アダム・スミス「公平な観察者」について（44）平静さを失わないこと

The man who, in danger, in torture, upon the approach of death, preserves his tranquillity unaltered, and suffers no word, no gesture to escape him which does not perfectly accord with the feelings of the most indifferent spectator, necessarily commands a very high degree of admiration. If he suffers in the cause of liberty and justice, for the sake of humanity and the love of his country, the most tender compassion for his sufferings, the strongest indignation against the injustice of his persecutors, the warmest sympathetic gratitude for his beneficent intentions, the highest sense of his merit, all join and mix themselves with the admiration of his magnanimity, and often inflame that sentiment into the most enthusiastic and rapturous veneration. The heroes of ancient and modern history, who are remembered with the most peculiar favour and affection, are, many of them, those who, in the cause of truth, liberty, and justice, have perished upon the scaffold, and who behaved there with that ease and dignity which became them. - Adam Smith, The Theory of moral sentiments, 6th edition.: Book 6: Chapter 3

（危険に直面し、苦悶し、死が近づいても、変わらぬ平静さを失わず、最も無関心な観衆の感情に完全にしっくりしないような言葉やしぐさを一切漏らさない人物は、必然として大絶賛される。自由と正義のため、人間愛と祖国愛のために罰せられるならば、その受難に対する最も優しい同情、迫害者の不正に対する最も強い憤り、彼の慈悲深い意図に対し最も暖かく共感する感謝、彼の功労を最高に称える感覚、それらすべてが彼の寛大な行為への賞賛に加わり、混ざり合い、しばしばその感情を最も熱狂的で熱烈な崇拝へと燃え上がらせる。最も特別な好意と愛情をもって記憶されている、古今歴史上の英雄は、その多くが、真理、自由、正義のために、処刑台の上で非業の死を遂げ、そこで彼らに相応（ふさわ）しい安逸と威厳をもって振舞った人々なのである）― アダム・スミス『道徳感情論』第６版：第６部：第３章

War is the great school both for acquiring and exercising this species of magnanimity. Death, as we say, is the king of terrors; and the man who has conquered the fear of death, is not likely to lose his presence of mind at the approach of any other natural evil. In war, men become Familiar with death, and are thereby necessarily cured of that superstitious horror with which it is viewed by the weak and unexperienced. They consider it merely as the loss of life, and as no further the object of aversion than as life may happen to be that of desire. They learn from experience, too, that many seemingly great dangers are not so great as they appear; and that, with courage, activity, and presence of mind, there is often a good probability of extricating themselves with honour from situations where at first they could see no hope. – Ibid.

（戦争は、この種の大らかさを身に付け、それを発揮もするための偉大な学校である。死は、所謂（いわゆる）恐怖の王であり、死の恐怖に打ち勝った人間は、他の自然悪が近付いても平静さを失わない。戦争では、人は、死に慣れてしまい、弱く経験の浅い者が死を迷信的な恐怖の目で見るようなことがなくなる。死はただ命が失われるだけのことであり、偶（たま）さか欲望の対象となるわけでもなければ嫌悪の対象でもないと見做される。一見大きな脅威に見えることの多くが、見掛けほど大きくはないということ、勇気と行動力と心の平静があれば、最初は希望が見出せなかった状況からでも、名誉を失わずに十分抜け出せることが多いということも、彼らは経験から学ぶのである）― 同

The dread of death is thus greatly diminished; and the confidence or hope of escaping it, augmented. They learn to expose themselves to danger with less reluctance. They are less anxious to get out of it, and less apt to lose their presence of mind while they are in it. It is this habitual contempt of danger and death which ennobles the profession of a soldier, and bestows upon it, in the natural apprehensions of mankind, a rank and dignity superior to that of any other profession. The skilful and successful exercise of this profession, in the service of their country, seems to have constituted the most distinguishing feature in the character of the favourite heroes of all ages. – Ibid.

（こうして、死への恐怖は大いに減退し、死から逃れる自信や希望は増大する。人々は、危険に身を晒（さら）すことを嫌がらなくなる。危険から逃れたがらなくなり、危険に晒されていても心の平静を失わなくなる。兵士という職業を高貴なものとし、人間の自然な認識において、他のどの職業にも優る地位と尊厳を与えるのは、このような危険と死を軽視する習慣なのである。祖国のためにこの職業を首尾よく巧みに行使することは、あらゆる時代の英雄たちの人格における最も際立った特徴であったと思われる）― 同