The Consolation of Philosophy

The Consolation of Philosophy

Boethius

Language: English

Pages: 144

ISBN: 0486421635

Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub


One of the most influential books in the history of Western thought, The Consolation of Philosophy was written in a prison cell by a condemned man. Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (c. 480–524) was a Roman scholar, theologian, philosopher, and statesman. Imprisoned by the Ostrogothic king Theodoric, probably on trumped-up subversion charges, he was thrown into a remote prison where he was eventually executed.
While awaiting his fate, he wrote this dialogue in alternating prose and poetry between himself and his spiritual guardian. Its subject is human happiness and the possibility of achieving it in the midst of the suffering and disappointment that characterize human existence. As Richard H. Green notes in the introduction, "For the reader of the Christian Middle Ages, The Consolation of Philosophy celebrated the life of the mind, or reason, and the possibility of its ultimate victory over the misfortunes and frustrations which attend fallen man's pursuit of transitory substitutes for the Supreme Good which alone can satisfy human desires."
Mr. Green's translation is quite literal in order to remain as faithful as possible to Boethius's original meaning. He has also provided an informative introduction and notes. The result is a superbly accessible edition that still exercises a powerful influence on contemporary thinkers and theologians and represents a source of comfort and solace for the general reader.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Consolation of Philosophy The Consolation of Philosophy Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius Translated by David R. Slavitt harvard university press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England 2008 Copyright © 2008 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Boethius, d. 524. [De consolatione philosophiae. English] The consolation of philosophy / Anicius Manlius Severinus

self-knowledge or selfawareness. And in man it can prove to be a fault, for you can wander from right reason when you imagine that you can improve yourself by putting on the beauties of other things. It’s ridiculous! You have a package with fine wrappings, but what is underneath is foul and worthless. t h e c o n s o l a t i o n o f p h i l o s o p h y • 47 “My view is that nothing is good that is harmful to him who owns it. Do you disagree? Of course not! But riches have very often harmed

be most just and honorable, although God knows that the opposite is true. Lucan, one of my protégés, tells us in the first book of the Pharsalia that in the struggle between Pompey and Caesar, God was of course on the winning side but Cato, whom everyone supposed to be a model of virtue, supported the losing side. So when you see something happen that is the opposite of what you might expect, it may be that you are wrong in your perceptions and that your thinking is confused, but there is order

winds pile up masses of rain clouds that blacken the skies and hide the light of the sun. The stars have not yet appeared, but daylight is utterly gone. And then a fresh north wind from Aeolus’ cave comes sweeping down to clear the illusion of night and restore the shining sun to its proper place in the sky in a glorious afternoon that invigorates and dazzles our grateful eyes. It was exactly like that sudden dispersal of clouds on a dark day with the rays of the sun pouring down again. I

sad business, I am not so much overwhelmed by my grief as I am amazed by the idea of wicked men attempting to do evil to virtue. And I am surprised that they have so well succeeded in their efforts. Many people have evil ideas and wicked intentions and hatch nefarious schemes, but to carry out one of these plans is, under God’s watchful eye, a truly monstrous thing. And it was in such a circumstance as this that one of your disciples asked how, if there is a God, there can be evil. And if there

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