Product Description

"The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called 'yourself.'"

In his autobiographical first novel,Pirsig wrestles both with the ghost of his past and with the mostimportant philosophical questions of the 20th century--why hastechnology alienated us from our world? what are the limits ofrational analysis? if we can't define the good, how can we live it?Unfortunately, while exploring the defects of our philosophicalheritage from Socrates and the Sophists to Hume and Kant, Pirsiginexplicably stops at the middle of the 19th century. With theexception of Poincaré, he ignores the more recent philosopherswho have tackled his most urgent questions, thinkers such as Peirce,Nietzsche (to whom Phaedrus bears a passing resemblance), Heidegger,Whitehead, Dewey, Sartre, Wittgenstein, and Kuhn. In the end, thenarrator's claims to originality turn out to be overstated, hisreasoning questionable, and his understanding of the history ofWestern thought sketchy. His solution to a synthesis of the rationaland creative by elevating Quality to a metaphysical level simplyrepeats the mistakes of the premodern philosophers. But in contrast tomost other philosophers, Pirsig writes a compelling story. And he is atrue innovator in his attempt to popularize a reconciliation ofEastern mindfulness and nonrationalism with Western subject/objectdualism. The magic of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenanceturns out to lie not in the answers it gives, but in the questions itraises and the way it raises them. Like a cross between The Razor's Edge andSophie's World,Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance takes us into "thehigh country of the mind" and opens our eyes to vistas ofpossibility. --Brian Bruya ... Read more

Customer Reviews (591)

The Philosophy Book That Everyone Must Read
This book changed my life.It was my first encounter with philosophy.i read in 8th grade.My way of thinking about everything changed when i read this work, noticing myself analyze and ask why in regard to everything.This stayed with me through undergraduate physics and mathematics and, now, I find myself transitioning from a master degree in theoretical physics to a dual Phd in physics and the philosophy of physics.I can't help but to credit this book with altering the way I think.I am forever grateful.

This book is one of the most accesible philosophy books ever written.I always recommend to friends and family books on philosophy that I think satisfy everything you will ever need to know about philosophy if you only wnat the bare minimum: 1) Ishmael by Quinn 2) True Believer by Hoffer 3) Atlas Shrugged by Rand 4) The Fountainhead by Rand 5) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanence

Take It For What It Is
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance arouses strong feelings in readers, for better or worse. The details and themes of the book have been discussed at length, so I'll simply try to add a little perspective to the ambient buzz. I hope we all dial it down a bit. A work of art can have great value even while having real flaws, and even more unquestionably, the artist's hang-ups can be separated from the artist's talent. Pirsig's views on philosophy, life, meaning, etc do not, by themselves, warrant acerbic responses. On the other hand, even if Pirsig has cracked the code of the universe, we're stilling just dealing with a novel here. The book should be judged on its own merit, not whether the writer is overwrought or melodramatic in his critiques of the current state of the philosophy academy. I happen to have found the book very impactful and intriguing, while simultaneously finding his views on the current state philosophy to be wrong (or at least misguided).

The critiques (that Pirsig goes off on rants, his narration is too self-consumed, etc) have a kernel of truth to them. Then again, so do the countless examples of fawning praise (the book is wonderfully multi-layered, Pirsig's writing is penetrating and insightful, etc). I lean toward the latter, but the former have enough going to warrant taking one star away.

What I like best about the book is how it strikes at the very core (of insecurities, philosophy, meaning. etc). One could call it an "axiomatic exploration," and such a thing is not new to philosophy or literature. Not being new is no crime; I find the idea that this book should be criticized because it hasn't presented anything wholly revolutionary or new to be a bit amusing. I mean, is this the standard we usually apply? So what if countless fans have reoriented their world view around Pirsig's ideas, or if Pirsig is a true believer of every assertion in the book? Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a work of art, and should be judged that way. Now, not all critiques have been this unfair or unfocused. If one finds the philosophy presented in the book unimpressive, or the prose inauthentic, or the plot too thin, OK fair enough (I should warn you that I tend to care more for characters and their experiences, than for plots. And I can't judge how good or bad the arc of the book is, because I tend not to need or desire very much of that). But the value of the ideas presented in the book, and the prose therein, are in their ability to provoke empathy, thought, wonder, and perhaps even a little existential angst. If the book does a poor job of that, so be it, but it sparked all these emotional responses in me and in many others.

One gets a feel for how heavy life is for the narrator, how hard he takes things, and the challenges present in his dealings with himself and others (but mostly with himself). Affection and blame fly in all directions in the book. Whether either is warranted is not the point. If the book catches you at the right time, it may change your life, at the wrong time, it may annoy the piss out of you. While evoking all sorts of feelings, good and bad, it neither single handedly changed my life or caused me to want to pull my hair out. But it definitely had me hooked as I was reading it, and after I finished, it left quite an impact. That says a lot about a book, in my view.

shabby
althought I am enjoying the book, the pages have been cut poorly and unevenly, 5 out of every 20 pages are torn as opposed to cut, giving the book a half assed shabby appearance.

Fast Delivery, Perfect Condition
It's a great book that arrived 2 days earlier than I thought it would. It was also in perfect condition. I would definitely recommend the book and the seller.

Didn't recieve the book
Actually I never received this book.I need to follow up with Amazon to see why.This is a big thumbs down for Amazon. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An Exquisite Journey Into Mental Illness
Robert M. Pirsig begins his quest for truth and the 'why' of existence by taking the reader on a trip across America with his young son, Chris. To be honest, I thought this book was going the director of "On The Road"- the protagonists of both books travelling the country and learning a lesson at the terminus. But this novel has a deeper purpose, which Pirsig explains through his digressions throughout the book which divulge the details of his dissent into mental illness. I was mesmorised by the amount of detail Pirsig puts into the novel- from the descriptions and subsequent explanations of his dreams to the relative triviality of his cross-country trip. A note of warning- this book is not for the faint-hearted. If philosophy is not your thing, then steer clear of this novel. Even though philosophy is one of my favourite subjects, I found the book a bit tedious at times. That said, Pirsig is an excellent writer and does a superb job of transporting the reader right into his mind during every step of his descent into madness. "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" is a must-read on the subjects of philosophy and mental illness. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Small but enjoyable dialogues.
This literal and physically small book is a great and approachable introduction to the philosopher. I'm glad it wasn't titled 'Coffees with' because certainly one can finish it over a taller cup. The book is written in a series of dialogues with the philosopher as if someone with modern day queries was able to have the man alive and accounting for his writings. Considering the nature of Plato's writings this dialgue nature of discovery seems quite appropriate. Fun, brisk and not without a sense of humor, you could do worse for an introduction to the greater, expansive lexicon...just don't expect this to keep you company long.

Nice little book
First of all, please disregard all of the hoopla of Pirsig's name being included in this book. Pirsig only wrote a 2 page introduction to the book, and it contains no new insights to his Metaphysics of Quality. It is simply a short introduction to Plato. So if you are a devoted follower to Pirsig, like I am, don't freak out and purchase this book, like I did.

That said, this is a nice little book on the very basics of Plato. Having read a majority of Plato's works, as well as 2 or 3 other introductions on the man, I found this book to be pleasant and somewhat refreshing. Donald R. Moor writes in extremely simple terms, and very clearly breaks Plato down. In fact, it is so simple, that it cleared up a few things that I had missed in reading on Plato previously. He also takes a few of the outstanding differences between Plato's thought and 21st century morality and puts them in perspective. So, the fact that you might find Plato's notion of killing all atheists reprehensible is cleared up a bit, by placing this notion into Plato's mindset on the world.

Essentially, if you are brand new to Plato, this will serve as a good introduction. Although it lacks the beauty of Plato's writing, it does give a very basic and simple framework from which to understand him. And for those who are familiar with Plato, it does serve to clear up some outstanding, if not subconscious, issues with him. ... Read more

Product Description
Compilation of the first year of discusions revolving around Robert M. Pirsig's novels, Lila: An Inquiry Into Morals, and Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values. Introduction and annotations by Robert Pirsig. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

An important contribution to Quality
This book is an excellent compilation of on-line discussions which occurred in the late 1990's regarding the Metaphysics of Quality.The discussions themselves are a joy to read, but Pirsig's annotations and comments make this an absolute must for anyone deeply interested in the philosophical system of thought called the Metaphysics of Quality.The contributors bring up and discuss many of the problems and difficulties lesser philosophers than Pirsig, such as myself, have had with the MOQ.Pirsig's clarifications and notes go a long way toward solving many of these problems.

This book is no Pirsig "lovefest." Dissenters abound in the discussions, many of whom are quite intelligent and learned.Pirsig's well-reasoned responses to the best dissenters provide some of the book's greatest insights.

By integrating the age-old wisdom of the most enlightened Buddhist and mystic philosophers into a rational, scientific, metaphysical framework, the Metaphysics of Quality may be the greatest intellectual achievement of the 20th century.Lila's Child, the third in the trilogy started by Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Lila, is an important work to help integrate this achievement into our intellectual culture.

Lila's Child
Any book project that concerns itself with the challenging matters of philosophy is doomed if nearly all its contributors lack the proper background in philosophy or cannot translate thought to word with high fidelity. Such is the case with Lila's Child. Its writings were never intended to be published, and it shows. This is so plainly evident that Robert Pirsig himself makes a half-hearted attempt at damage control in his introduction, not exactly countering the notion that the book is awful, but to argue that it's more interesting that way.

Even if it were interesting, why someone would pay good money to read these postings as a book instead of for free over the internet...is hard to understand, unless the notes Pirsig adds makes them worth it. And quality annotations would be highly valued by anyone interested in the Metaphysics of Quality (MOQ) - Pirsig's muddled, re-packaged form of idealism that could dearly use some clarity. But Pirsig mostly misses this opportunity and manages only a scant clarification here and there, such as when he expresses his desire to reverse the impression left in Lila that all moral issues can be solved with his system, or when he categorically states that only people, and not animals, are social patterns of value under the MOQ.

A typical notation of Pirsig's consists of one or two clipped sentences that do little or nothing to further understanding, except perhaps in the overactive imagination of some readers, and on a couple of occasions he appears distressingly detached from his own ideas, such as when he makes a statement that is prefaced by the qualifier, 'If I understand the MOQ properly,...'.

The book does manage to capture some of the excitement of a crusading bunch who are under the illusion that Pirsig's ideas will change the world, although it becomes exasperatingly apparent that no two people can exactly agree to what those ideas are, or how they should be applied. One contributor, Doug Renselle, went on to invent Quantonics, an offshoot of the MOQ that is a worthy addition to the burgeoning field of psychoceramics.

Dan Glover does a serviceable job of rearranging the posts to make them more readable, and Struan Hellier makes some incisive comments, but beyond that the book is notable only for its confusions, illogic, and philosophical stabs in the dark.

Engaging and Illuminating
I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig as an assignment in high school about five years ago but didn't really see what all the fuss was about. About 3 months ago I came across Lila in a bookstore and bought it out of curiousity. I fell in love with it. Afterwards I bought a copy of Zen and read it again. This time I got much more out of it.I searched the Internet for more on Pirsig and found this wonderful book. I heartily recommend it to anyone interested in Quality.

A Unique & Important Work
Robert Pirsig stated in the 25th anniversary edition of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" that he would not write a third book. This was a disappointment for Pirsig's legions of fans, including myself. Pirsig is an utterly unique thinker.

He made us wait over fifteen years before releasing the sequel to ZMM, a book called LILA, published in 1991. It was a much more intellectual book than ZMM, and therefore not as popular, but many people found its ideas utterly fascinating. A website was formed by a small group of intelligent folks who wanted a place on the internet to discuss LILA and philosophy. That was over six years ago. The website is still around (thanks Horse!) and the discussions continue. It is the only website endorsed by Pirsig himself (he mentions it in the 25th anniversary edition of ZMM).

LILA'S CHILD contains the first year's worth of discussions from the website, painstakingly compiled and superbly edited by Dan Glover. It is a fascinating repository of debate and discourse, and indispensable to current and future fans of Pirsig. Although he didn't directly participate in the original discussions, the entire book is annotated by Pirsig, who offers his personal insights on the topics of discussion, and (at some points) critiques the views of individual participants. His annotations contain new insights and personal opinions not found in ZMM or LILA. Here we have pure Pirsig.

LILA'S CHILD is a fitting and satisfying conclusion to the trilogy which began with ZMM and continued on with LILA. As with those two books, LILA'S CHILD is a book that can be picked up and read over and over again and new gems of insights discovered each time. Pirsig fans will not be disappointed. Thank you, Dan Glover, for making it happen. ... Read more

Product Description
A novel featuring Phaedrus, the mythical alter ego of Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". It is the story of a clash of opposites - a catastrophic-comic encounter between the philosophizing, introspective Phaedrus and the outgoing, sexually aggressive Lila. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (91)

Lila
The book came on time and in perfect shape.I will return to this seller.

An amazing intellectual achievement...I wish Pirsig would write one more
If you can get through the first 70 or 80 pages, the rest of the book will pull you in and blow your mind. You won't be able to put it down.

In my opinion, Lila is better and easier to get through than Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, but ZAMM is required reading before reading Lila.

A Great Intellectual Achievement
I thought Pirsig's first book was one of the great intellectual achievements of the 20th Century.
Lila is a worthy successor.
If you stick it out through the first chapter,which I did not like, and are a fan of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, you will be very richly rewarded.

Keep your money
I loved "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", but I firmly believe that Pirsig should have not written Lila.It's like so many athletes coming out of retirement.Was he hurting for money?

Pirsig was never a great writer.He had interesting ideas which made Zen readable and interesting, but with Lila he has many fewer original ideas and relies heavily on his junior varsity writing abilities.Reading Lila felt like I was eating warmed over left-overs of Zen.

Mind you, Pirsig does have some tolerably stimulating ideas, but the intellectual content one could glean from this book could almost fill a slim pamphlet.It's like a near empty bottle of philosophy which is filled with water and shaken up.Now the patron is asked to pay dollar for a penny's worth of ideas.

And what's with the prurient sexual content?

Misanthropic
What a tortured book.I can no longer remember the details of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," but it influenced me greatly, not only because of its orientation towards meditation, of which I knew nothing when I read it, but also because it helped launch me into working with my hands and I eventually became a skill mechanic, electrician, house builder, organic gardener etc., lending most of my skills to building friends' homesteads, co-ops, and meditation centers, along with keeping my many vehicles and those of old lady's and of many others living on my street running.I know well what it means to have life simple and clear when there are tools in my hands.I also remember being touched by the relationship between the protagonist and his son.

Whatever it was that so influenced me I find little of in Pirsig's sequel.The most telling point is the hero, Phaedrus', inability to carry on simple conversations with the Native Americans he so puts on a philosophic pedestal. Phaedrus, the protagonist, talks of quality and substance but the radical empiricism of Wm James that he so idolizes would hold him at fault because he seems incapable of simple human intercourse where, in my understanding, real quality lies.Quality and substance then merely become the rationalizations of a man who does not know how to interact with others. That failing was an aspect of the culture of the College of the University of Chicago in the later Hutchins' period.Pirsig proceeded me by about a half a dozen years.In those intellectual salad days we related via Socrates and sat in awe of Richard McKeon's transcendence of Aristotle.I can still mouth the words although I am not now sure of their meanings.That life was an interpersonal dead end for me and my fellow students whose minds were turned on but who did not know how to live in a world that was getting more and more conventional and was soon to become revolutionary. Pirsig's new book epitomizes our failings and rails against the world we did not have the personal resources to negotiate.Thus woven through the book's narrative is a morphing of Pirsig's own limitations into caustic criticism of the people and society around him.The lack of quality he attributes to others is merely a rationale for someone who would rather live in his analysis than in the reality around him.If you can't talk to the natives you will never understand what their lives are and what they mean.So then you can either praise or demonize them.It is all in your head and, I suppose, makes you feel better.

I don't know what the author's experiences were in the nut house.If his being there was real and not a narrative device, then I have sympathy for him.Mumbling mad folk who Reagan drove out onto the streets have it all worked out in their heads---but unfortunately it is both painful and sometimes self destructive.Although I have never been able to shake the influence of the University of Chicago, I have worked hard at overcoming its shortfalls.I still use my mind---in fact made my living teaching, but in the class room, I needed to discover love and connection in order to make the wonderful creations of my mind meaningful to my students. Without that teaching was sterile.Pirsig seems stuck back in the dialoguethat made the Hutchins College work. He never seems to have developed the connection with others which is needed to bring that dialogue into life.The interesting parts of "Lila" are Lila and I wished more of her and less internal dialogue.The hero does take comfort in nature but at the end his freedom is the false freedom of solipsism.With no obligations there is little humanity.It is sad and certainly misses what meditation aims toward.

Charlie Fisher, author of
Dismantling Discontent: Buddha's Way Through Darwin's World ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Brilliant
I had this book recommended to me by a good friend. It allows the reader to sort of sit back and enjoy life from a genius' perspective. Old book but you would never know from the literature. ... Read more

Product Description
A novel featuring Phaedrus, the mythical alter ego of Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". It is the story of a clash of opposites - a catastrophic-comic encounter between the philosophizing, introspective Phaedrus and the outgoing, sexually aggressive Lila. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Review of "Lila" by Robert Pirsig
Review of "Lila" by Robert Pirsig.

I loved this thought provoking story.

It is an impressive and engrossing book.

This book surpasses the intensity of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" in scope and in the development of the author's concepts of quality and value.It is a daring exposition on objective valuation and it offers a broad appeal.Pirsig shows his metaphysics of quality works in real situations and for life changing decisions.

Open up, expand your consciousness, read and enjoy this book.

I recommend this book.

Review of "Lila" by Robert Pirsig
Review of "Lila" by Robert Pirsig.

I loved this thought provoking story.

It is an impressive and engrossing book.

This book surpasses the intensity of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" in scope and in the development of the author's concepts of quality and value.It is a daring exposition on objective valuation and it offers a broad appeal.Pirsig shows his metaphysics of quality works in real situations and for life changing decisions.

Open up, expand your consciousness, read and enjoy this book.

I recommend this book.

Review of "Lila" by Robert Pirsig.
Review of "Lila" by Robert Pirsig.

I loved this thought provoking story.

It is an impressive and engrossing book.

This book surpasses the intensity of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" in scope and in the development of the author's concepts of quality and value.It is a daring exposition on objective valuation and it offers a broad appeal.Pirsig shows his metaphysics of quality works in real situations and for life changing decisions.

Open up, expand your consciousness, read and enjoy this book.

I recommend this book.

Metaphysics of Quality
Review of "Lila" by Robert Pirsig.

I loved this thought provoking story.

It is an impressive and engrossing book.

This book surpasses the intensity of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" in scope and in the development of the author's concepts of quality and value. It is a daring exposition on objective valuation and it offers a broad appeal. Pirsig shows his metaphysics of quality works in real situations and for life changing decisions.

Open up, expand your consciousness, read and enjoy this book.

I recommend this book.

See also:

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Philosophical / Semiautobiographical Tract
Robert M. Pirsig's seminal work - "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" - is absolutely phenomenal in the German language! "Zen und die Kunst ein Motorrad zu warten" is a truly great achievement; the technical language of true motorcycle maintenance and the philosophical passages are crystallized so beautifully in German. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Robert M(aynard) Pirsig, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 987 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Customer Reviews (1)

Review of "Lila" by Robert Pirsig.
Review of "Lila" by Robert Pirsig.

I loved this thought provoking story.

It is an impressive and engrossing book.

This book surpasses the intensity of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" in scope and in the development of the author's concepts of quality and value.It is a daring exposition on objective valuation and it offers a broad appeal.Pirsig shows his metaphysics of quality works in real situations and for life changing decisions.

Open up, expand your consciousness, read and enjoy this book.

I recommend this book.
... Read more