第12章_性教育 - 性道徳教育の共通問題
私は,狭い意味での性道徳教育について議論するつもりはない。これは,いろいろと意見の分かれる問題である。キリスト教徒と回教徒,カトリック教徒と離婚を容認する新教徒,自由思想家と中世主義者とでは,それぞれ,意見が異なっている。親たちはみな,自分が信じている特定の種類の性道徳をわが子に教えてほしいと願うであろう。従って,私は,国家が親たちに干渉することを望まない。ともかく,ここでやっかいな問題に首を突っ込まなくても,共通の土台(立場)となりうるものは非常に多く存在している。 まず第一に,衛生の問題がある。若い人たちは,性病にかかる危険を冒さないうちに性病(性交によって伝わる病気)について知らなければならない。彼らは,一部の人たちが道徳のために行なっているような誇張を交えずに,性病についての真実を教えられなければならない。性病の避け方と性病の治し方の両方について学習しなければならない。完璧に道徳的な人々に必要な知識だけを与えて,完璧でないその他の人びとに降りかかる不幸を罪に対する正当な罰だと見なすことは,間違っている。それではちょうど,不注意な運転は罪であるという理由で,自動車事故でけがをした人を助けるのを拒否するのと同じである。その上,どちらの場合においても,無実の人びとに罰が下されることもある。不注意なドライバーのためにひかれた人は邪悪だとは言えないが,それとまったく同様に,梅毒をもって生まれた子供が邪悪だと主張することは誰もできない. |
Pt.2 Education of Character - Chap.12 Sex educationI suppose it is unnecessary at this date to argue that boys and girls must be treated alike. When I was young it was still quite common for a "well-brought-up " girl to marry before knowing anything about the nature of marriage, and to have to learn it from her husband ; but I have not often heard of such a thing in recent years. I think most people recognize nowadays that a virtue dependent upon ignorance is worthless, and that girls have the same right to knowledge as boys. If there are any who still fail to recognize this, they are not likely to read the present work, so that it is not worth while to argue with them.I do not propose to discuss the teaching of sexual morality in the narrower sense. This is a matter as to which a variety of opinions exist. Christians differ from Mohammedans, Catholics from Protestants who tolerate divorce, freethinkers from medievalists. Parents will all wish their children taught the particular brand of sexual morality in which they believe themselves, and I should not wish the State to interfere with them. But without going into vexed questions, there is a good deal that might be common ground. There is first of all hygiene. Young people must know about venereal disease before they run the risk of it. They should be taught about it truthfully, without the exaggerations which some people practise in the interests of morals. They should learn both how to avoid it and how to cure it. It is a mistake to give only such instruction as is needed by the perfectly virtuous, and to regard the misfortunes which happen to others as a just punishment of sin. We might as well refuse to help a man who has been injured in a motoring accident, on the ground that careless driving is a sin. Moreover, in the one case as in the other, the punishment may fall upon the innocent; no one can maintain that children born with syphilis are wicked, any more than that a man is wicked if a careless motorist runs over him. |
(掲載日:2015.06.04/更新日: )