Classical and Romantic Understanding Post

In the novel "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert M. Pirsig, the narrator divides understanding into two different categories, classical and romantic. Classical is when understanding on a topic or thing is reasoned with logic. You dissect the information trying to reach the core, the central and most important information about it and what it came from. Romantic, on the other hand, is when understanding is derived from the physical or outward appearance. This is mainly done at first sight.

In my life experiences, I mainly fit into the classical understanding category. For example, in my food choices, I am very strict, and tend to look toward ingredients and logic to see what to eat. I use classical understanding to dissect and separate the options and see what each has. Another way I use this understanding in my day to day activities is when I chose what to do in my next year classes. In the decisions for my future classes I want to take, I dissect what happens in each class, and use that to make my decision for what I want to take to then tell my counselor.

 Although I use classical understanding more frequently, I use romantic understanding, too. For example, in choosing what fish to buy for my fish tank, I look for the prettiest fish, not caring about anything else. The only thing I look at is whether it'll fit in my habitat or not, leaving the appearance to be the most important in my decision. Another time I use romantic decision making is when I choose plants to decorate my room. I don't look for a specific plant, just for one that's looks nice and is something that I really what in my room.

When the narrator claims that “both are valid ways of looking at the world although irreconcilable with each other” (page 80) I fell into a disagreement. For example, I don't "judge a book by its cover", but instead look for books that have appealing and pretty covers. Then I look for the details on what's on the inside before making the final decision on what to read or buy. Through that I can say that you can use both ways to decide and understand things, and that they are not irreconcilable, meaning you can use them at the same time to understand or decide something.