Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance 2024

Next year, 2024 is the 50th Anniversary of the publication of Robert Pirsig’s seminal work. That rhetorical, biographical and philosophical novel is woven around the real motorcycle trip as Bob & son Chris and John & Sylvia Sutherland headed out west across the US from Minneapolis on 8th July (1968). If you follow ZMMQuality on … Continue reading “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance 2024”

Zen and the Art of Philosophy

A review of: “How The World Thinks – A Global History of Philosophy” by Julian Baggini All my reviews are done in the context of my own philosophical journey and often, like this one, a review done very early on in the reading, so that my own prejudices are laid bare for later analysis and … Continue reading “Zen and the Art of Philosophy”

Zen and the Art of Stoicism?

Hat tip to Massimo Pigliucci IIRC? As someone who’s first forays into philosophy were encouraged by Robert Pirsig I was intrigued to see the reference in this piece on Stoicism to Eugen Herrigel’s Zen and the Art of Archery, the work that prompted the form of Pirsig’s famous title. The Stoic philosopher Antipater is a … Continue reading “Zen and the Art of Stoicism?”

Salman Rushdie’s “Knife” and Pirsig’s “Quality”

Rushdie’s been touring the media shows trailing his latest book “Knife” recounting the story of and recovery from the disfiguring stabbing attempt on his life in New York back in August 2022. I would at some point get round to reading it, when my writing priorities are behind me, I’ve read and reviewed most of … Continue reading “Salman Rushdie’s “Knife” and Pirsig’s “Quality””

50 Years of Systems and Pirsig

Ostensibly I’m re-reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance in order to review the 50th Anniversary edition, but as usual I’m finding more significant note-worthy connections with my ongoing systems thinking work than there are pages in the original. The read – the story – is of course very familiar, I’m reading it for … Continue reading “50 Years of Systems and Pirsig”

War and Peace and Anna Karenina

Just a link holding post. Mentioned several times that I consider Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina” a great piece of work, being about life, the universe, (God) and everything and yet have failed to get very far through his other famous tome. Hat tip @RoseDiel for sharing this 2005 review of reading War and Peace by Laura … Continue reading “War and Peace and Anna Karenina”