Robert Pirsig and His Metaphysics of Quality

Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance still has the best description of linear problem solving I’ve ever seen. Its framed in the context of motorcycles, but is widely applicable. It’s pretty early in the book, although the rest is definitely worth reading too and I still gift it quite often to friends.

I enjoyed Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance when I read it some 20-odd years ago. There is a twist early on in the book, which perhaps in our modern times is a bit predictable but to me 20 years ago (and evidently to a bunch of people in the 70s) it was quite a twist. And, in more recent pressings, the afterword written in the 80s provides another, more real and unwelcome surprise.

Its a good book. The philosophy is internally consistent, and interesting, as long as you don't mind a few Eastern ideas. And if I remember correctly he had quite a bit to say about documentation and engineering.

Pirsig was more well known as I was coming of age in the 1990s. Seems to be less talked about among the younger crowds now?

The sequel to ZAMM is the far more illuminating book, IMO. His metaphysics of quality continue to be a useful metaphysical frame.

Fascinating how widely it was distributed. I'll never forget walking into a Holiday gasoline station in a little midwest town in the wilderness and seeing, next to the check-out lanes, two shelving units loaded -only- with ZAMM paperbacks. With covers in multiple neon shades. Gobsmacked.

It was a real phenomenon ... was it a different country? I imagine the publisher was equally surprised. (OTOH, just before it, Castaneda had sold multiple books in the millions. Again ... why?)

Zen and art of Motorcycle Maintenance is the most readable book on philosophy I've ever read.

I found his second book, “Lila”, to be quite enlightening. His discourse on biological, social and intellectual patterns of quality changed my worldview at the time I read the book.