The Sophists seem to be pathfinders of their generation. They introduce brand new ideas that are directly contrary to the status quo, making them, arguably, the most daring collection of people of their time period. Being willing to go against centuries of tradition in search of truth is a Herculean feat in and of itself. Granted, they were also being well paid to do so. The question arises whether the Sophists would have been as effective if they hadn’t been able to sell their knowledge as something to be used by the rich/educated to get more rich/educated.
In modern times they would be no different from any other philosophy major at some high and mighty college. They would probably get less respect today then they did back then, only because the American public doesn’t have time for deep thought anymore; it’s almost seen as a waste of a college education to major in philosophy instead of a major that will actually get you a job after graduation (TBH if my kid tried to major in philosophy I would let him/her…but I also wouldn’t be as likely to help him when s/he can’t find a job to pay off all his/her debts).
I find it hard to compare them to the modern college professor because at VMI we “Don’t Do Ordinary,” and neither do our professors! Receiving an education from a Sophist might be as proportionally expensive now as it was back then. Beyond that, both the Sophists and (most) modern college professors attempt to transform their pupils into greater contributors to society. In fact, I’m sure professors take personal pride in their former students who go off to great and powerful things in their respective fields. Also, there is the correlation that both institutions attempt to encourage deeper thought and critical thinking in their students.
I touched on this earlier, but the main reason the Sophists were so controversial in Ancient Greece is because they challenged what was the then status quo. In doing so they shattered centuries of traditional practices and social norms. Even though they educated the rich, what they were teaching took power from the gods and gave it to the people. The nobles were in fear of losing their “god-given” social status to the newly free-thinking masses. The priests worried about losing their position in the temples as the people gradually stopped believing in the power of the gods over their everyday lives and natural occurrences.
In the 21st century most people are at least somewhat aware of the concept of contingent truths and that most cultures have different sets of beliefs. Free thought is often encouraged (except among the Republican party…see I can say that because I’m a moderate Republican hahaha). Therefore the Sophists wouldn’t really have that many people showing up their symposiums seeing as they have nothing new to offer the public. To be successful in this century they would need to introduce some brand new philosophy/worldview into a thirsty populace. This is where the idea of kairos would come in: which country/culture/religion is most thirsty for answers, when would they be most susceptible to new perspectives, and how fast would a new idea spread across political boundaries?
