The Odyssey, for Investing

"And what is good, Phaedrus,

And what is not good -

Need we ask anyone to tell us these things?"

Robert M Pirsig, in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - an Inquiry into Values

Is the above picture good, bad, or fair?

Robert M Pirsig tells a story about his journey through America, in the 4-part book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It tells a story about himself, and his relationship with the motorcycle(s) he (and his son and 2 friends) use, as they cut accross the American continent.

In this context, what is good, and what is not good - need we ask anybody to tell us what the quality of something should be?

Is it in the Eye of The Beholder?

The following questions may be suitable in the circumstances, to pique one's interest to read the said book -

Is the quality of something really in the eye of the beholder?

Or, broken down into its constituent parts, do we then figure out what something of quality comprises of, and do we then declare that the device, thing or motorcycle, is what it is?

Throughout the story that unfolds, this interplay of considerations are just a couple of considerations considered in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanence.

It's relevance to investing is that, per Warren Buffett,

"It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price”.

Quality comes into the investing calculations or considerations, and many people have trouble figuring it out what it is...

Philosophy

For a copy of this book, acclaimed as one of if not the best philosophical books of all time, please click here. You may find it relevant in Asia inasmuch as the West...

To leave a question, like, or comment, scroll further down to the comments section below.