Socrates Compares Himself As A Gadfly Analysis

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Socrates compares himself as a gadfly, because it represents him fulfilling Heraclitus 's challenge of not living one 's life as a sleepwalker. A sleepwalker is a person who is not stimulated to think critically or reflect upon life. Heraclitus warned "One ought not talk or act as if he were asleep" meaning Just doing day to day tasks is not enough for one 's intellectual development or to enrich one 's life. A gadfly is defined as an annoying, biting insect that attaches itself to a horse who needs arousing. Socrates wanted to arouse individuals to make the mind awake and alert. This was said to bring the ability to have penetrating idea, deep experiences, and the ability to be critical about life to formulate one 's life purpose. A person

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