“Gor is unrealistic”
I’ve been hearing that a lot, and it bugs me. Sure, the fictional creatures and Priest-Kings don’t exist that we know of, but the cultures Gor? That is very realistic.
I have heard complaints about how John Norman incorrectly portrayed women, or relationships between men and women. The complaints state that Norman stereotypes women into unrealistic roles.
Okay, so can you show me proof on this? How about instead I point you to pleasure harems that still exist to this day? Women competing for attention from their Master or husband. Islam allows men to have up to 4 wives.
Other complaints claim the caste system is unrealistic. I shall point you to the castes in India, or the castes in Star Trek. Or the unions of today.
It seems to me that those complaining are basing their complaints on the assumption that their society is the only type of society that can possibly exist. And yet, life in Africa is surely much different in life in America. Even the culture of Australia differs from life in Britain.
What really is unrealistic is assuming that one’s society is the right one for all people. Let different cultures exist and don’t bash them for doing things differently than you do.
I don’t know the extent of the argument, but I’m pretty sure pointing to anything in Star Trek proves nothing but issues concerning Star Trek.
;P
The Gorean society and its institutions isnt unrealistic. Whats unrealistic is to argue that the true *nature* of a man is to be dominant and the true *nature* of a woman is to be submisive.
There isnt such thing as *true nature* when we study social relationships of human beings, there is a variety of relationships changing over time.
Hey
Don’t compared the caste system with unions. Castes are for free, unions for modern slaves. I have written an article about that same subject. Gor exists. Why? because Gor was written to explain a philosophy about the nature of human beings on Earth.
Αnd every such philosophy is destined to fail cause it analyzes its subject of observation, human beings, outside of their historic social relations. Thats why we use sociology and not…”philosophy” to explain social relationships and phenomena.
There is not also an analytical, philosophical gorean system. You have bits and pieces from many cultures of earth societies, spiced with Norman’s moral beliefs about the relationships between men and women. Add some Nietzche in that, and here you are.
I have no problem with ppl choosing to follow it as a lifestyle, i have a huge problem when the attack against modern society starts. An attack, which pretty much copies the attack Nietzche repeated on the rising industrial society of his time. An attack that can not explain social evolution and thus an attack that has nothing to offer. An attack based on values and not scientific data and thus, a subjective, biased attack.
I wonder if so many people talking about human nature, Norman included, really understand that in fact they have no clues what they are talking about.