ZEN
AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE
The journey begins not with a philosophy, but with a road. A father, a son, and a ghost riding across the high country.
THE HIGH COUNTRY
The DakotasREF-01
"The narrator rides with friends John and Sylvia. They represent the Romantic view—fearing technology, wanting only the 'groove'. The narrator sees the machine underneath."
Montana MountainsREF-02
"The air gets thinner. The Chautauquas (philosophical talks) go deeper. The ghost of Phaedrus begins to surface. Chris shows signs of mental distress."
Ocean HighwayREF-03
"The foggy coast. The confrontation. The narrator must reconcile his insanity (Phaedrus) to save his son."
As the miles roll under the tires, the mind wanders. To fill the silence, the narrator begins his 'Chautauquas'—talks intended to heal the rift in his soul.
CHAUTAUQUAS
Schematics of Thought
CLASSIC UNDERSTANDING
The mode that sees the underlying form. It implies a master-mechanic view of the world. It is straightforward, unadorned, unemotional, economical and carefully proportioned.
ROMANTIC UNDERSTANDING
The mode that sees the immediate appearance. It is primarily inspirational, imaginative, creative, intuitive. Feelings rather than facts.
QUALITY (ARETE)
The event at which the subject becomes aware of the object. It is the parent of reality. It is not a thing, but an event.
But these theories are not new. They are the debris of a shattered mind. A ghost from the past is resurfacing.
MEMORY CORRUPTION DETECTED
Subject Profile
Phaedrus had a weapon. A tool he used to slice through the confusion of the world, separating the Classic from the Romantic.
SURFACE
"The beautiful view. The wind in the face. The feeling of motion."
STRUCTURE
<STRUCT>
Piston stroke. Compression ratio. The laws of thermodynamics.
</STRUCT>
THE ANALYTIC KNIFE
SCROLL TO DISSECT
But analysis is destruction. To find Quality, we must stop dissecting and start building. We must enter the workshop of the mind.
THE WORKSHOP
Fixing the Mindset
SERVICE MANUAL
Essential Equipment
COMPATIBLE COMPONENTS
Lila
Robert M. Pirsig
Expands the Metaphysics of Quality into a complete moral framework.
Shop Class as Soulcraft
Matthew Crawford
A modern defense of manual competence and the intellectual value of trade.
The Design of Everyday Things
Don Norman
Understanding Quality through the interface of human and machine.