An open source book about Socrates: Gadfly, the wisest man
Back in 2020, I self-published a book named Gadfly, the wisest man, under my pseudonym Menéxeno. The purpose of the book is to present the reader with an introduction to Socrates — his life, his thoughts, and his last days before he was executed. It was written as if it were a play, fully composed in rhymes (which can be appreciated in its original language: Spanish), and I drew from several authors, including Plato, Xenophon, Aristophanes, Diogenes Laertius, pseudo Aristotle, Goethe, among many others, to reconstruct my way of perceiving Socrates — not as a godlike figure as Plato represents him, nor as a buffoon as Aristophanes portrays him.
Curiously, the book is much easier to understand in English than in Spanish, perhaps because many of the rhymes were lost in translation, but clarity prevailed. Despite its brevity (around 100 pages), the book is still dense, and my goal of making it accessible to both veterans and newcomers remains incomplete. However, I have not touched the book since I wrote it back in 2018–2020 because it took a huge toll on my mental health.
I want this book to be universal, with no copyright disclaimer or restrictions, so anyone can use, print, modify, or do anything they want with it. It is an ambitious project, but I just want people to care more about philosophy because of the good it does for the heart and soul. So, here we are. I want this book to be available to everyone and I want it to be better. I want to step back as the author and invite everyone interested in making philosophy accessible to others to contribute. I will publish many articles here on Medium that cover the whole book, and I invite people to examine, edit, correct, and perfect the book. Many people are much better and more knowledgeable about Socrates and his life, and many others are better writers and have superior pedagogical skills. So, I want it to be an open-source book, editable and commentable by everyone, allowing the book to grow and improve from everyone’s contributions. There will be no author.
I believe the best way to contribute would be democratically. On Medium, you can highlight fragments, so I invite people to highlight any parts they think need correction and use the comments to discuss how to improve them. I also encourage people to show their support by clapping for the best comments. Writing, correcting, and giving an opinion is a brave act of putting oneself out there, and I ask that everyone exercise cordiality and respect when correcting or discussing others’ opinions. It is easy to become hooked and aggressive, but together, we can create a book that will benefit anyone who loves and is an enthusiast in philosophy.
Below is the link to the first part. Enjoy!
INDEX
Part 1
Exordinate
A: At the King’s Gate
B: Socrates House
C: Gym
D: Gym
Part 2
A: Battle of Delium, 25 years earlier
B: Military Camp
C: Socrates’ House
D: Trial of Socrates
E: In prison
Part 3
A: Day of the death of Socrates
B: Alcibiades House
Caption
