~~ Education ~~
"The ethical teachings of Gor, which are independent of the claims and
propositions of the Initiates, amount to little more than the Caste
Codes--collections of sayings whose origins are lost in antiquity."
"Tarnsman of Gor" page 40/1
“The meaning of history,” I said, “lies not in the future. It is like a
range of mountains with many summits. Great deeds are the meaning of
history. There are many meanings and many summits. One may climb
different mountains at different times, but each mountain glows in the
same sun.”
"Beasts of Gor" page 33
"Occasionally heralds, or criers, would pass by, calling out news or
announcements. Many on this world, you see, cannot read. Thus the
importance of the heralds, the criers, and such. Many things are
advertised, too, in such a way, by calling out bargains, the fruits in
season, the markets, the cost of cloth, and such. Too, one may hear men,
or often boys, for it costs less to hire them, calling out the
pleasures of various taverns, and the delights that may be found in
within."
"Witness of Gor" page 37
First Knowledge
"The classical knowledge distinctions on Gor tend to follow caste lines,
the first knowledge being regarded as appropriate for the lower castes
and the second knowledge for the higher castes. That there is a third
knowledge, that of Priest-Kings, is also a common belief. The
distinctions, however, between knowledge tend to be somewhat imperfect
and artificial. For example, the second knowledge, while required of the
higher castes and not of the lower castes, is not prohibited to the
lower castes. It is not a body of secret or jealously guarded truths,
for example. Gorean libraries, like the tables of Kaissa tournaments,
tend to be open to men of all castes."
Kajira of Gor" page 388/9
"Earth origin, incidentally, was not a part of the First Knowledge, though it was of the Second."
"Tarnsman of Gor" page 45
"Goreans are extremely sensitive about names, and who may speak them.
Indeed, particularly those of low caste, even have use names, concealing
their true names, lest they be discovered by enemies and used to
conjure spells against them."
"Assassin of Gor" page 12
Second Knowledge
"'You must learn,' Torm had said matter-of-factly, 'the history and
legends of Gor, its geography and economics, its social structures and
customs, such as the caste system and clan groups, the right of placing
the Home Stone, the Places of Sanctuary, when quarter is and is not
permitted in war, and so on.'"
"Tarnsman of Gor" Page 40
"I was also instructed in the Double Knowledge - that is, I was
instructed in what the people, on the whole, believed, and then I was
instructed in what the intellectuals were expected to know. Sometimes
there was a surprising discrepancy between the two. For example, the
populations as a whole, the castes below the High Castes, were
encouraged to believe that their world was a broad flat disc. Perhaps
this was to discourage them from exploration or to develop in them a
habit of relying on common-sense prejudices - something of a social
control device."
"Tarnsman of Gor" Page 41
"On the other hand, the High Castes, specifically the Warriors,
Builders, Scribes, Initiates and Physicians, were told the truth in such
matters, perhaps because it was thought they would eventually determine
it for themselves, from observations such as the shadow of their planet
on one or another of Gor's three small moons during eclipses, the
phenomenon of sighting the tops of distant objects first, and the fact
that certain stars could not be seen from certain geographical
positions; if the planet had been flat, precisely the same set of stars
would have been observable from every position on its surface."
"Tarnsman of Gor" Page 41
"I wondered, however, if the Second Knowledge that of the intellectuals
might not be as carefully tailored to preclude inquiry on their level as
the First Knowledge apparently was to preclude inquiry on the level of
the Lower Castes. I would guess that there is a Third Knowledge that
reserved to the Priest-Kings."
"Tarnsman of Gor" Page 41
Third Knowledge
"The classical knowledge distinctions on Gor tend to follow caste lines,
the first knowledge being regarded as appropriate for the lower castes
and the second knowledge for the higher castes. That there is a Third
Knowledge, that of Priest-Kings, is also a common belief. The
distinctions, however, between knowledge tend to be somewhat imperfect
and artificial. For example, the second knowledge, while required of the
higher castes and not of the lower castes, is not prohibited to the
lower castes. It is not a body of secret or jealously guarded truths,
for example. Gorean libraries, like the tables of Kaissa tournaments,
tend to be open to men of all castes."
"Kajira of Gor" page 388