Mark, I think by all contemporary interpretations of what happened, it really wasn't so simple and this way of summarising the situation also borrows heavily from the 'literary Socrates' (the 'gadfly' seems to be a Platonic image; I myself suspect that Socrates never quite had such a massive political importance other than through having taught Plato, who was from one of the most influential families, and who was clearly profoundly shaken by Socrates' execution). I can't pretend to be an expert in the huge industry surrounding the 'real Socrates' and the 'literary Socrates', but I'd advise steering clear.
It is true that Socrates' argument patterns are sometimes are shown by Plato as unnecessarily confrontational, fallacious, or otherwise problematic, but on the whole they are so varied as to paint a very complex picture, and there are plenty of aggressive, ridiculous, side-tracking, pompous, and other argument-patterns deployed by his interlocutors.
And it's 'tynan' with a small 't', FBMMFS.
Ha! Let's just say I was referencing the popular image of Socrates, rather than any historical or literary character.
However, I was not arguing his style of argumentation was unnecessarily confrontational (nor Tynan). It was a reference to his ability to drive a dialogue along a path he chooses through questioning which, often, has very little relevance to his interlocutors original position, but does a hell of a lot to disregard it. I.e., Euthyphro.
Ha! Let's just say I was referencing the popular image of Socrates, rather than any historical or literary character.
However, I was not arguing his style of argumentation was unnecessarily confrontational (nor Tynan). It was a reference to his ability to drive a dialogue along a path he chooses through questioning which, often, has very little relevance to his interlocutors original position, but does a hell of a lot to disregard it. I.e., Euthyphro.