A Guide to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

A Guide to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. It's a peculiar book, especially for a bestseller. Not a lot of it is actually about zen or motorcycle maintenance, it combines a travelogue, a father/son story, and philosophical musings, and the structure of its narration makes it hard to follow. Thus, it's the kind of book people often buy, start, and then put down without finishing.

That's initially what happened to Mark Richardson, an author and automotive journalist who was born in the UK but has lived most of his life in Canada. But when the book finally clicked for Mark, he was so inspired by it that he actually undertook Pirsig's motorcycle pilgrimage himself. Mark shares that story in Zen and Now, which intersperses stories from his own road trip with an exploration of Pirsig's life and famous book.

If you've wanted to read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, but haven't been able to get into it, today Mark will offer an introduction to what it's all about. We discuss Pirsig's ideas on the metaphysics of quality and our relationship to technology, and how he tried to combine the ethos of Eastern and Western thought into a unified philosophy of living. We also get into why Mark wanted to recreate Pirsig's road trip, the joys of traveling by motorcycle, and what Mark learned along the way.

Resources Related to the PodcastConnect With Mark Richardson

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episoder(1158)

A Carpenter's Notes on the Art of Good Work

A Carpenter's Notes on the Art of Good Work

After forty years working as a carpenter, and not just any carpenter, but one who is often considered the best in New York and who executes some of the country's most elaborate, expensive, and challen...

11 Des 202350min

Unpacking The Emotion No One Likes to Talk About

Unpacking The Emotion No One Likes to Talk About

Of all the emotions, there's one that people are arguably the most reluctant to talk about and admit to feeling.Envy.Not only is there very little social discussion of envy, but there's also been very...

6 Des 20231h

Increase Your Influence With the Science of Immersion

Increase Your Influence With the Science of Immersion

Why are so many social, business, and classroom interactions so dang dull? This state of affairs isn't only a bummer for those on the receiving end of these underwhelming experiences, but those offeri...

4 Des 202345min

Turn Your Anxiety Into a Strength

Turn Your Anxiety Into a Strength

Anxiety is typically thought of as a disease or a disorder. My guest has a very different way of looking at it, and says that rather than being a burden, anxiety can actually become a benefit, and eve...

29 Nov 202352min

Counterintuitive Ideas About Marriage, Family, and Kids

Counterintuitive Ideas About Marriage, Family, and Kids

There are a lot of popular ideas out there around marriage, family, and culture, like, for example, that living together before marriage decreases your chances of divorce, people are having fewer chil...

27 Nov 202347min

The Cues That Make You Charismatic

The Cues That Make You Charismatic

Note: This is a rebroadcast.Charisma can make everything smoother, easier, and more exciting in life. It’s a quality that makes people want to listen to you, to adopt your ideas, to be with you.While ...

22 Nov 202344min

The Japanese Practice That Can Give More Meaning to an American Holiday

The Japanese Practice That Can Give More Meaning to an American Holiday

A focus on gratitude is typical this time of year. But more often than not, the cognitive or behavioral nods we give gratitude around Thanksgiving can feel a little limp, rote, and unedifying. If you ...

20 Nov 202353min

The Leadership Qualities That Will Set You Apart From the Pack

The Leadership Qualities That Will Set You Apart From the Pack

For the last 15 years, William Vanderbloemen has run an executive search firm that helps non-profit organizations find leaders. Over the course of conducting tens of thousands of interviews with top-t...

15 Nov 202345min

Populært innen Fakta

mikkels-paskenotter
fastlegen
dine-penger-pengeradet
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
foreldreradet
treningspodden
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
jakt-og-fiskepodden
rss-bisarr-historie
hverdagspsyken
sinnsyn
rss-kull
gravid-uke-for-uke
fryktlos
level-up-med-anniken-binz
rss-kunsten-a-leve
tomprat-med-gunnar-tjomlid
hagespiren-podcast
uroskolen
hva-er-greia-med