"The Classic-Romantic Barrier"

I am getting a little sick of our narrator categorizing people based on their knowledge, or rather, what he believes their knowledge is. I can understand what he is basing himself on, when he connects motorcycle maintenance to whether or not we choose to use our heads correctly, but I think he is being too general about it. When he mentions that “not everyone understands what a completely rational process this is, I think he is confusing ignorance with indifference. I believe everyone has their niche, and I am positive that there are some things that he may not understand and thinks one must have some “knack” or “affinity” for it, when in reality, it is just as much of a “rational process” as motorcycle maintenance. This is not to put down his hobby- I just think he is being too one sided about linking his passion to philosophy. It also does not help that he is on a trip with people that do not share the same hobby as him, which I believe leads him to over think. If I were him, and I was so passionate about something, and I was on a trip that is literally based off of the damn machine, why would I deliberately spend my time with those who do not understand or love motorcycles like I do, even less, seem to accept technology overall. I admire the depth of knowledge that he holds for his trade- but I am pretty sure many people can relate to him, just with different passions. This classic-romantic barrier does exist, but people are not perpetually stuck on either side- they just have different pathways to connect to them. For him, it is motorcycles. 

Out of Form (Zane Mandell)

Pirsig has begun to ramble. He is now beginning to touch upon topics in my mind does not need that much explanation. Granted the way that he discusses the topics of functions components and method is concise considering what he has written up until this point. But I hope he has not explained in these two chapters in vain because I was really enjoying this book.

The scientific method is something that I have explored for years, thanks for the review Mr. Pirsig. I honestly believe that the chapter was unnecessary, at least for me. The chapter that covered the general idea of hierarchy and system was more amusing in the way that it explored the idea of the nonsensical. The way man lives today, he must be willing to except that he cannot understand everything because context is necessary to understand the larger picture for many situations. I find this topic highly relatable because there are many times where I just have to accept ideas or situations as they are without the full context of the situation. In fact we all do, society deems it necessary because of specialization. That brings me back to a topic I thoroughly enjoyed from Pirsig.

To the point, I believed in the opening day of the second part of his novel he has begun to stray from the point I thought he was getting at. Yet there may be potential with the way that Pirsig left the reader in the final paragraph. The chance with death that came so close to them on the highway, I knew it had to happen sooner or later. It finally has, something that I has worried me on the subject of bicycles and motorcycles. Anyway, I hope that this moment of anxiety will help to put Pirsig back on the track I though he was headed. 

Why Motorcycle Maintenance (Monica Rodriguez)

            I must start by saying that I, like Priya, am beginning to get terribly bored with this novel.  It seems to be overall a constant repetition of the narrator’s insights and observations, which I was okay with for the beginning portion of the novel but now it is starting to get repetitive. Never the less I did enjoy this week’s reading because it gave us some insight on the reasons for the narrator’s passion for motorcycle maintenance.  The narrator seems to have a lot in common with this Phaedrus person he is constantly discussing, he is a little to smart for his own good and he is constantly seeking reason in a confusing world. We were exposed to the narrator’s search earlier in the novel when he attempted to make sense of a concept as abstract as ghosts. He attempted and failed because some questions can not really be answered, which can be a very troubling thought to people as smart as the narrator and Phaedrus, so they keep trying to find reason, even where it cannot be found. This search for reason is what pushes the narrator towards motorcycle maintenance, because motorcycles, unlike life, actually make sense. The have an ordered hierarchy of parts and there is always a reason for any problem. The narrator has a passion for motorcycle maintenance because he can control it, he can fix problems with his bike and he does not need to worry so much about the abstract concepts of life. Motorcycle maintenance is a break from his own mind. 

Science presents itself in the novel

I found these next two chapters very interesting, apart from the fact that they are still traveling and that his mind is trailing off. His thoughts in these chapters were easier to understand. I conform to the stereotype that the narrator describes. He believes people think that mechanics only do labor. I had never realized that they had so many things to check, so many things to think about. And then he compares a mechanic to a scientist. I understand where he is coming from and agree partly. I agree that if someone reached a conclusion that is not what was predicted, it was not a failure. But I do not agree with the fact that if a scientist reaches a conclusion he knew would occur, it is not a true experiment. This is because the scientist may be proving the occurrence to be true. On another note, I do not believe that school gives us busywork. Sure, some classes may, but overall I believe we learn something from the work given to us. I can only speak for the schools I have attended, but overall a student will learn at some point during their attendance at school and I have never thought that the sciences would result in busy work. I also found it interesting that the author is able tot each as the book goes on, for example the explanation on what inductive and deductive logic. The narrator introduces many different topics after bringing up the mechanics of a motorcycle. I am finally beginning to understand the title of the novel.

New Feelings (Priya Dhairyawan)

After this week’s reading, I am a bit disappointed because I am starting to lose interest in the story. I started the first few chapters with a fairly strong interest in the story, but now it feels like the story is starting to drag for too long. The large majority of the book is just the narrator, who still remains nameless, describing his endless chain of thoughts. In a way, I guess it is understandable that he has a constant flow of thoughts in his mind, given that there is little else to do when driving for so long and working on his motorcycle for hours. Regardless, I still find it boring. His thoughts sometimes state the obvious, while others dig deep into the technical side of motorcycles, both of which do not hold my attention for very long. Despite my reservations about how the novel is progressing, I did find one statement particularly interesting: “That’s all the motorcycle is, a system of concepts worked out in steel” (88). I find this to be true. I think my architecture background has had some influence on my interest in this sentence in particular. When creating structures, the ideas and concepts are what fuel the final product. The narrator’s philosophy can be applied to building structures. The ideas behind the construction of a motorcycle are similar to that of a building. The material that is used, whether it be steel, glass, concrete, or anything, is what helps the concept become a reality. Even though this sentence stood out to me, it does not change my feelings about the story. I am disappointed only because my interest in the story was heavier towards the start of the novel. 

Link to the First Group Discussion

http://youtu.be/QK51bb4IDOQ