A gadfly is a person who interferes with the status quo of a society or community by posing novel, potentially upsetting questions, usually directed at authorities. The term has a modern use but it was originally associated with the ancient Greek philosophy Socrates, as portrayed in Plato's Apology when Socrates was on trial for his life.
History
Socrates
During his defense when on trial for his life, Socrates, according to Plato's account, pointed out that dissent, like the horse-fly, was easy to swat, but the cost to society of silencing individuals who were irritating could be very high: "If you kill a man like me, you will injure yourselves more than you will injure me" because his role was comparable to that of a gadfly: "to sting people and whip them into a fury, all in the service of truth".
Dominic Scott notes that in the Apology, the allusion speaks well of Socrates, whereas in the Meno, the image which compares Socrates to a stingray who "numbs" his interlocutors into silence and confusion has the opposite effect.Scott, Dominic (2006), Plato's 'Meno' , p. 69, Cambridge University Press
Modern politics
See also
- Concern troll – a false flag pseudonym created by a user whose actual point of view is opposed to the one that the troll claims to hold
- Devil's advocate – taking a position one does not necessarily agree with
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