Relationship Between Classical Vs. Romantic Views in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"

A person is a coin. There are two sides to each coin, represented by heads and tails. Similarly, there are two main ways for a person to examine the world. The classic view is analogous to the heads because in order to use a classic view, one must use their head and ascertain the true nature of the object in question. In addition, in the context of a person, the head represents the top. Starting from the top and going downwards is a logical way to go about examining any situation (just like how water flows from high to low ground and how objects will always go from high potential energy to low potential energy if given the chance), or in other words, a classical approach.
Those who subscribe to a more romantic view of the world can be seen as the tails of a coin. Tails distinguish humans and animals. There is an old Chinese saying which, literally translated, reads "playing piano for a cow is a futile effort." However, what this saying means is that animals do not appreciate art, or a romantic perspective in life since it is primarily concerned with appearances. According to my coin analogy, when a person is born and as a result of their life experiences, their coin is flipped. This may occur many times throughout a person's life and a different result may come of it each time. Whatever side it lands on is the way they choose to view the world. Each outcome is mutually exclusive and one is incompatible with the other. However, in essence, both views are two sides to the same coin and are both acceptable.
The shim is merely one of the many experiences a person may go through in their life. However, each event in a person's life has a profound impact on their view of the world. Even though Pirsig and John may disagree on putting a piece of scrap metal onto a high powered machine, it does not necessarily mean that Pirsig cannot appreciate beauty and John cannot acquire technical expertise. It is in that specific situation in which their coins landed on their respective sides which ultimately leads to their disagreement about the shim.