Robert M. Pirsig

Motorcycle Maintenance as written by Robert Pirsig, focuses on a number of philosophical life values. These values include quality, identity, duality, and Zen. This paper will focus mainly on the subject of quality and the effect dwelling on its definition had on Pirsig. Pirsig has put an incredible amount of thought into defining Quality. Starting just about at the start of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, the subject of Quality is introduced. Pirsig explains that this journey is considered

There exists one word that may just be the king of all misused words–the word that, more than any other, is used with complete disregard for and disinterest in its meaning. No, this is not a reference to literally, nor ‘legit,’ however deserving those words are of defense—this word is Quality. Some of the misuse lies in the basic distinction between quality and Quality with a capital ‘Q’, which can be cleared up quite succinctly. Little ‘q’ quality is attached to an object. It is the value of the

be delicately executed. Ernest Hemingway, author of The Old Man and The Sea and Robert Pirsig author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance both take a similar metaphorical approach to conveying a tortured soul. A tortured soul has no definition but is seen as a character who is presented with a depressing tone. This character may make reference to a troubled past, while not mentioning a brighter future. Robert from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Santiago from The Old Man and

H.P. Lovecraft wrote the short story, “The Dunwich horror,” in 1928 and had it published in april of 1929. He has written other works such as “The Call of Cthulhu,” “Dagon,” “The Shadow over Innsmouth,” “The Colour Out of Space,” and “From Beyond.” Many common themes within his work are non human influences on humanity and forbidden knowledge. In many of his stories there are unknown creatures that cause humans to go insane. Also, his short stories have curiosity of the unknown. H.P Lovecraft likes

The Progressive Era in America lasted from the 1890’s to the 1920’s. During this time, The United States underwent several changed, or reforms. These reforms helped to shape our nation into what it is today. There are 10 reforms I’m going to discuss in this essay including the reforms on civil rights, conservation, government reform, health and medicine, labor reform, radical trade unionism, socialism, temperance, trust busting, and women’s rights. The Civil Rights reform was perhaps one of the

As the 19th century came to a close a new epoch, known as the Progressive Era emerged in response to industrialization. This early 20th century reform movement pursued control of the government to the people. In order to reinstate economic opportunities and to correct inequity in American life. Progressives believed that government could be used as a powerful tool for social improvement (Gillon, Matson 2009). Although the Progressive ideal was presented by numerous Progressive authors of different

Senator Joseph R. McCarthy Even though he had humble beginnings, Joseph Raymond McCarthy, a single man, made a profound effect on the entire United States during his career. By following his life and what shaped McCarthy as an individual, a broader picture is brought into the scope of the cause of his false accusations. In the year 1908, in the northeast region of Wisconsin on a struggling farm, a devout Roman Catholic couple brought a their son, Joseph Raymond, into the

Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values Confronting crises of technological annihilation and personal madness, Robert Pirsig finds each to be a manifestation of a deeper crisis of Reason. In response) he suggests an alternative to our current paradigm of rationality, the "art of motorcycle maintenance." By showing that our understanding and performance derive from our emotional and evaluative commitments, he challenges the cultural commonplace which

Life and Works Who is Leonardo Da Vinci? Leonardo had a keen eye and quick mind that led him to make important scientific discoveries, yet he never published his ideas. He was a gentle vegetarian who loved animals and despised war, yet he worked as a military engineer to invent advanced and deadly weapons. He was one of the greatest painters of the Italian Renaissance, yet he left only a handful of completed paintings. It may seem unusual to include Leonardo da Vinci in a list of paleontologists

Appreciating life through certain everyday experiences helps provide humans with a sense of the sacred, which is an ongoing theme in both texts and has been lost through recent generations. In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig, the narrator Phadreus demonstrates how a classical outlook on life can bring about this type of happiness and let one ultimately gain a feeling that is difficult to attain. The classical view on life is similar to the real experiences John Dewey