Robert Maynard Pirsig was a profound American writer and philosopher, best known for his philosophical novels Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values (1974) and Lila: An Inquiry into Morals (1991). His first book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, is particularly renowned for its exploration of Pirsig's philosophy on the metaphysics of quality, narrated through a mainly autobiographical story of a motorcycle trip across North America with his son, Chris. This book remains popular to this day and has been celebrated as the best-selling philosophy book of all time. In 1974, Pirsig was honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship for his work.

His sequel, Lila: An Inquiry into Morals, continues to delve into his philosophical thoughts. Additionally, Pirsig co-authored On Quality: An Inquiry Into Excellence: Selected and Unpublished Writings (2022) with his wife and editor, Wendy K. Pirsig. His literary and philosophical contributions have profoundly impacted the field, engaging with the metaphysics of quality and its relation to broader schools of thought and life itself.

The Robert Pirsig Association exists to support and promote the life, literary, and philosophical works of Pirsig, emphasizing the significance of his contributions to philosophy and literature. As we approach the 50th anniversary of the publication of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, his legacy continues to inspire and enlighten.