Galileo once remarked “I think that tastes, odors, colors, and so on reside in consciousness. Hence if the living creature were removed, all these qualities would be annihilated." By this, he suggests that the evidence of reality lives in one’s mind. The true nature of the world is a mystery to anyone who attempts to find it. Without a knowledge of authenticity or realness, how can one ever live a life that is purely “good”? A quality life can only come from a truly authentic life, according to Robert Pirsig. Pirsig has found that when consciousness and reality are separated, the ability of living a good life is lost.
In his novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig tells the story of a father and son who embark on a cross country motorcycle trip. The father, who is the narrator of the journey, faces many challenges over the course of the trip. He had undergone electroconvulsive shock therapy, erasing his past personality. This leads him on an internal search for his true self. This also causes conflict between him and his son, as his son is left searching for the relationship he used to have with his father. The conflicts bring profound insight to the narrator regarding the nature of …show more content…
Everything we experience is based solely on our senses.Although all people experience their surroundings differently, some people have greater differences than others. For example, many people are colorblind and experience colors more muted than the average person. Also, many people have one or more senses that is impaired. This causes them to construct their reality in a different way than the average person. Whether it be small or drastic, everyone’s perception of reality is different from each other’s and most importantly different from true reality. The distortions cause a separation from true reality. The farther the separation, the further one is from a quality
In his novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig tells the story of a father and son who embark on a cross country motorcycle trip. The father, who is the narrator of the journey, faces many challenges over the course of the trip. He had undergone electroconvulsive shock therapy, erasing his past personality. This leads him on an internal search for his true self. This also causes conflict between him and his son, as his son is left searching for the relationship he used to have with his father. The conflicts bring profound insight to the narrator regarding the nature of …show more content…
Everything we experience is based solely on our senses.Although all people experience their surroundings differently, some people have greater differences than others. For example, many people are colorblind and experience colors more muted than the average person. Also, many people have one or more senses that is impaired. This causes them to construct their reality in a different way than the average person. Whether it be small or drastic, everyone’s perception of reality is different from each other’s and most importantly different from true reality. The distortions cause a separation from true reality. The farther the separation, the further one is from a quality