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Demspotis -> RE: Now... is it just me...? (6/30/2009 10:12:25 PM)
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Referring back to the Original Post: I'm not a Gorean, but I have read at least 95% (missing several towards the end) of the Gor series, and believe that I can make at least an attempt to "validate" the philosophy, the ways of thought described in the books, and thus those held by those who sincerely (and knowledgeably) try to live according to them.
I first must refute the notion that if a piece of literature is written in the genre of science fiction, it somehow invalidates the ideas that are presented in it. By that logic, one should reject any ideas that are presented in fictional form, from the parables of Jesus or other religious teachers, to the word problems with which we learn and practice mathematics and logic. Actually, if any kind of fiction deserves to have its ideas taken seriously, it would have to be science-fiction, which is often written by actual scientists, or by (as is the case with the Gor books) others kinds of highly educated scholars.
When it comes to the Gor books, however, the fact that it is a science-fiction series has almost nothing to do with the ideas or their value. The various kinds of social ideas and philosophy that appear in that series are drawn from a mixture of scientific and sociological theories and of different real cultures from the history of this planet. The settings of the Gor books are a variety of different cultures said to have been transplanted from Earth to Gor, and adapted to the various different conditions to be found there. The author - as is obvious to those of us who have also studied them - researched these various cultures. So, a large part of what he wrote about has a significant factual basis behind it, although treated with speculation and fantasy as well.
There is nothing particularly outlandish about any of the ideas. There are certainly subjective ideas, and many things that are open for debate. I'm by no means suggesting that people should blindly follow what is written therein. For that matter, the author does not say that anyone should do that... there are quite a few places where the narrative voice says that it is simply describing how things are there, and not making value judgments on it.
So, just what are the ideas and philosophies that we are talking about? Several of the early responders summarized the main points clearly enough, but I'll repeat them. The one thing that most attracts attention is that Gorean societies are almost all dominated by the males. Some mistakenly think that Goreans keep all women as slaves; this is not true, although the books describe beliefs held by some men that all women have an inner slave girl yearning to be "freed" into bondage. As our Gorean "lifestyle" friends so often point out, that is just one aspect of Gorean thought, and not particularly noteworthy in itself (after all, male-dominance IS the way things are among most real human societies; it is mainly just the "PC" wing - and not even all "vanillas" - of modern Western culture that sees things differently, plus a few religions from other areas that have egalitarian beliefs, such as Sikhism and Bahai).
So, aside from male-dominance, the important aspects of Gorean thought that are upheld in the books and by our Goreans are the values and ethics of the various Gorean societies, and the different social classes ("castes") within them. Principle among them are the general values of honor and integrity as being necessary for free people. Within each caste there are particular values that are expressed in what are called their "codes." The main male characters in the books are usually warriors, so the books talk much more about the Warrior Codes than others, but others are mentioned. Just as in real Earth cultures, the values of different classes are different from each other, and sometimes contradict each other. For example, for merchants the pursuit of wealth is the most honorable thing; whereas, for warriors, pursuit of glory and of martial skill is honorable. So, we cannot assume that one Gorean's values are the same as others.
In any case, the value of values is not invalidated no matter where they are described, be it science fiction, ancient myth, or ethical textbooks.
Is there any justice to comparing Gorean ways with Scientology? I see none, aside from the given that both were expressed by science-fiction writers. There are crucial differences. First, Scientology is a religion, based on writings by someone who also wrote science-fiction books. The Gorean way is not a religion. And, although on one hand it is based on things written in a science-fiction series, its adherents are putting those ideas into practice here in the real world; and again, most of them do come from the real world, just not from the modern Western society. Even if the people sometimes dress in ways described in the books, or even bear swords or spears as do the warriors in the books, these are also from the real world, and are no more outlandish (this is a subjective thing!) than the various educational groups of historical reenactors, or creative anachronists (who base things on historical cultures, but play with them more freely and creatively than strict reenactors do).
In conclusion, we can all choose whether we find anything of value or not in the Gor series, but the mere fact that it is written in the form of science-fiction is or should be irrelevant to our choices. That has nothing to do with whether the ideas presented in it have value for us. We have to value ideas based on their truth or falsity and their relevance to us. Any values first have to be known and understood before they can be judged by us. To know and understand Gorean values, one has to either read the books (preferably with knowledge or research about the real world cultures which are relevant to whichever book one is reading!), or learn from those who are knowledgeably and sincerely "Gorean" here in this world. As a second best, I suppose one could talk to non-Goreans (such as me, for one) who are knowledgeable about and not prejudiced against (or for, for that matter) Gorean things. But talking to Goreans is certainly preferable.
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