"I do not insist that my argument is right in all other respects, but I would contend at all costs both in word and deed as far as I could that we will be better men, braver and less idle, if we believe that one must search for the things one does not know, rather than if we believe that it is not possible to find out what we do not know and that we must not look for it."---Socrates

Gor and "The Republic"

(The quotations in this essay from The Republic have been taken from the book; Plato: The Republic, edited by G.R.F. Ferrari, translated by Tom Griffith, Cambridge University Press 2000. Though there are numerous translations of The Republic, there is some standardization for citing passages from the text. The numbers quoted within this essay after each quote are based on that standardization so that you can easily locate those passages in any edition you possess. This standardization follows the pagination of the sixteenth-century edition of Plato by Stephanus.)

The Gorean Caste System.

The average person who hears the term "caste system" will most likely think of India's caste system, a system often reviled as being overly repressive. Some critics of Gor point to this repression and try to apply it to the Gorean Caste system as well. They claim that all caste systems are the same, though their only real comparison is the caste system of India. But, is this a fair comparison to the Gorean caste system? Was India the actual inspiration for the Gorean caste system? If we more closely examine the two caste systems we can discern some obvious and substantial differences. For example, there is no "untouchable" caste in the Gorean system. The lowest Caste on Gor is the Peasant Caste and they are certainly not comparable to India's untouchables. The slaves of Gor would also not make an appropriate analogue to the untouchables. India's caste system is extremely rigid and the opportunity for caste mobility is far greater under the Gorean system. The rationale behind India's caste system does not seem appropriate for Gor either, dealing with matters of purity. The untouchables are seen as impure and potentially able to taint the purity of the higher castes. That has no correlation in Gorean society. So, what, if anything, actually inspired the Gorean caste system if it was not the system of India?

As in much of the inspiration of Gor, we must once again turn to the ancient world, and more specifically ancient Greece. We will find there an ancient Greek text, an important philosophical work, which has obviously inspired the Gorean Caste system. And when we more closely analyze this work, we will discover additional correlations to Gorean society. This work will raise additional philosophical questions about Gor, leading us toward avenues we may never have considered otherwise. It will take us to a deeper level of comprehension concerning Gorean philosophy. And it is a level that we might never have reached unless we understood the proper inspirations for Gor. It is also a level that would never have been reached through a consideration of the Gorean novels alone. This significant work is Plato's The Republic.

Plato is one of the most famous and influential of the ancient Greek philosophers. He was the student of Socrates and the teacher of Aristotle. Nearly all of Plato's works are in the form of Socratic dialogues, using conversations and debates between Socrates and others to illustrate philosophical ideas. Most often, the basic premise of these dialogues is the definition of some philosophical term. The earliest of these Socratic dialogues apparently contained much more of the philosophy of Socrates than that of Plato. These dialogue were homages to Socrates, a preservation of his brilliance as Socrates wrote nothing on his own. The Republic is constructed as a Socratic dialogue but it is a later work of Plato and seems to consist far more of the ideas of Plato rather than Socrates. The Republic is considered the crowning achievement of Plato's philosophical output. It is both a text of political philosophy and a work on moral philosophy. It is also probably Plato's most complete depiction of his own entire philosophy, from metaphysics to epistemology to ethics.

Like the Gorean novels, The Republic is also a controversial work. Many people have objected to various aspects of The Republic,labeling parts of it as supportive of fascism, communism and totalitarianism. It is also seen as supportive of feminism. Some of Plato's ideas were very radical at the time of their writing, especially in democratic Athens, and they are still considered to be radical today. Yet The Republic is a complex work and not always fully understood. Some of the criticisms are unfounded, based on a misunderstanding of the text and Plato's intentions. As a philosophy professor, it can safely be assumed that Norman is very familiar with such a significant philosophical work as The Republic. But, despite this familiarity, did it inspire the Gor books?

If we begin to compare and contrast elements of the Gorean series with The Republic, we do find that our assumption of a relationship between the two texts is warranted. There are a number of significant correlations between the two works. It also becomes obvious that these correlations are not accidental or coincidental. It is quite clear that Norman intentionally borrowed elements of The Republic in creating aspects of the society of Gor. As The Republic is the only source for some of these matters, then Norman had to have used it for inspiration. This essay shall examine the correlations between these two works, showing which areas Norman used as inspiration for the world of Gor. This essay shall also explore some of the potential ramifications of the philosophy of The Republic upon Gorean philosophy.

This essay will not attempt to explain the entirety of The Republic. That would be a substantial endeavor and is beyond the scope of this essay. For example, this essay will not deal with the Allegory of the Cave or Plato's Forms, two important aspects of The Republic but of far less importance to this essay. The intent of this essay is only to highlight certain areas of comparison between Plato's work and the Gorean novels. The topics that are omitted may also have some relevance to Gor but it is not as direct as the matters that will be explained herein. I do highly recommend that you read Plato's The Republic as you will find much of value within it. Please understand though that The Republic is not an easy text. But, there are some excellent explanatory books available that more fully discuss the philosophy within The Republic.

The word "republic" is from the Latin phrase "res publica" which means "public matters" or "the state." The translated text of The Republic has been divided into ten "books," which can be considered to be chapters. But, Plato himself did not divide his work into those books. Later editors of his text actually divided it into books for their own ease of use. Though the ten books form a whole, Book One is often considered somewhat of a separate entity. Book One closely resembles Plato's earlier Socratic dialogues and may have been written sometime earlier than the rest of The Republic. Despite this possibility, Book One still has a strong connection to the rest of The Republic and is a fitting beginning to the rest of the text.

One of the primary objectives of The Republic is to try to define the Greek concept of "justice." Justice is one of the four cardinal Greek virtues, the others being wisdom, courage and moderation. The Greek word for justice is "diakaiosune" and that term covers much more than our own term "justice" would cover. The Greek term would include right conduct in general and is possibly synonymous with "righteousness." In general, there are a number of Greek terms, especially those connected to philosophy, which do not translate exactly into English. The Greek terms are often more expansive than the more narrow English terms. That fact always needs to be kept in mind when reading translations of ancient Greek texts. Assuming that Greek terms are identical to English terms can lead to confusion and misunderstanding.

In Book 1 of The Republic, Thrasymachus, a Sophist, proposes his own definition of "justice" which Socrates then sets out to refute. Sophists were often wandering tutors, commonly paid a fee to teach people skills like rhetoric and especially how win any argument, right or wrong. Socrates, like many Greeks, characterized the Sophists as mercenaries, caring not for the truth but only success in argumentation. They were often figures of derision and even Socrates was accused of being a Sophist at times. In a number of Socratic dialogues, Socrates faces off against a famous Sophist. Thrasymachus claimed that justice simply meant obeying the law, a law that was created by the stronger for their advantage. "In making these laws, they make it clear that what is good for them, the rulers, is what is just for their subjects. If anyone disobeys, they punish him for breaking the law and acting unjustly." (338e-339a) He also claimed that being unjust actually benefited an individual more than being just. "...justice is in fact what is good for the stronger, whereas injustice is what is profitable and good for oneself." (344c) "....a just man comes off worse than an unjust in every situation." (343d) The position of Thrasymachus is how many critics of Gor perceive Gorean philosophy, as a "might makes right" concept.

In the rest of the dialogue, Socrates refutes the ideas of Thrasymachus. He shows that leaders rule not for themselves but for the good of their subjects. He also showed that it was always better to be just rather than unjust. Socrates proposes a far different definition of justice than Thrasymachus. Socrates does not accept the "might makes right" definition. As we shall see, Norman chose to emulate on Gor certain aspects of the propositions put forth by Socrates. Norman did not choose to emulate the ways of Thrasymachus, thus he did not accept a "might makes right" philosophy for Gor. Thus, the critics of Gor who try to label Gor as such have failed to properly understand Gorean philosophy, drawing inappropriate conclusions about the "might makes right" concept. By adopting elements of The Republic, Norman has shown that he never intended Gor to be a "might makes right" society.

One of the crucial steps for Socrates in his refutation was to define justice within the individual. But Socrates thought that by examining justice within a larger framework, then it would be far easier to notice and then define justice on an individual level. So, Socrates proposed the example of an ideal city as a philosophical exercise to explore the concept of justice on a grand scale. Socrates then defined justice as it applied to a city and afterwards showed its application to the individual. This led to the explanation of why it was always better to be just rather than unjust. Unlike many other Socratic dialogues, The Republic actually defines the term it is discussing. Most Socratic dialogues simply raised questions about definitions, without offering clear answers. Those dialogues showed the inadequacy of many definitions but failed to provide their own more applicable definition.

As an aside, we should examine one of the Greek virtues, moderation, so that we adequately grasp its meaning. Wisdom and courage are relatively close terms to what we might think but moderation is not quite the same. The Greek term "sophrosune" is often translated as "moderation" or temperance" though it actually has a much broader definition that that to the Greeks. It is more properly defined as "self-control" or "self-mastery," an important aspect of Gorean philosophy as well. Within The Republic itself we can grasp a better understanding of this term. "Self-discipline, I take it, is a kind of order. They say it is a mastery of pleasures and desires, and a person described as being in some way or other master of himself." (430e) "But isn't the phrase 'master of himself' an absurdity? The master of himself must surely also be slave to himself, and the slave to himself must be master of himself. It's the same person being talked about all the time." (430e-431a) "What this way of speaking seems to me to indicate is that in the soul of a single person there is a better part and worse part. When the naturally better part is in control of the worse, this is what is meant by 'master of himself.' It is a term of approval. But when as a result of bad upbringing or bad company the better element, which is smaller, is overwhelmed by the mass of the worse element, this is a matter for reproach. They call a person in this condition a slave to himself, undisciplined." (431a-b)

Now, let us return to the correlations between The Republic and the Gor novels. The first and most blatant correlation that can be found between the two works involves the story of Gyges and the invisible ring. In Tribesman of Gor, Tarl Cabot acquired a ring that could render its wielder invisible. This ring was one of five created by Prasdak, a secretive Kur scientist. The fate of the other rings was mentioned in the books, one having allegedly been lost on Earth. "One was temporarily lost upon the planet Earth some three to four thousand years ago, it being taken from a slain Kur commander by a man named Gyges, a herdsman, who used its power to usurp the throne of a country called Lydia, a country which then existed on Earth." (Explorers of Gor, p.29) Lydia did once exist in classical times and there was even a historical figure named Gyges. But, the historical Gyges was a bodyguard to the Lydian king. He did plot against the king, with the assistance of the king's wife, and eventually overthrew him and became the king himself. But, there was no mention of the historical Gyges ever having been a shepherd or of possessing an invisibility ring. So, did Norman simply modify the historical truths about Gyges to fit his own needs? Did he invent a legend for himself?

No, the tale of Gyges in the Gor books was not really the creation of Norman. The legend of Gyges actually originated in The Republic. Plato created a fictional tale about Gyges, a shepherd who became king of Lydia. After a terrible rainstorm and an earthquake, Gyges found a large hole in the ground. He explored the hole and found a hollow horse of bronze with windows in it. Through the window, he saw a corpse, larger than a human. The corpse was bare except for a golden ring on its hand and Gyges took the ring. Later on, when he twisted the setting toward himself, he found out that he was now invisible. With this new power, he seduced the king's wife, killed the king, and then assumed the throne of Lydia. As Plato originated this tale of Gyges, then Norman had to have borrowed it from him. One of the characters within The Republic used the story of Gyges to illustrate a point that even the best of men will engage in unjust acts if they are assured of not getting caught. The invisibility ring allowed Gyges to avoid being caught so he willingly engaged in unjust behavior to become king. Socrates would later refute this point, claiming that such unjust behavior was never better than being just.

The bulk of The Republic deals with the myriad details of an ideal city proposed by Socrates to assist in the definition of justice. A number of the factors possessed by this ideal city inspired the creation of certain aspects of Gorean society. Though there are some significant differences as well, the basic structure of the ideal city was emulated on Gor. What Norman chose not to adopt from The Republic were many of the more specific details of the actual operation of the ideal city. These details are considered to be some of the more controversial aspects of The Republic. In addition, some of these details would conflict with other concepts and principles that Norman desired for Gorean society. Thus, although Norman borrowed certain aspects from The Republic he chose to ignore others as well.

That is very common with Norman, being selective in his choices of what to adopt for Gor. This is part of what makes Gorean philosophy a unique philosophy. Despite possessing multiple derivations and inspirations, the particular combination of these matters is particular to Gor. Though Gorean philosophy may reflect the philosophies of the ancient Greeks and Romans, there are sufficient differences to ensure that it is truly a unique philosophy. Thus, while each individual tenet and concept within Gorean philosophy may not in of itself be unique, when you combine all of these disparate parts together you do arrive at something original. A basic analogy would be to consider Gorean philosophy to be a recipe. Though it may contain familiar ingredients, how those ingredients are put together can make the recipe original to its chef.

The Republic begins its discussion of an ideal city with the foundation that cities are a necessity for man, an association of people that is based on need. "The origin of a city lies, I think, in the fact that we are not, any of us, self-sufficient; we have all sorts of needs." (369b) "Different individuals, then, form associations with one person to meet one need, and with another person to meet a different need. With this variety of wants they may collect a number of partners and allies into one place of habitation, and to this joint habitation we give the name 'city,' don't we?" (369c) This unity defines a city and it is when the city acts as a whole that it is best. This reflects the Gorean concept of the city and the Home Stone, that symbol that unifies a collection of people for the benefit of all. The welfare of the city is considered more important than any single individual. The city itself is considered to be of vast importance. "For them a city is almost a living thing, or more than a living thing. It is an entity with a history, as stones and rivers do not have history; it is an entity with a tradition, a heritage, customs, practices, character, intentions, hopes. When a Gorean says, for example, that he is "of" Ar, or Ko-ro-ba, he is doing a great deal more than informing you of his place of residence." (Outlaw of Gor, p.22) The nature of the Gorean outlaw also emphasizes the importance of the unity of a city. Outlaws on Gor live a precarious life, cut off from all the benefits of a city, all the unity of caste and Home Stone. No one envies the life of an outlaw, an outlaw who must fight for mere survival each and every day. Goreans understand that man survives far better in a group than alone.

Once The Republic has shown the essential need for a city, it goes on to sketch the outline of the structure of that city. Within the city, for maximum efficiency, productivity and development, each individual should perform a single task. By concentrating on a single task, an individual can perform their job much better than someone who engages in many jobs at once. Such an individual can become a master of his trade. This is essentially the creation of a caste system, a division of labor according to profession. This, not the caste system of India, is the true inspiration for the Gorean Caste system. Thus, critics of the Gorean caste system should concern themselves not with the system of India but with the beliefs of Plato.

Plato states that this specialization of tasks is a natural principle. "And one thing immediately struck me when you said that, which is that one individual is by nature quite unlike another individual, that they differ in their natural aptitudes, and that different people are equipped to perform different tasks." (370b) This quote clearly reflects Gorean philosophical principles. A primary premise of Gorean philosophy is that all people are naturally different, each with his own capabilities and limitations. Gorean philosophy does not stand for the premise that men are inherently superior to women. It stands for the premise that everyone is simply different. The above quote also emphasizes that the Gorean Caste system is in place because it is considered a natural and beneficial way to order society. It was not put in place to be repressive or contrary to nature.

Plato then continues and arranges all of the different castes into three primary groups, each group reflective of a greater philosophical principle. This tripartite division is extremely important to Plato in his definition of justice in both the city and the individual. And this tripartite division is also emulated within the Gorean Caste system, further cementing the correlation between Gor and The Republic. Plato divides his castes into the Guardians, Auxiliaries, and the Productive Class. The Guardians would correlate to the High Castes of Gor, the Auxiliaries to the Warrior Caste and the Productive Class to the Low Castes.

Plato's Guardians are those people who rule the city, those who make the most important decisions. This type of government is considered by Plato to be an aristocracy, the rule of the best, and he believes that it is an ideal form of government. To rule best, these Guardians require the proper education and Plato later elucidates on the contents of that education. On Gor, it is the High Castes who rule the cities of Gor, just like the Guardians rule their city. The High Castes are the only ones permitted to vote and city rulers are supposed to come from the High Castes. And the High Castes are commonly well educated people, professionals, often with significant intellectual prowess. The High Castes include the learned priests, the scholars, the inventors and the doctors.

Plato's Auxiliaries are a caste of Warriors, essentially the same as the Gorean Warrior Caste and also bearing some resemblance to the ancient Spartans. Plato felt that all cities required a permanent class of Warriors and that they needed to be elevated above the common masses. These Warriors needed to be devoted solely to war, as single minded in their profession as any other member of the city. Their education was important as well, to assist in preventing the military from seizing control of the city. In addition, Plato wanted to institute certain restrictions on the Auxiliaries, ones similar to those followed by the ancient Spartans, including communal living and a prohibition against their use of money. Plato did consider the Auxiliaries to be a type of Guardian but also wanted to clearly delineate the differences between the function of the Auxiliaries and the other Guardians. So, by Gorean society considering the Warrior Caste to be a High Caste that would be in accordance with the ideas of Plato that the Auxiliaries were a type of Guardian. By placing the Warrior Caste as the least of the High Castes, this is again in accordance with Plato.

Plato's Productive Class is the most populous segment of the city, encompassing many different castes from merchants to farmers and from artisans to laborers. These would correlate to all of the Low Castes of Gor. Like the Productive Class, the Low Castes of Gor would comprise the largest part of the city. The Productive Class has an important function in the city, performing their proper tasks as well as they can. But, they are supposed to leave the governance of the city to the Guardians. The Low Castes possess a similar function and also are supposed to remain out of city governance.

Similar to the Gorean Caste system, Plato's system made allowance for caste advancement and demotion. His caste system was not static and permitted upward mobility. Demotion, downward mobility, was also a possibility. Plato even allowed for the possibility that a person could advance from the Productive class to become a Guardian. But, Plato also realized that such promotions would be rare, just as they are on Gor. And as on Gor, people in Plato's city would be assessed early in their lives to determine whether they had the potential for advancement or not. Plato wanted people to fit where they best belonged.

The proper education of the citizens of a city, especially the Guardians and Auxiliaries, is crucial to Plato's ideas for it is education that can create the best in someone. That education should contain three elements. "It consists, I take it, of physical education for the body, and music and poetry for the mind or soul." (376e) Why music and poetry? What do they do for someone? "Aren't there two reasons, Glaucon, why musical and poetic education is so important? Firstly because rhythm and mode penetrate more deeply into the inner soul than anything else does; they have the most powerful effect on it, since they bring gracefulness with them. They make a person graceful, if he is rightly brought up, and the opposite, if he is not. And secondly because anyone with the right kind of education in this area will have the clearest perception of things which are unsatisfactory -things which are badly made or naturally defective. Being quite rightly disgusted by them, he will praise what is beautiful and fine. Delighting in it, and receiving it into his soul, he will feed on it and so become noble and good." (401d-402a) Overall, this education is meant to create superior people for this ideal city. "And as simplicity in music and poetry gave souls self-discipline, so simplicity in physical training gives bodies health,..." (404e)

It is the latter part of the longer quotation concerning music and poetry that strikes an accord with Gorean society. Norman has stated previously that Gor is a world of beauty and that if something is not beautiful, then it is not part of Gor. According to Plato then, if Goreans are surrounded by such beauty then they will receive it into their souls and become noble and good. Though Gorean education does not concentrate in the areas indicated by Plato, the emphasis of Gorean society on beauty is still in accordance with the intentions of Plato. The effect may thus be the same.

One aspect of Gorean society, integrally linked to the Caste system is the Double Knowledge. My previous essay on Gorean epistemology detailed numerous aspects of the Double Knowledge, explaining that it was a tool of control, a method for the High Castes to keep the Low Castes in order. And as The Republic is the basic inspiration for the framework of the Gorean Caste system, it is not surprising that it would also be the inspiration for this Double Knowledge. Plato believed in a "noble falsehood," in permitting the Guardians to lie to the Productive Class. "Then again, truth is another thing we must value highly. If we were right just now, if lies really are useless to the gods, and useful to men only in the way medicine is useful, then clearly lying is a task to be entrusted to specialists. Ordinary people should have nothing to do with it." (389b) And who are those specialists? Who should have the ability to lie? "So if anyone is entitled to tell lies, the rulers of the city are. They may do so for the benefit of the city, in response to the actions either of enemies or of citizens. No one else should have anything to do with lying, and for an ordinary citizen to lie to these rulers of ours is as big a mistake -bigger, in fact -as telling your doctor or trainer lies about the condition of your body when you are ill or in training,..." (389c) These lies were intended to generate loyalty to the city and its ruling class. They were also intended to help the Guardians maintain control over the people in the city, just as they are on Gor.

There is even a specific lie used by the Guardians from The Republic that Norman adopted for Gor. "There is a prophecy, god tells them, that the end of the city will come when iron or bronze becomes its guardian." (415c) Each class was symbolized by a metal. Gold stood for the Guardians and silver for the Auxiliaries. Both iron and bronze were representative of the Productive Class. Thus, the people are taught that if a member of the Productive Class were to become the ruler of a city, that city would come to ruin. That is exactly like a part of the Gorean Double Knowledge, warning of the consequences of a man of the Low Castes coming to power. "In fact, in the First Knowledge, there is a story told to the young in their public nurseries, that if a man from Lower Caste should come to rule in a city, the city would come to ruin." (Tarnsman of Gor, p.42) This is another clear indication that Norman was inspired by The Republic, a matter that cannot be simple coincidence.

Book 5 of The Republic begins an examination of some of the more specific details of the functioning of Plato's ideal city. Prior to this Book, Plato had created only a bare bones framework. And it is that framework that Norman adopted for Gor. Norman would choose to exclude many of these later details that Plato added to his city. And it is these details that are considered the most shocking and controversial ideas of Plato. Even within the dialogue, Plato has Socrates hesitant to discuss these details because he knows that they would be controversial, that they would shock the ancient Greeks. And Plato's ideas still have the power to shock even modern day sensibilities. Norman did not avoid adding these details to Gor because they would be shocking or controversial. He avoided them only because they did not conform to his own idea of the philosophy and foundations of Gor.

Plato, though he felt that men and women were different, felt that certain women could occupy any profession just like a man. Thus, Plato's city would permit female Auxiliaries, female warriors, who would actually engage in battle. Gorean society would not permit such a thing, seeing no need or reason to allow women to fight as Warriors. Plato also felt that the Guardians were the most important aspect of the city as they were its rulers. Thus, Plato placed the greatest restrictions upon them. For example, the Guardians must own all their possessions in common with the other Guardians. There is no concept of personal property for them. This extends even as far the families of the Guardians. Children would be raised in common and would not know who their actual parents were. Pairings of the Guardians would be determined by a lottery. Though the lottery was supposed to be a random process, it was rigged so that children would be bred deliberately to produce the best offspring, the concept of eugenics. Children who did not meet high standards might be aborted or exposed after birth. Obviously all of these concepts do not occur in Gorean society. Such matters conflict with the basic principles of Gorean philosophy. These matters are also not essential to the framework for the city provided by Plato.

Another controversial detail of Plato's ideal city was the philosopher - king, who was considered to be the best type of ruler. Plato felt that a city needed a virtuous and expert ruler but that the only kind of ruler that could guarantee possessing those attributes would be a philosopher. The rationale is that a philosopher loves every kind of knowledge and is the only type of person who does so. This love of knowledge will lead to knowledge of ethical matters, thus also producing virtue. A philosopher's passion for wisdom would also reduce his other, baser passions. Since those other desires were suppressed, the philosopher would attain all of the cardinal virtues. The continued explanation of this matter extends into a discussion of the Forms, the highpoint of philosophical inquiry. We shall not deal with that topic as it has little relevance to the topic of our essay. Norman does not introduce this concept into the Gor novels so it is irrelevant to our discussion.

So, once the basics of the ideal city are conceived, how does that help us define justice? As mentioned earlier, the Greeks held that there were four cardinal virtues: wisdom, courage, moderation and justice. These virtues apply not only to the individual but can also be found within a city. In some respects, this treats a city as almost a living entity, another concept borrowed for Gor. A city possesses wisdom if it is structured so that the wise rule. "In which case, the wisdom of a city founded on natural principles depends entirely on its smallest group and element -the leading and ruling element -and the knowledge that element possesses." (429a) Courage is found within the bravery of its Auxiliaries, the warriors. A city possesses moderation when its people agree that the proper people should rule and give proper deference to their superiors. Justice is thus when all three parts of the city work as they are supposed to be, doing the task for which they were appointed. Justice essentially entails that the city runs well by the caste system that has been put into place. This analysis can clearly be applied to Gorean society as well. We can examine these virtues to see if Gorean cities possess justice as Plato defines it.

As an aside, there is a well-known passage from Tarnsman of Gor concerning justice, a discussion between Marlenus, the Ubar of Ar, and Tarl Cabot, a relatively new arrival to Gor. Marlenus explains to Tarl his ideas on the source of justice. "Do you know Tarnsman," he asked, "that there is no justice without the sword?" He smiled down grimly on me. "This is a terrible truth," he said, "and so consider it carefully." He paused. "Without this," he said, touching the blade, "there is nothing -no justice, no civilization, no society, no community, no peace. Without the sword there is nothing." (p.155) "There is no justice until the sword creates it, establishes it, guarantees it, gives it substance and significance." (p.156) "First the sword-" he said, "then government -then law -then justice." (p.156)

First, we must understand that Marlenus, though loved by many, is also considered a tyrant by many. He desires to conquer all of Gor so that he can be its sole ruler, the Ubar of a vast empire. These quotes are his own personal philosophy and may not be indicative of the general Gorean idea on justice. These quotes have sometimes been used by critics of Gor to assert that Gor stands for the proposition that "might equals right." These critics will also comment on other related quotes such as those stating how any man is a Ubar within the reach of his sword. Yet is that what Marlenus truly means? We have already seen earlier how Norman does not follow the beliefs of Thrasymachus, thus not supporting "might makes right." It would also appear that Marlenus is referring to a far different concept here, simply that the unjust side of man needs to be controlled by sanctions, sanctions that might require force to enact. Without this force, there would not be the control necessary for a civilized society. And that is a concept that all of us understand and believe. Where would modern society be without a police force to enforce the laws of our society? Police are one aspect of the "sword" in our society. If police had no power to use force to enforce the laws, what type of chaos would result? And this is not a concept that contradicts Plato either. Plato would agree that within an actual city, force would be needed at times to enforce the laws.

Once that Plato defined justice in the context of the city, he directed his attention to the concept of justice within the individual. But how does the construction of the ideal city mirror the structure of a person? Plato felt that the tripartite division of the city reflected the three parts of a person's soul. The three parts of a person's soul include the reason (or rational aspect), the spirit and the desire (or the irrational aspect). The Guardians represent the reason, the rational rulers. The Auxiliaries represent the spirit, that part of man that savors honor and victory. The Productive Class represents the irrational aspect, man's desires. A person's soul is considered to possess wisdom when it allows its reason to rule. It is courageous when its spirit acts bravely. It possesses moderation when all three parts of the soul accept the rule of reason. And finally, justice entails that all three parts of the soul work properly, each performing its assigned function.

Plato's primary concern, whether at the level of a city or an individual, is to ward against unlimited desire. The irrational aspect of man cannot be allowed to control either a soul or a city. That is a clear path to ruin for both. This concern, the Greek cardinal virtues and the tripartite division of the soul all touch upon the matter of virtue ethics and agent-centered morality. As will be detailed in a future essay, we will see that Gorean morality is based upon an agent-centered morality as opposed to an action-centered morality such as the philosophies of Kant and Bentham. That is a very significant issue in Gorean ethics, a substantial difference from most modern ethical systems. Though Plato is supportive of an agent-centered morality in The Republic, it was endemic to the ancient world. On the contrary, much of our modern world now relies upon action-centered moralities though there is a small contingent pushing for a return to virtue ethics.

Plato freely admits in The Republic that he was discussing an ideal city, one that is very unlikely to ever exist as a reality. But, he did feel that it was at least possible to move toward that ideal. This striving to the ideal would only benefit us. He has Socrates state that every city should strive for the ideal, even if they might never attain it. Thus, his discussion of an ideal city is far more than just a philosophical exercise. It was also a map toward a better lifestyle, to one more in accordance with natural principles. These thoughts on "ideals" and "philosophy" are mirrored in Norman's non-fiction work, The Cognitivity Paradox. In that text, Norman describes how to assess the truth-value of a philosophy by considering its proximity to an ideal. Even though a philosophy may never reach the ideal, Norman states that it still possesses much validity and that the ideal should be the objective, though unattainable. Thus, Plato's influence on Norman extends even further than the Gor novels.

We have now seen numerous correlations between The Republic and the Gorean series. The Republic was quite clearly a significant inspiration for Gor. Understanding the correlations and inspirations has provided us with a deeper comprehension of Gorean society and philosophy. This type of comprehension has also been shown to elude many of the critics of Gor, as they fail to grasp the true inspirations of Gor. This deeper comprehension would not have been possible if we had only read the Gor books. It necessitated a reading and understanding of Plato's The Republic. Thus, it would be fruitful for anyone who truly seeks the deepest comprehension of Gor to explore materials outside of the Gorean books, outside of Norman's other novels and non-fiction materials. If you seek out the inspirations for Gor, you may find more answers than you might have thought possible.

"Books cannot answer back and respond to the objections they provoke; there is no real dialogue of minds between writer and reader, only between two people actually engaged in philosophical discussion. Plato is deeply influenced by the idea that true knowledge is something that can only be gained by each individual in his or her own case, by thinking things through and questioning everything accepted. There is no short-cut to understanding by passively reading a book."

(An Introduction to Plato's Republic by Julia Annas, Oxford University Press 1981, p.2)

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