Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

A comparison between the classical and romantic points of view.

 

"A classical understanding sees the world primarily as underlying form itself. A romantic understanding sees it primarily in terms of immediate appearance. If you were to show an engine or a mechanical drawing or electronic schematic to a romantic it is unlikely he would see much of interest in it. It has no appeal because the reality he sees is its surface….But if you were to show the same….. to a classical person he might look at it and then become fascinated by it because he sees that within its lines and shapes and symbols is a tremendous richness of underlying form.

 

The romantic mode is primarily inspirational, imaginative, creative, and intuitive. Feelings rather than facts predominate. "Art" when it is opposed to 'Science' is often romantic. It does not proceed by reason or by laws. It proceeds by feeling, intuition and aesthetic conscience. In the northern European cultures, the romantic mode is usually associated with feminity, but this is certainly not a necessary association.

 

The classic mode by contrast proceeds by reason and by laws - which are themselves underlying forms of thought and behavior. In the European cultures it is primarily a masculine mode and the fields of science, law and medicine are unattractive to women largely for this reason. Although motorcycle riding is romantic, motorcycle maintenance is purely classic.

 

I think I am a person with a romantic view. Am quite superficial in that way. Hate to get into the depth of technical things at least. Though it is changing of late. As I have maintained always, I can do it, no problem, but don't have that creative thought that differentiates a genius from a hard worker.

 

This is one of my first few books on philosophy. I frankly am pretty inept in reading these kinds of books. Well, the experimentation has been done courtesy Tushara. It is due to her that I have increased by range of reading as you might call it. It is paying off, I would say as it helps reflect at times.

 

Reflection though is quite a rare commodity nowadays. I hope I don't get too caught up in the rat-race to loose original thought.