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”

50th Anniversary Edition of ZMM has Arrived

The publisher very kindly let me have 3 copies of the 50th anniversary edition of ZMM published Tuesday last week. I can confirm that as well as the new Foreword from Matt Crawford, this edition contains both the Author’s Introduction, the Afterword referring to Chris’s death and the Readers’s Guide, that were added at the … Continue reading “50th Anniversary Edition of ZMM has Arrived”

Patterns of Behaviour

A recurring mention of mine is that “I am in writing mode” – deliberately avoiding reading new publications, even where it will obviously be relevant to my writings – everything is connected at some level of abstraction after all. I acknowledged this state existed “in theory anyway” when failing and reading a couple things in … Continue reading “Patterns of Behaviour”

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”

Quality in Mastery – Draft

Had tip to David Matos over at ZMMQuality on Facebook, for spotting this review by Steven Mintz on Adam Gopnik’s “The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery” The reviewer spots the great parallel with Pirsig’s “Quality” work, which is not actually mentioned by Gopnik. Mintz also spots the parallel with Richard Sennett’s “The Craftsman” … Continue reading “Quality in Mastery – Draft”

Trivium 21c – First Thoughts

I’m reading Martin Robinson’s “Trivium 21c” – apparently propounding adoption of the classical Trivium for the 21st century, so far anyway. As is my wont, after a scan of contents and a read of introductory chapters I’m posting my early thoughts, so I can more honestly talk about new learning vs existing reinforcement later. First … Continue reading “Trivium 21c – First Thoughts”

RIP Robert Pirsig (6 Sep 1928 – 24 Apr 2017)

Sad to hear of yesterday’s passing of Bob Pirsig, aged 88, at home after a period of failing health. Thoughts are with Wendy and the family. Bob was my seed-crystal – the catalyst that triggered all manner of connections between the super-saturated collection of issues and thoughts that already had me on my “What, why & … Continue reading “RIP Robert Pirsig (6 Sep 1928 – 24 Apr 2017)”