Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: Chapter 25 Summary & Analysis

The narrator moves away from “stuckness” to discuss a problem of a different nature: the romantic aversion to technology produced by classic reason. Technology and its materials, the narrator says, are not inherently bad. What can be objectionable about technology is when humans are not invested in its creation, when it is not regarded as an art form of its own. For technology to have Quality, its creator must rebel against the 20th-century mindset that prevents a craftsman from identifying with his work.

The rational tediousness of technology is superficially remedied by stylization—a strategy the narrator finds ineffective. Instead of veneering classic understanding with romantic esthetics, the two modes of thought should be more deeply connected. The narrator stresses that “peace of mind” is necessary to achieve this synthesis, in which one understands what is good as well as the reasons why it is good.

“Peace of mind” requires a calmness of body, of mind, and of values, which requires one to perform one’s work without desire. In order to perform Quality work, one must not let the subject/object duality cloud one’s work, and instead enter a state of “just doing.” When conducted properly, the act of motorcycle maintenance prevents one from separating one’s self from one’s surroundings. This reformed individual consciousness is, to the narrator, the starting point for more sweeping improvements to life worldwide.

The narrator and Chris camp out for the night and prepare to head into Oregon the next day. The narrator reflects that his son often feels both familiar and unfamiliar to him, and wonders whether genuine interpersonal connections are ever possible.