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Dr. Anthony M. McWatt Collection on Robert Pirsig, 1974-2004

Overview of the Collection

Creator
McWatt, Anthony Michael
Title
Dr. Anthony M. McWatt Collection on Robert Pirsig
Dates
1974-2004
(bulk 1993-2002)
Quantity
1.3 linear feet
Collection Number
Collection 2630, MtBC, us (collection)
Summary
The Dr. Anthony M. McWatt Collection on Robert Pirsig includes correspondence, monographs, audio cassettes, and CDs. The materials were compiled by Dr. McWatt to provide insight into Pirsig’s philosophy.
Repository
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Dr. Anthony M. McWatt is based in Liverpool, England. He received his Master of Arts in Socio-Legal Studies in 1990 from the University of Sheffield. Dr. McWatt began to correspond with Pirsig in 1993 after sending him a copy of his MA thesis which drew heavily on Pirsig’s work. Pirsig returned the thesis with annotations and a letter of encouragement. Dr. McWatt developed his research on Pirsig’s metaphysics into a doctoral thesis titled A Critical Analysis of Robert Pirsig’s Metaphysics of Quality. He corresponded for over a year with Pirsig for clarification and explanation on the aspects of his thinking. Dr. McWatt received his Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Liverpool in 2005. He first visited Montana State University in 2006 for the film project On the Road with Robert Pirsig.

Robert Pirsig was an instructor of English for Montana State College from September, 1959 to June, 1961. Pirsig is the author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Lila. Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a fictional account of his motorcycle trip from Minnesota to California with his son and coming to terms with his nervous breakdown. According to Robert Pirsig, Dr. McWatt, comes closest to being a dharma successor of his work on Metaphysics of Quality. Pirsig defines dharma as a duty that transcends one’s own personal sense. The comprehensive nature of Dr. McWatt’s questioning encouraged Pirsig to more fully articulate his arguments thereby creating a collaborative relationship and he readily acknowledged the importance Dr. Mcwatt’s development of the Meatphysics of Quality.

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Content Description

The Dr. Anthony M. McWatt Collection on Robert Pirsig includes correspondence, monographs, audio cassettes, and CD Roms. The materials were compiled by Dr. McWatt to provide insight into Pirsig’s philosophy. The collection has been organized into four series. Items of interest include two signed and inscribed copies of Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and a bound copy of Dr. McWatt’s A Critical Analysis of Robert Pirsig’s Metaphysics of Quality.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Series 1 Robert Pirsig Letters, 1993-2000

Series 2 Pirsig Correspondence, 1993-2002

Series 3 Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Series 4 Dr. Anthony McWatt Research Notes, Theses, and Lecture Notes

Acquisition Information

The Dr. Anthony M. McWatt Collection on Robert Pirsig was purchased from Sotheby’s in London, England in January 2018.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2018 February 24

Related Materials

Collection 2571 Robert and Genevieve DeWeese Collection on Robert Pirsig, 1970-2007

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Kim Allen Scott, 2018
April 2, 2018

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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