Gadfly & Guru is a website dedicated to fitness advice. Not just physical fitness — though that is here — but also taking the approach that “practical philosophy” is a form of fitness for the mind and soul, helping us achieve a flourishing life in the mold of the ancient philosophers.

The site has pages dedicated to writings on both Physical Fitness and Practical Philosophy, as well as a blog where I post shorter and/or more random pieces.

About The Title

In his trial for “corrupting the youth,” Socrates referred to himself as Athens’ gadfly, performing the public service of telling citizens truths they might not want to hear. Socrates was also the foremost guru, even if indirectly, of virtually every philosopher whom I will write about here. So in a sense this blog is simply named in honor of him.

In addition, the name allows me to occasionally rant about something (like this or this), with the excuse that I am just playing the role of gadfly. And the whole “This & That” thing has a nice ring to it.

About Me

My name is Ben. In addition to having a part-time job as architect and developer, I just completed a physical fitness book and am finishing up research on a practical philosophy book. I also travel a lot — in search of surf, ancient ruins and artifacts, and hiking opportunities — as my instagram account shows.