“All of us are pregnant”: women and metaphors of sexual reproduction in Plato’s Symposium and Theaetetus
Embargo Date
2026-09-30
OA Version
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Abstract
In Plato’s Theaetetus, when Socrates explains his pedagogical practice, he claims that he practices the art of midwifery, the very same art as his mother. Similarly, in the Symposium, when Socrates praises Eros (love or sexual desire), he draws on the words of his teacher, Diotima of Mantinea. Diotima told him that “all human beings are pregnant.” (206c) In both cases, Socrates’ descriptions of coming to know rely on verbs usually used to describe the physical workings of women’s bodies. What do pregnancy and giving birth capture about coming to know? This dissertation argues that Plato’s metaphors of pregnancy and birth present knowledge acquisition as a generative process that is interpersonally informed and collaborative. Pregnancy is used to describe a generative power that begins as part of oneself and is developed over time through engagement with other people.
Other scholars have interpreted Plato’s metaphors of sexual reproduction as an erasure of the feminine. By contrast, my approach is rooted in attending to the particular context in which these metaphors are used and the female knowers associated with these metaphors. With this focus, I find that Plato’s depictions of Diotima and midwives draw on the particular circumstances surrounding women at the time. In chapters one and two, I offer a reading of Diotima’s speech that begins with her status as a foreign woman in classical Athens. I use this historical context to argue for a generative understanding of the metaphors of pregnancy and birth. I examine how the focus on feminine verbs of pregnancy and birth persists throughout the ladder of love, particularly in interactions that are informed by the needs of others. The theme of giving birth culminates in the philosopher educating another in a way that is interpersonally informed. As a result of this close reading, I argue that Socrates’ description feminizes the philosopher who strives toward knowledge. Chapter three argues that Plato uses this feminization to critique the male-dominated cultural scripts surrounding pederasty. These cultural scripts treat wisdom or knowledge as something the lover contains and gives to the beloved in exchange for sexual favors. Opposingly, when Socrates claims that he is a midwife for young men, he presents himself as someone who enables his interlocutors to better understand what is developing within themselves. Socrates and his interlocutor collaborate in this generative process. Chapters four and five focus on this practice of midwifery, first as the sort of expertise practiced by Socrates and his mother, and then as it influences the generative power of the birthing person. The dissertation ends by contextualizing my reading alongside other claims about Plato on women.