The main goal of this book is to develop a complete
metaphysical system based on
the idea of Quality introduced in his first book. As in his previous book, the narrative is embedded between rounds of
philosophical discussion. Unlike his previous book, in which he creates a dichotomy between Classical and Romantic Quality, this book centers on the division of Quality into the Static and the Dynamic. According to the novel, the known universe can be divided into four Static values: inorganic, biological, social, and intellectual. Everything in the known universe can be categorized into one of these four categories, except Dynamic Quality. Because Dynamic Quality is indefinable, the novel discusses the interactions between the four Static values and the Static values themselves. Another goal of this book is to critique the field of
anthropology. Pirsig claims traditional
objectivity renders the field ineffective. He then turns his concept of Quality toward an explanation of the difficulties
Western society has had in understanding the values and perspectives of
American Indians. One interesting conclusion is that
modern American culture is the result of a melding of
Native American and
European values. Another theme analyzed using the
Metaphysics of Quality is the interaction between
intellectual and
social patterns. Pirsig states that until the end of the
Victorian era, social patterns dominated the conduct of members of the
American culture. In the aftermath of
World War I, intellectual patterns and the
scientific method acceded to that position, becoming responsible for directing the nation's goals and actions. The later occurrences of
fascism are seen as an
anti-intellectual struggle to return social patterns to the dominant position. The
hippie movement, having perceived the flaws inherent in both social and intellectual patterns, sought to transcend them, but failed to provide a stable replacement, degenerating instead into lower level
biological patterns as noted in its calls for
free love. As a concrete example of a moral dilemma, Pirsig notes the example of Lila, whose affair with a married man would have gone unnoticed but for the intervention of a friend who felt a moral responsibility to expose it, thus ruining the man's marriage and career, and exacerbating the titular character's tendencies towards
mental illness. ==Name inspiration==