What it is to be Gorean – Part 3 (Principles)

Tal everyone,

In case you arrived directly to this post, I strongly suggest you read the previous ones in this series:

• Introduction
• Origins

By definition a principle is “a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behaviour or for a chain of reasoning”. If you agree with or believe something in principle, you agree with the idea in general, although you might not support it in reality or in every situation.

Some days ago I read a comment in one of my posts where someone mentioned that in a religion you follow strict rules/dogmas but on the other hand in a philosophy you have to understand the guidelines and discover for yourself the best way to apply it.

This comment was quite precise considering that Gorean lifestyle is based on a philosophy that on its turn is based on principles.

In one general sense, philosophy is associated with wisdom, intellectual culture, and a search for knowledge. In this sense, all cultures and literate societies ask philosophical questions, such as “how are we to live” and “what is the nature of reality.” A broad and impartial conception of philosophy, then, finds a reasoned inquiry into such matters as reality, morality, and life.

Gorean Philosophy therefore is the global set of concepts that help us navigate our life and make decisions in accordance with the mindset of the Natural Order.

The issue here is that those concepts come to us not in a “plain” and “clear” way with a list of what you can and cannot do. Using Christianism as a comparison, in the Old Testament everything was quite simple, Jews had rules for everything they could and could not do (there were over 600 commandments, so the Ten Commandments were just the tiny tip of the iceberg)! On the other hand, in the New Testament, Jesus used a different approach and although he laid down some basic rules, most of his teaching was done using stories and parables.

The author of the Gorean Saga Books devoted his life to the study of human mindset and has published several amazing books under his true name (John Lange), from which I recommend everyone should read “The Philosophy of Historiography“.

Nevertheless, in the Books of Gor we read stories that transmit to us the principles of the philosophy and only by reading them (in case I haven’t made that clear in the previous post) can we gradually absorve the different nuances and grasp the concepts that will help us judge each different situation and make the decision that we consider is more appropriate.

Often when talking with people that don’t totally understand the philosophy I hear them defend actions that go against the Gorean Philosophy and defending their point by stating that they read once in a book that a certain character did that!!!

It is important that we keep in mind that in all stories there are heroes and villains. Just because Joker likes to wreak havoc, that does not mean the Batman story is about that! Hell, even “heroes” are human and make “less than perfect” decisions so just because the “hero” of a story on a specific occasion takes a certain action that does not qualify it as being something that defines him or that he condones in every situation.

The “main character” of the books is Tarl Cabot (at least in the first ones before the author started diversifying the roles), but even he has ups and downs, helping us understand the inner struggles all of us go through in life! Just because Tarl Cabot once did something that does not qualify that action as part of the “Gorean Philosophy”, you have to understand the framework of the situation, what is the point that is being transmitted, etc, etc, etc…

In the following posts I will try to list what (in my personal point of view) are some of the principles that guide the Gorean Philosophy (Female slavery, Honor, etc.)! Feel free to send me your comments and contribution!

List of posts in this series:

• Introduction
• Origins
• Principles
• [Female] slavery
• Master’s care
• Consensual Slavery
• “Communal” Slavery
• Sadism

I wish you well!

©2020 – Written by Azrael Phoenix

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