Title

Zen and the Art of Higher Education Maintenance: Bridging Classic and Romantic Notions of Quality

Document Type

Article

Comments

Originally published in Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management. Vol. 21, No. 2 1999 (copyright Association for Tertiary Education Management)

Abstract


In the classic Zen and the Art of Motor Cycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig clarifies the meaning of quality in higher education. He identifies two ways of viewing quality - classic and romantic. He argues that the fullest meaning of quality contains both. Using Pirsig’s insight as a point of departure, this article explores the nature of both romantic and classic quality in higher education. The ideas of Alfred Whitehead are used to clarify the nature of romantic quality in university life. Finally, the contemporary Quality literature is examined using insights from Pirsig, Dewey and Whitehead.