initially invested.
The specific term "gumption trap" was coined by Pirsig, and the associated concept plays an of import part in the practical application of his Metaphysics of Quality.[ commendation needed ]
Types [edit]
Pirsig refers to two types of gumption traps: setbacks, which arise from external/"exogenous" events, and hang-ups, which are the product of internal/"endogenous" factors such as a poor fit betwixt one'due south psychological state and the requirements of a projection.
Setbacks [edit]
The nature of setbacks can vary considerably. For example, a minor setback might issue from a minor injury. Larger setbacks include the lack of knowledge that a certain procedural footstep or other condition is necessary for a project's success: If one attempts to keep working despite the lack of knowledge that this obstacle exists (let alone how to deal with it), one'south lack of progress may prompt one to take long breaks from the project, to focus one's attention on other endeavors, or fifty-fifty to lose interest in the projection birthday. Pirsig suggests preventing these kinds of gumption traps by being slow and meticulous, taking notes that might help later, and troubleshooting in accelerate (e.one thousand., by laying out the requirements for ane's projection in logical and/or conceptual order and looking for procedural problems ranging from unaccounted-for prerequisites to gaps in one's instructions or plans).
Hang-ups [edit]
Hang-ups stalk from internal factors that can get in the way of starting or completing a project. Examples of such hang-ups include anxiety, boredom, impatience, and the failure (oftentimes borne of excessive egotism) to realize that a) 1 might non take all the data necessary to succeed and/or b) certain aspects of the trouble might be more or less important than 1 believes. Dealing with hang-ups tin exist as simple every bit reducing hyperfocus on a specific aspect of a problem past taking a short pause from working on the problem or that specific aspect of it.
Pirsig notes several aspects of hang-ups.
- Melancholia (i.e. receptive or dynamic) understanding or "value traps": these can be described by and large as an disability or reluctance to re-evaluate notions due to a delivery to previous values. On the whole these types of bug can be addressed by (one) rediscovering facts equally they ascend; (ii) recognizing that the facts are available and apparent; (3) deliberately slowing down to allow unstructured processing of information; and (4) reassessing the weight attached to the electric current noesis.
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- Egotism may encourage ane to believe misleading information or disbelieve a potentially inconvenient fact. Appropriate recourses include humility, modesty, attentiveness and skepticism.
- Anxiety may forbid the confidence necessary to brainstorm a project or the self-assurance needed to patiently work through a projection systematically. Appropriate recourses include research, study and training prior to showtime the project; detailing the predictable steps required to accomplish the task; and understanding the personhood and fallibility of professionals.
- Boredom may crusade sloppy piece of work and inattention to detail. Appropriate recourses include taking a suspension to allow involvement in the project to rebuild or ritualizing common practices. Pirsig notes that at the first sign of boredom, it is important to stop piece of work immediately.
- Impatience, like boredom, may crusade sloppy piece of work and inattention to detail. Advisable recourses include allowing indefinite time for the project and value flexibility to rediscover aspects of the project.
- Cerebral understanding or "truth traps": these can be described as misunderstanding the feedback of a given action.
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- Reliance on aye-no duality may cause misinterpretation of results. Pirsig notes the concept of mu and suggests the answer to a particular question may indicate that the question does not match the situation. An appropriate recourse may be to reconsider the context of the inquiry.
- Psychomotor behavior or "muscle traps": these surround the interaction of the environment, machinist and car.
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- Inadequate tools may lead to a feeling of frustration. Appropriate recourses include proper equipment acquisition.
- Environmental factors may lead to frustration including inadequate lighting, temperature extremes and physically uncomfortable positions.
- Muscular insensitivity or lack of proprioception may lead to a disproportionate amount of force being applied to a textile that leads to frustration. Misunderstanding of different tolerances of various materials may lead to broken parts or inadequate tension.
Reception [edit]
At the time of its publication, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, in his book review for The New York Times, wrote,
I now regret that I lack the expertise in philosophy to put Mr. Pirsig's ideas to a proper test, for this book may very well be a profoundly important one—a dandy one fifty-fifty—full of insights into our most perplexing contemporary dilemmas. I just don't know. Merely whatever its true philosophical worth, information technology is intellectual amusement of the highest order.[7]
Since and so, Zen and the Fine art of Motorcycle Maintenance has go the best-selling philosophy book of all time.[8]
See also [edit]
- Dehumanized
- Lila: An Research into Morals
- Quality (philosophy)
- Pirsig's metaphysics of Quality
References [edit]
- ^ a b Abbey, Edward (March 30, 1975). "Novelistic autobiography, autobiographical novel? No matter". The New York Times.
- ^ "Robert Pirsig, Writer of 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,' Dead At 88". Huffington Post. Reuters. 25 April 2017.
- ^ "'Zen and the Fine art of Motorbike Maintenance Author' Robert Pirsig" at NPR online audio archive
- ^ Smith, Edward W. L. (2003). The Person of the Therapist, McFarland & Company Inc, p. 97.
- ^ Gross, Beverly (1984). "'A Heed Divided against Itself': Madness in 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'". The Journal of Narrative Technique. 14 (3): 201–213. JSTOR 30225102.
- ^ "gumption". thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- ^ "The Motorcycles of Your Mind; Books of The Times". The New York Times. April 16, 1974.
- ^ McWatt, Anthony (October 2017). "Robert Pirsig & His Metaphysics of Quality". Philosophy Now.
External links [edit]
- Audio: 1992 NPR Interview with Pirsig
- Guardian interview from 2006: Short version and Long version
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance
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