Proviso!

It is integrally important to me for you to understand that I am not writing about Pirsig, I am writing about judgements I am making concerning two books that Robert M Pirsig wrote. Whether my judgements have any relevance to the actual author is in fact not important. What I am evaluating is the characterisation and my perceptions of the characterisation in the two books, primarily Zen. Suppose Pirsig as Phaedrus did not behave in the mostly polite way he describes, this has no bearing on my analysis as the analysis is based on what is written.

Effectively I am analysing a work of fiction. The characters are apparently based on real life as the author purports this as a form of autibiography. Please don't take my analysis as an analysis of the real person.

Why write this then? Because the work is powerful and informative and raises issues. I would hope with meditation and virtue and an understanding of the ego involved, more practical use can be gained from the suffering of the man.