/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.2510202]

what are our thoughts on this? There a lot of hype so i started reading it, it seems just like a travel log right now but i'm guessing it gets deeper into philosophy later on. Is it any good or is it just banal stuff?

[Anonymous No.2510207]

just banal stuff

[Anonymous No.2510232]

Man, it gets much, much deeper into philosophy as it goes on. Problem is, it's very complicated and is in many ways advocating an entirely new philosophical system that uses bits of several conflicting systems and tying them together under the label of a "metaphysics of quality." Most philosophers find the book offensive for this reason, which has lead to an entertaining back-and-forth between the philosophical community and the author (who has so far been able to counter every complaint they've had, not that it improves their opinion of his work). I think it will be at least another 50 years before the philosophical community reaches a consensus on this work other than "I don't like it."

It is absolutely worth reading, if you can get through it. It has a lot of great ideas and explains them fairly well, if far too slowly and in a very dry manner.

It even has a sequel that's almost pure philosophy if you really love the book or just hate yourself.

[Anonymous No.2510875]

it sucks. it's pseudo-philosophical spirituality BS that can be found in better sources elsewhere. anyone who thinks it's good hasn't read anything that is actually good. even The Road Less Travelled was way better than this tripe.

this shit is babby-tier philosophy with a lukewarm narrative that exists solely to hide it's lack of meaningful ideas, and to keep the attention of nitwits who couldn't push through a real book of philosophy/spirituality.

[Anonymous No.2510894]

Influenced me in my teen years greatly.

Then I read GEB.

[Anonymous No.2510951]

>>2510875
what other sources is this found in? I'm guessing zen buddhism, hindu philosophy?

[Anonymous No.2511028]

It's pretty pretentious.

[Anonymous No.2511037]

>>2511028
Anything that's revered in society is 'pretentious' as far as /lit/ is concerned.

[Anonymous No.2511084]

>>2510951
The only presence of Zen Buddhism in this piece of work is found in the title.

The man has an interesting and unique view on quality as the foundation of reason. Other than that, he obviously has a limited comprehension of eastern philosophy. The author's attempts at alliteration project at most, a flawed elementary understanding of his own westernized worldviews.

I find it a great amount of humor in the fact that this text is often taught in introductory philosophy classes at the college level here in the states. I'm quite sure that this book is responsible for the misinterpretation of critical rationale by untold thousands of college students.

This book is a joke, as are its advocates.

[Anonymous No.2511093]

>>2511037
Not necessarily. That's a bit of a generalization. For instance, the Chronicles of Narnia are considered to be one of the greatest series of children's stories ever published, yet you would be hard pressed to find a consensus calling it pretentious. Public acceptance is not synonymous with pretentious. Far from it, in fact. Most books I consider pretentious are the ones that are read by many solely so that they can brag about having read them, and feel intellectual. This doesn't necessarily make the books bad either. I consider the Fear and Loathing essays (Las Vegas and Campaign Trail) to be incredibly pretentious, but I still find them to be very well written.

[Anonymous No.2511473]

>>2511084
Dear sir, you just almost invoked a fit of rage in me. You know NOTHING of zen (the book) nor the metaphysics of quality and what Persig was endeavoring to communicate.

Its such a monumental thing, it goes right over modern intellectualism. Quality is right brain... more aptly quality bridges the right and left. Your dismissive post is purely from the left, and thus you miss the greatness of this tomb, if you read it at all.

I am a fan of Persig, because I get it, and its a beautiful word-view, and way to be, especially today where we have so much technology and are unable to escape from it.

[Anonymous No.2511484]

>>2511473
>>2511473
correcting my spelling: tome
and world-view

[Anonymous No.2511506]

I thought that the story about the motorcycle trip was enjoyable, but Persig's concept of the classical vs romantic was some bullshit. That was my feeling when I read it around four years ago before I had really delved into any philosophy. I'm not even sure that I finished it. Fuck, now I'm going to have to read it all over again.

[Anonymous No.2511620]

>>2511473
My dear sweet imbecilic child. I have no doubt that you were quite nearly reduced to a fit of rage as anger and fear are the immediate responses a mind displays when facing its own ignorance.

You presume so much and understand so very little.
I can say, without a doubt, that you were able to comprehend very little of what the author, Pirsig, was actually attempting to communicate.

This concept of 'Quality' is not a new undertaking of approach, but rather a regurgitated chum of the search for pure truths and the stagnant debate between rationality and romanticism.

You are a fan of Pirsig because you are a droll simpleton who is incapable of questioning the value of a concept that you are spoon-fed. You are the ideal candidate for the unthinking mass: Enticed by the machinations of pseudo-intelligentsia while blindly proselytizing asinine doctrine for another party's financial gain.

[Anonymous No.2511644]

>>2511620
ROTFLMAO

Your left brain response is completely dismissed as well as your ad hominem attack.

I hope that you don't continue to stay self-imprisoned by your rigid classifications.

Robin Williams quote most apt right here: http://www.hark.com/clips/trlqfjqvls-dire-need-of-a-blow-job

[Anonymous No.2511660]

>Its such a monumental thing, it goes right over modern intellectualism

lol. what exactly is "modern intellectualism". Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance is trite, watered-down pseudo-philosophy that baby boomers use to justify their selfish and empty lives. Also:

>travel log

[Anonymous No.2511708]

>>2511644
>left brain
>right brain

Not the other guy, but how is that an insult? In addition, while in individuals each hemisphere has a more general presence either logic or 'creative' activities, the difference is rather insignificant, and you use both lobes of your brain rather equally. The 'type' of person you are originates more through experience and semantics than neurology, although it necessarily does have its part.

[Anonymous No.2512206]

I love a good flamefest. Smells like /lit/. Smells like victory.

That said, I thought it was an interesting read if not just to understand what it's about, since most people have at least heard of it and I've seen numerous references/parodies of it scattered around.

It does get into some philosophy later, but as other people have mentioned, it can stand on some questionable grounds at times. Then again, I always enjoy seeing other points of view and philosophies laid out for examination. Maybe the book will change your life, maybe you'll take nothing away from this, but I'd recommend reading it with an open mind and seeing where it takes you before you make any judgements on it.

[Anonymous No.2512219]

I enjoyed it til Pirsig started on quality.

[Anonymous No.2512234]

>>2511473
>2012
>still thinks the right brain/left brain distinction still holds any scientific weight

[Anonymous No.2512240]

>>2511473
It's faggots like you who give the humanities a bad name.

[Anonymous No.2512251]

Its an entertaining read for those who minor interests in philosophy but aren't willing to delve much deeper than that. Well, entertaining read fr all if you don't take it too seriously.

Persig's dilemma of the right and left Brain is nothing new.

The people of the Frankfurt school, Plato, Aristotle, Decartes (to some extent) and many more philosophers already have touched upon this subject. Persig just regurgitates old concepts with some pretentious pseudo-intellectual flair and some re-branding of old conceptions.

[Anonymous No.2512256]

>>2512251

I guess Tocqueville and Henri Bergson would also go on that list too.

[Anonymous No.2512265]

motorcycle mechanic with 28 years experience here. Tried to read it ... all I can say is don't let this idiot anywhere near your motorcycle !!

[Anonymous No.2512269]

Read it in 8th grade. I liked it a lot. It really is entry level philosophy though, Persig explains everything very slowly for people that don't really care about philosophy in particular.

[Anonymous No.2512835]

>>2512240
>failing to appreciate the ideas
>just attack the person
ISHYGDDT