Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
1 review
crufts's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Writing as himself, Robert M. Pirsig narrates a motorcycle trip taken with his son Chris, as well as his friends John and Sylvia Sullivan. As they power along through wide stretches of the American natural landscape, Robert drifts off into a mental discussion of philosophy, taking the reader with him.
The book is intellectually entertaining from start to end. The idea I enjoyed the most was that quality creates dualism. What does this mean?
We might assume that our ability to distinguish between things (duality) is what lets us decide that we like or don't like things (quality).
But the narrator asserts that it's the other way around: it's the sense of quality (liking things) which creates the duality (distinguishing things), because being able to distinguish things lets an organism move towards whatever situation it sees as better quality.
Is this actually true? Who knows, but it was fun to read through the philosophical argument for it.
On the negative side, I found the connection between the philosophical discussions and the motorcycle maintenance rather tenuous.
This is a very strange book, and its ideas are not all that practically useful, but it sure is entertaining to read.
The book is intellectually entertaining from start to end. The idea I enjoyed the most was that quality creates dualism. What does this mean?
We might assume that our ability to distinguish between things (duality) is what lets us decide that we like or don't like things (quality).
But the narrator asserts that it's the other way around: it's the sense of quality (liking things) which creates the duality (distinguishing things), because being able to distinguish things lets an organism move towards whatever situation it sees as better quality.
Is this actually true? Who knows, but it was fun to read through the philosophical argument for it.
On the negative side, I found the connection between the philosophical discussions and the motorcycle maintenance rather tenuous.
This is a very strange book, and its ideas are not all that practically useful, but it sure is entertaining to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Minor: Medical trauma
The narrator describes his past self's journey to insanity. However, he speculates that he wasn't really crazy, just thinking in a way considered unacceptable by most. There are also brief references to electro-convulsive therapy (ECT).
More...