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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
May have been unable to truly engage it because of my post-bar-exam numbness, but I felt that so much of it was forced, and definitely not an easy read unless you commit a long period of time to it. Was still impressed by its relevance despite being over 30 years old and discussing "new technology" and its impact.
I don't know if I enjoyed this or not.
It was the favourite book of an old friend, who repeatedly inserted it in the bibliography of the engineering books he'd written. Though I always thought its inclusion was more showing off rather than providing genuine influence. It's been on my shelf for years, so I figured it was time to crack the spine.
Well, it was a dense old tome. Whilst it wasn't a true doorstop by any means, it certainly packed in the big Scrabble words and had an unconventional story that kept you on your toes. Gloss over a page or two and you could very easily become lost.
Half of it was well thought out philosophy that really made you think. Should I ever get invited to any parties, I could certainly bust out a few choice nuggets of wisdom to impress. The other chunk of it was vast walls of tedious, near impenetrable stoner ramblings that at said shindig, would quickly force you to make your excuses to avoid hearing any more.
Worth reading purely to say that you have done so. It might change your life, it might leave you feeling confused and tired. Or somewhere inbetween like me.
It was the favourite book of an old friend, who repeatedly inserted it in the bibliography of the engineering books he'd written. Though I always thought its inclusion was more showing off rather than providing genuine influence. It's been on my shelf for years, so I figured it was time to crack the spine.
Well, it was a dense old tome. Whilst it wasn't a true doorstop by any means, it certainly packed in the big Scrabble words and had an unconventional story that kept you on your toes. Gloss over a page or two and you could very easily become lost.
Half of it was well thought out philosophy that really made you think. Should I ever get invited to any parties, I could certainly bust out a few choice nuggets of wisdom to impress. The other chunk of it was vast walls of tedious, near impenetrable stoner ramblings that at said shindig, would quickly force you to make your excuses to avoid hearing any more.
Worth reading purely to say that you have done so. It might change your life, it might leave you feeling confused and tired. Or somewhere inbetween like me.
Basically a book all about living in the moment, but explained in more a scientific/philosophical way from the point of view of an INSANELY smart guy, literally. Along the way Pirsig tells the story of a cross country motorcycle trip he had with his son Chris. The interesting idea he poses to start the book is that everyone either looks at the world through the lens of a romantic, seeing things at the surface as they are, or scientifically, perceiving the underlying form of things more pragmatically. He shows this with the example of how different people look at a motorcycle. Some people look at a motorcycle and see a bunch of metal parts, while others see a complex system of many intricate parts working together seamlessly. He explains his history throughout the story, and explains how his past affected his views on the topic. As a child, he was able to take college level classes very early and became disillusioned with science at some point (I don't remember how but it had to do with the fact that every scientific hypotheses leads to a growing number of other possible hypotheses). Eventually, through some struggling while teaching, he came to a definition of what he called Quality that unified the two schools of thought. He came to this realization after he tried to define quality for the class he was teaching which was a writing class of some sort. When he couldn't do it, he had them try. No one was able to and the realization he came to was that the second he tried to define quality, which was becoming a grading criteria for the class, the students were unable to write with it. However, when shown essays, without fail the class was able to pick which had more quality. He posed that it was indefinable, but everyone has the innate ability to see it. Also, that Quality can be seen everywhere. Again he exemplifies this with a motorcycle example, observing that the mechanic that gets lost in the job is much more competent than the one that is classically trained. He shows this in many other examples ranging from math to writing. After he fleshed out his theory more, he goes on a journey to try to spread his idea and get it academically backed at the University of Chicago. He basically has an intellectual battle with a teacher of rhetoric at the school, whose ideology is diametrically opposed to his. I thought these were some of the most interesting chapters. Pirsig is going through the story this entire time of how his former self (Phaedrus) started to lose grip of reality at this time. The ending culminates with a very poignant and emotional exchange between Pirsig and Chris where Pirsig explains to Chris that he isn't the same person that Chris remembers (throughout the trip this causes a strain on their relationship) and that things will never be the same. He does this when he realizes that he seems to be losing grip on reality again. This is prompted after he realized that Phaedrus really never left him completely. The trip is cut short and he brings Chris back to his mom. The afterword was very sad, and it is interesting to hear how Pirsig is living with the tragedy mentioned. Overall a really good book, with many different contrasting parts. I enjoyed the "Chautauqua" style in which the story was told.
*this summary doesn't do the book justice, Pirsig was either a genius or close to it*
*this summary doesn't do the book justice, Pirsig was either a genius or close to it*
Read this one in college during my summer externship in San Francisco, along with all the really cool (at the time anyway) Carlos Castaneda books. Picture this, a bunch of 20 year olds camping on a mountaintop under the stars in the Sierra Nevadas--just sleeping bags and a campfire. No tents. Talking about Really Important Things, trying to sort out what Pirsig really means to us. This is not a book to read alone. It's a book to be discussed and revisited. I haven't read it in quite some time, but I have the memory of the main character going through a breakdown of sorts, trying to sort it all out, and experiencing the freedom of the road on a motorcycle, and us sitting on a mountaintop in the middle of the night wondering if he was really so free after all, or if all of his academic pondering made him more free or less free. Makes ya think.
No, just…no. I’m sure it’s someone’s cup of tea, but not mine. It’s slow and overly academic, and super not my jam.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Honestly a little disappointed after all the hype- I've seen this book on multiple 'best books ever written' lists but felt it was just a middle aged white guy telling me what he thought the meaning of life was.
It took me almost two months to get through but I'm glad I persevered. Its slow and awfully long but there are some interesting ideas to ponder.
Rating of ONE star out of FIVE. This does not indicate that the book was not good, but that I didn't like it.
In fact, I kind of hated it.
I can understand the wide appeal that such a book would have. It may even be an important book, but it's not a book I responded towards in any positive way. There are a lot of infuriating things about this novel, but one of the worst crimes committed by Pirsig happens early on. He states that, in order to do a good job, he needs to take his time with the story. In this way, he basically shrugs off any criticism that this book is too long. It is too long. It meanders too much. Of course, this criticism simply means that I don't agree with Pirsig, and that I, in fact, am part of the problem.
As for his actual criticism of modern thinking, I don't even know where to begin, to be honest. Towards the end of the book (which is just what is fresh in mind right now), he re-interprets Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. He inserts his own beliefs in those of Plato and Socrates, and thus rewrites history. He does not do this through solid reasoning, but rather, in a way that confirms his own suspicions about philosophy, life, and rhetoric. All the while, he posits himself as a student that the academy hates, that the teachers despise, because he knows more than they do. You see, young Phaedrus here (the abhorrent, pretentious name he gives the character of his youth), is the embodiment of truth, virtue, and someone who wants to learn.
This is all absolutely maddening. I went into this book expecting to love it, and there are some parts that I did really like. These likable parts, however, are not enough to excuse the rest (and bulk) of this meandering, infuriating, condescending, piece of garbage written by a self-involved, self-important, lunatic.
But of course, because I don't like it, it's because I'm part of the system, and part of the problem.
In fact, I kind of hated it.
I can understand the wide appeal that such a book would have. It may even be an important book, but it's not a book I responded towards in any positive way. There are a lot of infuriating things about this novel, but one of the worst crimes committed by Pirsig happens early on. He states that, in order to do a good job, he needs to take his time with the story. In this way, he basically shrugs off any criticism that this book is too long. It is too long. It meanders too much. Of course, this criticism simply means that I don't agree with Pirsig, and that I, in fact, am part of the problem.
As for his actual criticism of modern thinking, I don't even know where to begin, to be honest. Towards the end of the book (which is just what is fresh in mind right now), he re-interprets Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. He inserts his own beliefs in those of Plato and Socrates, and thus rewrites history. He does not do this through solid reasoning, but rather, in a way that confirms his own suspicions about philosophy, life, and rhetoric. All the while, he posits himself as a student that the academy hates, that the teachers despise, because he knows more than they do. You see, young Phaedrus here (the abhorrent, pretentious name he gives the character of his youth), is the embodiment of truth, virtue, and someone who wants to learn.
This is all absolutely maddening. I went into this book expecting to love it, and there are some parts that I did really like. These likable parts, however, are not enough to excuse the rest (and bulk) of this meandering, infuriating, condescending, piece of garbage written by a self-involved, self-important, lunatic.
But of course, because I don't like it, it's because I'm part of the system, and part of the problem.
Hmmmm. A strange book. Philosophy is not something of interest for me, and the subject can be complex for me to grasp so I attribute some of my lack of enjoyment of the book to my own lack of interest and knowledge on the subject. Those sections of the book were 3 stars for me. I absolutely loved the story of the motorcycle maintenance and the trip, the relationship between father and son. This was 5 stars for me.
The specifics of his treatment were not totally clear to me, until at one point during the book I decided to read some reviews to see if anyone else was as confused as I was. That discovery made it more time interesting and things began to make more sense for me. The afterword was a beautiful yet tragic ending to the book, but also provided a bit more clarity that I was lacking.
The specifics of his treatment were not totally clear to me, until at one point during the book I decided to read some reviews to see if anyone else was as confused as I was. That discovery made it more time interesting and things began to make more sense for me. The afterword was a beautiful yet tragic ending to the book, but also provided a bit more clarity that I was lacking.