人間論─男と女

●東北大学
●1987年
●テーマ：人間－男と女

Many a man complains bitterly that his wife will not attempt to reason things out. Many a wife feels that her husband is all reason, able to argue about anything under the sun, but never able to go straight to the truth as she feels she can. The truth is that, generally speaking, men are rational, and women intuitive.

Needless to say, women are no more guided exclusively by intuition than men are by reason. There are women whose make-up includes an almost masculine approach to life. There are men ― especially those with artistic gifts ― who possess marked intuitive tendencies.

If the husband will keep this fact in mind, it will help him avoid one basic error which causes an immense amount of disagreement and friction. It is a mistake for him to use cold reasoning to overcome anything which he cannot understand in his wife. The wife who feels deeply about something or other may well feel like screaming, and indeed may do so, if she is confronted with a series of arguments, however logical they may be. Indeed, the more persuasive the arguments, the more irritating they are bound to be.

The wise husband realizes that a woman's intuition is part of her basic make-up, and must therefore be respected. He will accept the undeniable fact that it is a quality which often yields flashes of genius and reaches areas of truth that mere reasoning can never find. He will seek to understand his wife, not to try to make her reason as he does. The greater the understanding, the deeper the admiration. There will grow a feeling of wonder that this gift of intuition can so often solve problems which a reasoning brain can work on for hours and still not answer.

【全文訳】
多くの男性は、うちの女房はなかなか物事を論理的に考え抜こうとしないと 不満をこぼす.。（それに対して）多くの女性は、うちの 主人は全く理屈ばかりで、ありとあらゆることについてでも議論をふっかけ てくるくせに、女性の私（ができると感じているの）とは違って真実にまっす ぐたどり着くことができないと感じている。 実は一般的に言えば、男性は理性的、女性は直観的なものなのだ。

　言うまでもなく、女性がもっぱら直観にだけ導かれるものでないのは、男性が理性によってのみ導かれているわけではないのと同じである。女性の中にも、その性格により、男性的な生活をする女性もいる。男性の中にも－特に芸術的才能に恵まれている男性には、著しく直感的な傾向を示す人もいる。

　夫がこうした事実を心にとめておく気があれば、多くの不協和音や摩擦の原因となる基本的な過ちを避けることに役立つだろう。夫が冷たい論理で、妻の心の中にある理解し難いどんなものも押さえつけてしまおうとするのは間違いである。何かあることについて深い思い入れのある妻は、次々と議論をふっかけられれば、それがどんなに論理的であろうとも、叫びだしたくなるのは当然のことであり、また現にそうしてしまうかもしれない。実際のところ、夫の議論が筋の通るものであればあるほど、それは余計いら立たせることにもなる。

賢明な夫というものは、女性の直観は根本的な性格の一部になっているので、尊重されねばならないことに気づいている。それがしばしば天才的なひらめきを生み出し、単なる理屈では決して見い出すことのできない真理の領域に分け入る特質であるという否定できない事実を受け入れるのである。賢明な夫というものは、妻をわかろうとし、自分と同じように妻にも理屈で考えるようしむけようとはしないのである。 理解が深まれば深まるほど、それだけ尊敬の念も深くなるものである。理性的な頭脳が何時間かかっても、まだ答えの出せない問題を直観というこうした天賦の才能がしばしば解決してしまうことに驚嘆の念が広がるのである。

【構文研究】

〈　　〉：名詞節　　［　　］：形容詞節　　（　　）：副詞節

《第１パラグラフ》
[1] Many a man complains bitterly
〈that his wife will not attempt to reason things out〉.

[2] Many a wife
feels
〈that her husband is all reason,/
able to argue about anything /
under the sun,/
but
never able to go straight /
to the truth
（as she feels〈she can〉）.

○she can = she can to straight to the truth

[3] The truth is〈that, generally speaking,/ men are rational,
and
women intuitive〉.

○The truth is that ～「実は～」

○generally speaking 「一般的に言えば」

○intuitive ：men are tational との対比で意味を推測しましょう。

《第２パラグラフ》
[1] Needless to say,
women are no more guided exclusively / by intuition
（than men are / by reason）.

○A is no more B than C is [D].

「ＡがＢでないのはＣがＤでないのと同じだ」

[2] There are women
［whose make-up
includes
an almost masculine approach to life］.

[3] There are men ― especially those / with artistic gifts ―
［who possess marked intuitive tendencies］.

《第３パラグラフ》
[1]（If the husband will keep this fact / in mind）,
it will help him /
avoid one basic error
［which causes
an immense amount
of disagreement and friction］.

[2] It is a mistake /
for him /
to use cold reasoning /
to overcome anything［which he cannot understand］
in his wife.

[3] The wife［who feels deeply about something or other］
may well feel like screaming,/
and indeed
may do so,
（if she is confronted with a series of arguments）,
（however logical / they may be）.

[4] Indeed, （the more persuasive / the arguments）,
the more irritating / they are bound to be.

○The 比較級～, the 比較級・・・　「～すればするほど・・・」

《第４パラグラフ》
[1] The wise husband realizes
〈that a woman's intuition is part of her basic make-up,/
and
must therefore be respected〉.

[2] He
will accept
the undeniable fact
〈that it is a quality
［which often yields flashes of genius /
and
reaches areas of truth
［that mere reasoning
can never find］〉.

[3] He will seek to understand his wife,/
not to try to make her / reason（as he does）.

[4] （The greater / the understanding）,
the deeper / the admiration.

[5] There
will grow
a feeling of wonder
〈that this gift of intuition
can so often solve
problems
［which a reasoning brain
can work on /
for hours /
and
still not answer］〉.