Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values (ZAMM), first published in 1974, is a work of philosophical fiction, the first of Robert M. Pirsig's texts in which he explores his Metaphysics of Quality. The book sold 5 million copies worldwide. It was originally rejected by 121 publishers, more than any other bestselling book, according to the Guinness Book of Records.[1] The title is an apparent play on the title of the book Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel.
In its introduction, Pirsig explains that, despite its title, "it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It's not very factual on motorcycles, either. " The book is generally regarded as an American cultural icon in literature. Structure[edit] The book describes, in first person, a 17-day journey on his motorcycle from Minnesota to Northern California by the author (though he is not identified in the book) and his son Chris. On the Soul. On the Soul (Greek Περὶ Ψυχῆς, Perì Psūchês; Latin De Anima) is a major treatise by Aristotle on the nature of living things. His discussion centres on the kinds of souls possessed by different kinds of living things, distinguished by their different operations.
Thus plants have the capacity for nourishment and reproduction, the minimum that must be possessed by any kind of living organism. Lower animals have, in addition, the powers of sense-perception and self-motion (action). Humans have all these as well as intellect. "Expositio et quaestiones" in Aristoteles De Anima by Jean Buridan, circa 1362 The notion of soul used by Aristotle is only distantly related to the usual modern conception. In 1855, Charles Collier published a translation titled On the Vital Principle,[3] however George Henry Lewes found this description also wanting.[4] Division of chapters[edit] Book I[edit] Book II[edit] Book III[edit] Summary[edit] Book II contains his scientific determination of the nature of the soul. The Denial of Death. The Denial of Death is a 1973 work of psychology and philosophy by Ernest Becker.[1] It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1974, two months after the author's death.[2] The book builds on the works of Søren Kierkegaard, Sigmund Freud, and Otto Rank.
Content[edit] The basic premise of The Denial of Death is that human civilization is ultimately an elaborate, symbolic defense mechanism against the knowledge of our mortality, which in turn acts as the emotional and intellectual response to our basic survival mechanism. Becker argues that a basic duality in human life exists between the physical world of objects and a symbolic world of human meaning. Thus, since humanity has a dualistic nature consisting of a physical self and a symbolic self, we are able to transcend the dilemma of mortality through heroism, a concept involving our symbolic halves.
From this premise, mental illness is most insightfully extrapolated as a bogging down in one's hero system(s). Lila: An Inquiry into Morals. Lila: An Inquiry into Morals (1991) is the second philosophical novel by Robert M. Pirsig, who is best known for his classic text, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Lila: An Inquiry into Morals was a nominated finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1992.[1] This semi-autobiographical story takes place in the autumn as the author sails his boat down the Hudson River. Phaedrus, the author's alter ego, is jarred out of his solitary routine by an encounter with Lila, a straightforward but troubled woman who is nearing a mental breakdown.
Major themes[edit] The main goal of this book is to develop a complete metaphysical system based on the idea of Quality introduced in his first book. As in his previous book, the narrative is embedded between rounds of philosophical discussion. Unlike his previous book, in which he creates a dichotomy between Classical and Romantic Quality, this book centers on the division of Quality into the Static and the Dynamic. Name inspiration[edit] Parva Naturalia. The Parva Naturalia (a conventional Latin title first used by Giles of Rome: "short treatises on nature") are a collection of seven works by Aristotle, which discuss natural phenomena involving the body and the soul. The individual works are as follows (with links to online English translations): Editions[edit] All the Parva Naturalia Aristote: Petits traités d'histoire naturelle (with French translation and brief notes), ed.
Multiple treatises David Gallop, Aristotle on Sleep and Dreams: A Text and Translation with Introduction, Notes, and Glossary. External links[edit] Greek text: Parva Naturalia (Biehl's 1898 Teubner edition); HTML text from HODOI (with concordance) and Mikros apoplous (with Modern Greek translation and notes)1908 English translation by J.I.