What does “Anyone who is married” mean in “Anyone who is married should know that facts and logic are not always helpful to one’s cause”? [closed]

Solution 1:

The meaning is literal here. Anyone who is married just means "any person who is married".

The implication is probably that in marital disputes, or generally in the life of a married couple, the fact that one of the parties operates based on facts and in a logical way is at best orthogonal (if not harmful) to the outcome of the dispute, or the general balance, for that party; it might take quite different skills than logical, factual reasoning to win a marital dispute or to be generally contented in one's marriage. It is implied that such an experience, which might be counter-intuitive, can be gained in marriage. "Should know" means "can be expected to know/to have learned".

As such, the statement is strongly biased to say the very least. It is presumably a joke, harping on what the author expects to be a shared meme or feeling (about marriage).

Solution 2:

Benn Steil appears to be making a comparison between the inadequacy of mere logic and facts for deciding outcomes in one sphere of human relations (marriage), and the parallel inadequacy of logic and facts in another sphere of human relations/activity (economics and politics).

Keynes, Steil notes, was (or ought to have been) particularly familiar with the limitations of logic and facts in these areas, because he was both a married man and an economist.

So Steil is making both a general point about what he believes all married people know, and a particular (mildly humorous) point about what J M Keynes could be expected to know.

Solution 3:

Simply put.

As any "logical" married person (i.e. a man) will tell you, it's difficult to settle disputes (i.e causes) using facts and logic with a person who does not (i.e. a woman). It's quite a sexist comment.

There is no dispute as to the meaning of the following

as anyone who is married...

as any married person...

it refers to any husband or any wife.

What's interesting to note, if you click on the above Google links, are the verbs and fixed expressions that are used in conjunction: knows, understands, can testify and will tell you. These are phrases usually directed at unmarried people who cannot relate, or are incapable of appreciating the problems and difficulties which typically occur in marriages. "As any married person knows" can be a presumptuous, somewhat arrogant statement, one which may infuriate many intelligent single people, but nevertheless it is an ingrained premise, one that is familiar to most. Think of it as being similar to the cliché: Until you have a child of your own, you don't understand... etc.

anyone who is married should know (i.e. learned this to be true)

Now up to this point, I would argue fiercely that this refers to any man or woman who is in a marriage, it is what follows that premise that narrows the choice.

But anyone who is married should know that facts and logic are not always helpful to one’s cause.

I am nearly fifty years old (I never thought I'd pull out the age card) and I cannot tell you the number of times I've heard and read that women are emotional, sensitive, instinctive and impulsive creatures who have great empathy, whilst men are better at map reading, can park cars better, are more into the sciences, and their brains are larger— actually that last bit is true.

There is a world famous book called Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus which in my view has perpetuated these stereotypical beliefs. Wikipedia provides this little nugget (emphasis mine):

One example is men's complaint that if they offer solutions to problems that women bring up in conversation, the women are not necessarily interested in solving those problems, but want mainly to talk about them.

I hope, I have now explained the rationale and experience behind my original answer.