“Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”, Robert M. Pirsig: semi-fictional autobiography introducing Pirsig’s philosophy of “quality”—on a cross-country motorcycle trip with his son while his philosophy is driving him crazy, again, kind of. I found both the narrative and the philosophy remarkable.
Briefly, “quality” is what a bad essay lacks and that which cannot be pinpointed in a good essay (or repair job or design, etc.)—quality is just there (or not).
You can probably get a reasonable approximation of the book’s core ideas by browsing through Pirsig’s (far shorter) letters (etc.) in “On Quality: An Inquiry Into Excellence: Selected and Unpublished Writings”.
Philosophy
“Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”, Robert M. Pirsig: semi-fictional autobiography introducing Pirsig’s philosophy of “quality”—on a cross-country motorcycle trip with his son while his philosophy is driving him crazy, again, kind of. I found both the narrative and the philosophy remarkable.
Briefly, “quality” is what a bad essay lacks and that which cannot be pinpointed in a good essay (or repair job or design, etc.)—quality is just there (or not).
You can probably get a reasonable approximation of the book’s core ideas by browsing through Pirsig’s (far shorter) letters (etc.) in “On Quality: An Inquiry Into Excellence: Selected and Unpublished Writings”.