I do not think we can compare the use of the ancient Greek work "myOps" (that's spelled with an Omega), with a troll. But, myops does mean an insect that makes horses itchy, and irritated. In the Apology, as reported by Plato, Socrates, defending his attempts to reform Athenian society, and to refute his political enemies who are afraid of his growing influence on the younger generations ... as a threat to their power base, refers to himself, quite possibly with a sense of humor: "If I might use such a ludicrous figure of speech, I am a sort of gadly (tinos myops), given to the State by the God; and the State is like a great and noble steed who is tardy in his motions owing to his very size and requires to be stirred into life." (xviii, 25, Jowett's translation). Also, earlier in the debate with Meteus, Socrates gives analogies of good and bad masters, one of them Socrates speaks of is the master of a horse, a horse who is apathetic and lazy: and there, Socrates brings up the image of the Master as myops, commenting that at times a good master of a horse must, like a myops, spur him, perhaps irritate him, into action, and out of apathy. So Socrates' role as agent-provacateur is not an outcome of malicious and petty motivations, not an attempt to create an anarchy ... or get attention by disrupting public intercourse ... his motivation is a vision of the nature of reality and social reality ... and that vision compels him to advocate the recasting of a rigid Athenian society not founded on what for him for him were the truths of first principles (and his first principles were metaphysical principles[^]. His advocacy of change, and insistence that change was fundamental in society demonstrates this challenge of his to the formally structured class/society of Athens (remember that a Deme, a 'citizen, of Athens,' who could vote, had to be both land-owner, and slave-holder). Socrates argued, in the Symposium: "[Man] is always becoming a new being and undergoing a process of loss and reparation, which affects ... his soul as well. No man's character, habits, opinions, desires, pleasures, pains, and fears remain always the same; new ones come into existence and old ones disappear." The evolution of the meaning of the word 'troll' on the internet in the last twenty years is a very interesting topic, in itself. And has changed focus from inner-members of early discussion groups setting 'traps for newbies,'
