I just saw this article in my Google Alerts. It's actually a review of a new book, "Big Sid’s Vincati: The Story of a Father, a Son, and the Motorcycle of a Lifetime," by Matthew Biberman. The article is on the Opinion page of the New York Times and written by Stanley Fish. It's thought provoking and even involves motorcycles. If you ever read Pirsig's, "Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," you'll be even more interested in the article. If you never heard of Pirsig, read the article and then go get a copy. It's easy reading but deeply involved in philosophy too.
Here's an excerpt from the article, "Fathers, Sons and Motorcycles":
"What is it about motorcycles? I have never been on one for the same reason that I don’t go on roller coasters or other amusement-park rides. I’m terrified. Yet every so often motorcycles come into my life. When I met my wife in the middle ’70s her primary mode of transportation was a motorcycle (a small Honda). She specialized in terrifying situations. She rode it to and from work in South Philadelphia and was once robbed at an intersection while waiting for the light to turn green. She took the bike onto the Baltimore Beltway, where I felt nervous driving a car. She says now that she got it because something was missing from her life. And she bought it immediately after having read Robert Pirsig’s "Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values" (1974)." -- Stanley Fish
Now, read the complete article and don't forget the comments at the end.
