What is the opposite of “natural”?
The obvious answer is “artificial.” The obvious answer is not the right answer.
I worry that the rhetoric around “natural birth” has gone too far, ignoring issues of discretion, the possibility of good doctors, and the reality of the risks of childbirth.
“Artificial” comes from the Latin Artificial objects/Artificial objects: “handicraft”, defined as something made or produced by humans. “Art” as an expression through a medium also shares the same origin.
Art and Nature
I recently attended a lecture by Oxford philosopher Dr. Jan Benz entitled “Objective Beauty in a Subjective World: An Introduction to the Philosophical Problem of Beauty.” Dr. Benz began with the same question, but went on to explain the notion that Plato, Aristotle, and later Thomas Aquinas held that art, properly understood, continuation Not the opposite of nature, but the opposite of nature. To the ancients, nature was not the wilderness itself, but the divine imagination, or logos. Thus, Dr. Benz argues, the opposite of nature is actually the opposite of logos. chaos.
He further stated that good art is in accordance with nature by reflecting its material and spiritual realities.Beautiful art must have three elements: Integritas (Completeness), consonant (proportion), and Claritas (clarity). By these standards we can judge beauty.
Good art is not the whimsical, random expression we often see in modern museums. A truly good artist must be trained to imitate nature through his chosen medium (out of chaos through order). Moreover, a good artist becomes an even better artist through interdisciplinary study. In the classical worldview, art forms are not separate mechanisms of autonomous expression, but diverse modes with the unified purpose of discovering and expressing the truth.
Just before the talk, I was talking with a female friend about a conflict in the ongoing mommy wars: “natural” birth versus medically assisted birth (deemed “unnatural” or artificial in this discourse). A dear friend had just been through a very difficult experience: an early C-section after placenta previa, followed by several days in the NICU with her little warrior.
False dichotomy
What struck me during the lecture was that the debate over home birth versus hospital birth may be falling into the same false dichotomy as the contemporary art world, which emphasizes non-relational autonomy and prioritizes ideas over technology.
Many home birth advocates believe that medical intervention is unnecessary. Inevitably It interferes with the “natural” process of birth, which is driven solely by instinct.
However, if we think of medicine as an art, as Hippocrates did, then the medical act itself is not “unnatural” but rather a continuation of nature, as is evidenced by the original Hippocratic Oath.
I swear by Apollo the physician, and Æsculapius the surgeon, and by Hygieia and Panacea, and call all the gods and goddesses as witnesses, that I will observe and observe this oath to the best of my power and judgment.
I respect the masters who have taught me their art. Like parents, I give him the necessities of life and treat his sons as brothers. I teach them my art without payment or agreement and I will pass on all that I have learned, taught and know to the children of my masters as to my own children. I will likewise bind all my students with professional oaths, There is no one else here.
As regards the treatment of the sick, I will, according to my judgement and means, devise and prescribe for them the best diet, and take care that they do not suffer any injury or harm, nor will I administer poison to anyone at their entreaty, nor will I urge anyone to do so. Furthermore, I would not give any kind of medicine to a pregnant woman with the intent of killing her child. Furthermore, I share my knowledge A reverent attitude.
I do not intend to cut the stone, but will leave that task entirely to the surgeon.
Whatever the house I visit, my visits are for the convenience and benefit of my patients, and whether the people I am obliged to treat be mistress or servant, slave or freeman, I willingly refrain from any harm or wrongdoing by false pretenses, and (especially) from romantic practices.
Whatever I see or hear in the course of my training (even when uninvited), whatever knowledge I happen to acquire, if it would be inappropriate to speak it out loud, I keep it sacred and secret within my own bosom. If I keep this vow, I will prosper in fortune and profession, and live a life that will be respected by posterity; if I break this vow, the opposite fate awaits me.
Medicine, when practiced in this way, demonstrates respect for the body and nature, and a commitment to restoring them to their original state. Completeness in ratio Whatever the situation Clarityit is certainly The art of medicine And it's not unnatural, it's a beautiful collaboration with nature. The act of helping others is perhaps the most natural part of the human experience, in the sense that God created us for each other, to live in harmony in community and to cooperate with His will.
Something less than art
But there is understandable skepticism toward the medical community. I gave birth to my child at home with a great team of midwives. As I began my journey as a homebirth mother in 2020, nurses, doctors, and hospital administrators have rightly behaved in ways that sow distrust, spread misinformation about COVID vaccines, make accessing care difficult and inconvenient, and violate HIPAA.
In obstetrics especially, the causes of distrust go back much further. The normalization of abortion, the deliberate destruction of human life, has made medicine an art less than an art because it is fundamentally an act of violation of nature. “Chains of intervention” and prescribing with financial gain in mind are also frequently cited by homebirth and freebirth advocates as reasons to avoid hospitals. Many of us know women who have suffered terrible outcomes due to medical abuse or neglect. This often represents a lack of proportionate care for patients and an inherently arrogant approach that causes more harm than necessary.
Good doctors are hard to find. And yet I worry that the rhetoric around “natural birth” has gone too far, ignoring issues of prudence, the possibility of good doctors, and the reality of the risks of childbirth. The arrogant and radical self-reliance implicit in the promoters of the “free birth” movement is not a proper “return to nature,” as they call themselves, but a worship of chaos made plausible by the betrayal of modern medicine. The irony is that, while superficially cringey, this is the real betrayal of nature.
Perhaps this conflict is necessary to expose the shortcomings of both sides and to encourage women to make careful decisions about where to give birth. I am concerned that the highly politicized rivalry, superiority complexes, and sleazy condescension on both sides will encourage the opposite. In any case, I think the issue of art adds a new dimension to the discussion and may be useful.
