Maieutics or Socratic Method consists of a philosophical practice developed by Socrates where, through questions on a certain subject, the interlocutor is led to discover the truth about something.
For this Greek philosopher, all knowledge is latent in the human mind, which can be stimulated through insightful answers to questions.
The art of giving birth to knowledge
Maieutics is associated with the technique of "giving birth to knowledge", since this is present in every human being. Knowledge should only be surfaced little by little with the help of some guiding stimuli.
One of the most iconic phrases by this philosopher simplifies the idea of what Socrates' maieutics would be: "know yourself". Now, according to the Socratic dialectic, the truth is inside the man, it is up to him to reflect and reach the so-called "universal truths".
Etymologically, maieutics originated from the Greek term maieutik, which means "art of midwifery". Socrates used this expression in association with the work of midwives-his mother's profession-since for the philosopher, his method provided the "intellectual birth" of individuals.
Maieutics is presented by Socrates in the dialogue with the young Theaetetus, which was written by Plato. Socrates left nothing written and most of what is known about Socratic philosophy was written by his disciple Plato.
Statue of Socrates in Athens, Greece.
Socratic Dialectical Method
The dialectical method was created by Sócrates during IV century; Ç. and aimed at elucidating the true knowledge on a given subject, based on the reflection on the answers obtained from apparently simple and naive questions.
Also called Socratic dialogue, this method was used by Socrates for his interlocutor to reach knowledge. For him, there was a truth, which was inside each one. This is what reveals his phrase: “The truth can only be reached if the soul is pregnant with it”.
The first phase of this method, when the questions are asked, is called irony. Maieutics would be the final part of this method, when knowledge “is born” from the conclusions drawn by the interlocutor.
See also the meaning of dialectic.
Irony and Maieutics
The Socratic method is composed of irony and maieutics. Irony, in this case, has a different meaning from what we know in Portuguese, it originates from the word eirein from the Greek, which means to ask. THE irony in the method, therefore, is the moment at which the interlocutor was interrogated.
In practice, Socrates questioned his interlocutor about some idea or concept, for example: “what is justice?”. As his interlocutor answered him, he asked other questions that made him fall into contradictions.
In this way, the interlocutor was led to doubt about the subject he thought he knew, until the moment he admitted ignorance regarding the subject. Socrates' goal was not to constrain, but, purify knowledge, dispelling illusions, prejudices or knowledge based on opinions, without rational foundation.
Maieutics is the end of the process, when the interlocutor, after questioning his ideas and conceptions, reconstructs his understanding with more complex ideas. This is when he gives birth to new knowledge.
This is a process that helps the interlocutor to divest himself of everything he believes he knows, because only from the recognition of his own ignorance will he be able to find the answers.
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Who was Socrates?
Sócrates was a Greek philosopher born between 470 and 469 a. Ç. in Athens. Everything that is known about this philosopher was written by his disciples, especially Plato. He himself left no written records of his ideas.
A model of integrity and ethics in Athenian society, Socrates believed that men should devote their time more to seeking the that one does not know what to transmit the knowledge they believed they knew, that is, they should be under constant investigation.
According to the philosopher, wisdom would only be possible with the recognition of one's own ignorance, which is what his famous phrase portrays: "I only know that I know nothing”.
See also the meaning of ancient philosophy, sophism and Ancient Greece.