The Consolation Of Philosophy (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
A beautiful and powerful masterpiece by Boethius that addresses some very important philosophical questions, written by him while awaiting his trial and death penalty! The book is a combination of prose and verse, which tackles key questions, such as: fortune (good vs. bad), good and evil (e.g. how evil men prosper, and how can good men fall down), God (God’s nature), happiness, the ultimate good, differences between providence, fate, and chance, predestination and free will of men, greed, justice and injustice, the real self, and the importance of seeking virtue. Plato’s influence is powerful on the work, as you can see in the dialogues between Lady Philosophy and Boethius; moreover, some Greco-Roman mythological elements can be seen (e.g. Orpheus). I loved chapter two in particular, which explains the nature of fortune and talks about the Wheel of Fortune, and its changeable/fickle characteristic. Moreover, I was impressed by Boethius coping strategy with the unchangeable, uncontrollable, and inevitable death, through the writing of this great book, which in some sense is a kind of emotional/cognitive-coping strategy for coping with the expected threat, where changing the environmental/physical situation is impossible. He was trying through this rational and philosophical discussion to manage his negative emotions through these cognitive efforts (i.e. trying to look at the bright side, and how to be happy in the face of misery). I loved Green’s Translation, in which he tried as much as possible to deliver the exact meaning of the words. First 3 books rather trite, much of the book consists in rather uninspired riffs off of Aristotelian/Platonist/Stoicist themes; the reasoning of "Philosophy" seems somewhat expedient and glib, a fair bit of squirrelling by the manipulation of definitions (e.g. what good is, what strength is). Book 4 and 5 are slightly more interesting, but there are better treatments/discussions of the nature of God elsewhere.
What do You think about The Consolation Of Philosophy (2008)?
Fascinating, enthralling, phenomenal. I can't imagine having not read this!
—alliep
