Liber II, Pars I — Quale sit consilium mulierum: et quod earum consilio non est utendum simpliciter sed in casu. Cap. XXIII.

Liber II, Pars I — Quale sit consilium mulierum: et quod earum consilio non est utendum simpliciter sed in casu. Cap. XXIII.

The counsel of women, as it is said, is weak. The counsel of politicians is invalid, for just as a boy has imperfect counsel because it falls short of the perfection of a man, so also a woman has invalid counsel because she has an imperfect disposition. And it falls short of the strength of a man. Moreover, the fact that women are not robust in body is not due to the goodness of their disposition, but to malice; for the softness of the flesh in them more strongly indicates a lack of vigor than the goodness of their disposition, and therefore, since this is the case, women must fall short of reason and have invalid counsel. For the better the body is formed, the more it is proportionate to the soul; hence it serves the soul better, and the soul, existing in such a body, uses its faculties more freely and has a more effective use of reason. First, therefore, what must be considered in the counsel of women is that it is invalid. Secondly, what must be considered is that it is quick and hasty. For, as the philosopher says in On Animals, all lesser and weaker creatures come to their completion more quickly. The counsel of women is therefore weaker and less valid than that of men, and it comes more quickly to its conclusion. Therefore, all else being equal, if someone needs to act immediately and cannot take sufficient time to deliberate on the matter, a woman's counsel would be preferable to a man's. For nature, when moved by intellects and by God, in whom is supreme wisdom, must act in an orderly and prudent manner. It is prudent to quickly take care of oneself and to spend a little time on lesser matters that require less attention. Hence, it is proverbially said that a bad weed grows quickly. Because nature, taking little care of it, quickly brings it to its growth. Thus, a woman, as far as her body is concerned, has a more perfect existence than a man. For when the soul follows the complexion of the body, just as the body of a woman, being of lesser value, receives less care from nature, it comes more quickly to its fulfillment than that of a man. Thus, a woman's counsel is quicker to reach completion and perfection than a man's. Therefore, in general, a man's counsel is better than a woman's, because a man is superior in reason, while a woman has a weaker counsel. However, in certain cases, a woman's counsel can be better than a man's, especially when it is quicker to achieve its purpose, as might be necessary in urgent situations.