Wisdom from within
The art of bringing admirable truths to birth
Did you know Socrates, born of a midwife mother, described himself as a midwife of thought?
Have you never heard that I am the son of a midwife...and that I practice the same trade? It is not known that I possess this skill, so the ignorant world describes me in other terms: As an eccentric person who reduces people to hopeless perplexity...
The only difference [between my trade and that of midwives] is that my patients are men, not women, and my concern is not with the body but with the soul that is experiencing birth pangs. And the highest achievement of my art is the power to try by every test to decide whether the offspring of a young man's thought is a false phantom or is something imbued with life and truth.
I am like the midwife, in that I cannot myself give birth to wisdom. The common reproach is true, that, though I question others, I can myself bring nothing to light because there is no wisdom in me...Of myself I have no sort of wisdom, nor has any discovery ever been born to me as the child of my soul. Those who frequent my company at first appear, some of them, quite unintelligent, but, as we go further with our discussions, [some] make progress at a rate that seems surprising to others as well as to themselves, although it is clear that they have never learned anything from me. The many admirable truths which they bring to birth have been discovered by themselves from within...
- Excerpts from Plato's Theaetetus
I think this is such a powerful topic for contemplation in all aspects of life—but especially in real birth.
What I’m thinking about lately: Evidence-based care can only take us so far whether it’s for birth, sickness, or death. When the facts run out, as they inevitably do, only from within can anyone bring forward and test their own admirable truth.
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“Evidence-based care can only take us so far whether it’s for birth, sickness, or death. When the facts run out, as they inevitably do, only from within can anyone bring forward and test their own admirable truth.” This hit me so close to home. I studied midwifery for 2.5 years before coming to terms with the fact that I couldn’t support the atrocities that occurs within the system. While I’ll always make room for nuance, the overuse of intervention is severely disturbing birth and womens, babies and families experiences. Thank you for articulating this so well.