ABANDONED. SciFi theme of honor

[Lance]

On a post-technological planet, a warrior and his elderly mentor are condemned to fight to the death in an arena. To save his mentor, the warrior chooses the weapon: the debate. The mentor asks, "What is honor?" The warrior unintentionally wins the debate and is banished. Years later, his daughter returns. The cover had a gauntlet.

The author was a Russian-American woman. The book was published between 1977 and 1982. (In an afterward, the author disses the film "Wizards", released in 1977; I read it before I moved in 1982).

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Lance, are you still looking for this book?

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

No response in 2+ years. Moving to Abandoned.