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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
It's a vastly influential work, and so well worth reading for that reason, even though I find Boethius's neo-Platonist arguments for the existence of God and the nature of morality unconvincing.
View the original review on my blog, A Slice of Ky!
This is one of those you’ll-probably-only-even-slightly-enjoy-this-if-you’re-an-English-Major books (that has to be a record for hyphen connected words!). To sum it up quickly, a philosopher, Boethius, is in jail awaiting his execution for a crime he is innocent of and this piece of writing his him attempting to come to terms with the state of his life by personifying Lady Philosophy. Now I didn’t dislike the book, but I’m not gonna lie and pretend I loved it just to seem scholarly. I’m just like 95% sure that I don’t have any Medieval Literature studies in my future. That’s fair, right?
This is one of those you’ll-probably-only-even-slightly-enjoy-this-if-you’re-an-English-Major books (that has to be a record for hyphen connected words!). To sum it up quickly, a philosopher, Boethius, is in jail awaiting his execution for a crime he is innocent of and this piece of writing his him attempting to come to terms with the state of his life by personifying Lady Philosophy. Now I didn’t dislike the book, but I’m not gonna lie and pretend I loved it just to seem scholarly. I’m just like 95% sure that I don’t have any Medieval Literature studies in my future. That’s fair, right?
A fascinating view of how a condemned man, allegedly unjustly accused, comes to grips with God’s sovereignty, His goodness, and His grace in the midst of a horrible situation. Boethius personifies the lifetime study he has made of Philosophy and by kinship of theology. This personified woman reminds him of all he knows to be true and in this way offers comfort. Rather dense reading. Have to confess I skimmed some large swaths. Still I came away with deep thoughts
a beautiful work of philosophy, something that I certainly need to come back to again to reread and understand better
This book deals with why bad things happen to good people, and how philosophy and logic can help in times of hardship and suffering.
And was it an outdated book that is only relevant for sixth century mourners? Nooooo! Most certainly not!!
I loved this book! I loved the relevance that it has, and most of all I loved how I could put the solutions proposed in the book into my own life. It really got me thinking. There are so many things that I can do during hardship, and this book outlined how philosophy can help in an enjoyable and thought provoking way.
Verdict: LOVE LOVE LOVE. Definitely on a 'read again sometime in near future' list. And I wouldn't do that often with books like this, but it wasn't actually that much of a dry and painful read - it was reasonably short and written in a healthy exchange of verse and prose. I found helpful on many levels.
HIGHLY recommended.
And was it an outdated book that is only relevant for sixth century mourners? Nooooo! Most certainly not!!
I loved this book! I loved the relevance that it has, and most of all I loved how I could put the solutions proposed in the book into my own life. It really got me thinking. There are so many things that I can do during hardship, and this book outlined how philosophy can help in an enjoyable and thought provoking way.
Verdict: LOVE LOVE LOVE. Definitely on a 'read again sometime in near future' list. And I wouldn't do that often with books like this, but it wasn't actually that much of a dry and painful read - it was reasonably short and written in a healthy exchange of verse and prose. I found helpful on many levels.
HIGHLY recommended.
Originally published on my blog here.
There are a few books which have had a huge influence on the age in which they were written. However, few people today read The Consolation of Philosophy, which could be considered the foundation of medieval culture.
Boethius was a statesman in sixth century Italy, just after the final fall of the Western Roman Empire, but was disgraced and imprisoned; like many politicians in that situation, he maintained his innocence. But in prison, according to the account in this book, he underwent a mystical experience, being visited by a woman he eventually recognises as Philosophy, who goes on to teach him to treat his situation in what could nowadays be termed a "philosophical manner".
What appealed to the medieval mind about this? From the literature of western Europe over the next nine hundred or so years, it is partly the mystical element, and partly the allegorical flavour - the figure of Philosophy is a precursor of many later personifications. Not only that, but Boethius' distillations of classical philosophy, as well as his translations of Greek philosophers into Latin, were the main way in which their thought survived in an age of little literacy and where Greek scholarship was almost non-existent. Writers and thinkers influenced by The Consolation of Philosophy would include almost every notable figure from the best part of a thousand years of history.
The only book I can think of with a similar effect is Bunyan's [b:The Pilgrim's Progress|29797|The Pilgrim's Progress|John Bunyan|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328865403s/29797.jpg|1960084], which has many points in common with The Consolation of Philosophy. The later work was basically a way to make it easier to understand Puritan ideas about Christian salvation, while the earlier was doing the same with classical philosophy; both had allegorical elements, Bunyan's more so; both authors were imprisoned, with prison playing an important part in their books; both proved incredibly popular and influential. The influence of Bunyan continues to this day, and many of his figures of speech have entered the English language ("slough of despond", for example); Boethius was responsible for the popularity of the idea of a "wheel of fortune", though he did not invent it.
Essentially, what Boethius is doing is a popular exposition of neo-Platonist thought. He was a Christian, and yet is pretty circumspect about his theology in the book, talking of "God" but never mentioning Jesus. Some readers have wondered whether he was a Christian in name only, as he would have needed to be to be a successful politician in sixth century Italy, but his approach to philosophy inspired the medieval mind because he is able to start bringing the pagan thought into a monotheistic context, a process which culminated in the elaborate systems of [a:Thomas Aquinas|7033179|Thomas Aquinas|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg] celebrated in [a:Dante|5031312|Dante Alighieri|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1310943198p2/5031312.jpg]'s Divine Comedy.
In modern editions such as this one, The Consolation of Philosophy is divided into books each made up of several sections, which each end with poetry. Boethius was famed for his Latin prose style, though Watts does admit that the poetry is uneven in quality. Not having ever read the original, I wouldn't know, and it is perhaps less apparent in this translation, which I would suspect is not as great as Boethius at his best nor as poor as his worst, but is more even throughout. This is also one of the most academic of the Penguin Classics translation in its presentation (the actual translation is clear and readable enough), with footnotes identifying references in learned articles throughout.
Ours is an age which has learnt from the romantics to value "originality". Perhaps less so now than a few years ago (after all, what is original in the albums of the latest winners of the X Factor). I suspect that this is part of the reason why Boethius' work fell out of favour. As a philosopher, he does not claim to have any new insights - just ways to put together old ones to appeal to modern (in his time) tastes. As a distillation of ancient philosophy, the alternating prose and poetry is perhaps harder to get into today when it is not the kind of writing commonly encountered; there are far better introductions for the modern reader, which would go on to later thought - for a philosophy beginner who wants a close modern equivalent, where fiction and philosophy mingle in an approachable manner, I would recommend Jostein Gaarder's [b:Sophie's World|10959|Sophie's World|Jostein Gaarder|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343459906s/10959.jpg|4432325], aimed at a young teen audience but with plenty of charm for older readers.
The Consolation of Philosophy appeals to me because I have long been interested in the medieval way of thought. Perhaps in itself it has less to offer than as a window into a very different, yet recognisable, world to the modern West.
There are a few books which have had a huge influence on the age in which they were written. However, few people today read The Consolation of Philosophy, which could be considered the foundation of medieval culture.
Boethius was a statesman in sixth century Italy, just after the final fall of the Western Roman Empire, but was disgraced and imprisoned; like many politicians in that situation, he maintained his innocence. But in prison, according to the account in this book, he underwent a mystical experience, being visited by a woman he eventually recognises as Philosophy, who goes on to teach him to treat his situation in what could nowadays be termed a "philosophical manner".
What appealed to the medieval mind about this? From the literature of western Europe over the next nine hundred or so years, it is partly the mystical element, and partly the allegorical flavour - the figure of Philosophy is a precursor of many later personifications. Not only that, but Boethius' distillations of classical philosophy, as well as his translations of Greek philosophers into Latin, were the main way in which their thought survived in an age of little literacy and where Greek scholarship was almost non-existent. Writers and thinkers influenced by The Consolation of Philosophy would include almost every notable figure from the best part of a thousand years of history.
The only book I can think of with a similar effect is Bunyan's [b:The Pilgrim's Progress|29797|The Pilgrim's Progress|John Bunyan|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328865403s/29797.jpg|1960084], which has many points in common with The Consolation of Philosophy. The later work was basically a way to make it easier to understand Puritan ideas about Christian salvation, while the earlier was doing the same with classical philosophy; both had allegorical elements, Bunyan's more so; both authors were imprisoned, with prison playing an important part in their books; both proved incredibly popular and influential. The influence of Bunyan continues to this day, and many of his figures of speech have entered the English language ("slough of despond", for example); Boethius was responsible for the popularity of the idea of a "wheel of fortune", though he did not invent it.
Essentially, what Boethius is doing is a popular exposition of neo-Platonist thought. He was a Christian, and yet is pretty circumspect about his theology in the book, talking of "God" but never mentioning Jesus. Some readers have wondered whether he was a Christian in name only, as he would have needed to be to be a successful politician in sixth century Italy, but his approach to philosophy inspired the medieval mind because he is able to start bringing the pagan thought into a monotheistic context, a process which culminated in the elaborate systems of [a:Thomas Aquinas|7033179|Thomas Aquinas|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg] celebrated in [a:Dante|5031312|Dante Alighieri|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1310943198p2/5031312.jpg]'s Divine Comedy.
In modern editions such as this one, The Consolation of Philosophy is divided into books each made up of several sections, which each end with poetry. Boethius was famed for his Latin prose style, though Watts does admit that the poetry is uneven in quality. Not having ever read the original, I wouldn't know, and it is perhaps less apparent in this translation, which I would suspect is not as great as Boethius at his best nor as poor as his worst, but is more even throughout. This is also one of the most academic of the Penguin Classics translation in its presentation (the actual translation is clear and readable enough), with footnotes identifying references in learned articles throughout.
Ours is an age which has learnt from the romantics to value "originality". Perhaps less so now than a few years ago (after all, what is original in the albums of the latest winners of the X Factor). I suspect that this is part of the reason why Boethius' work fell out of favour. As a philosopher, he does not claim to have any new insights - just ways to put together old ones to appeal to modern (in his time) tastes. As a distillation of ancient philosophy, the alternating prose and poetry is perhaps harder to get into today when it is not the kind of writing commonly encountered; there are far better introductions for the modern reader, which would go on to later thought - for a philosophy beginner who wants a close modern equivalent, where fiction and philosophy mingle in an approachable manner, I would recommend Jostein Gaarder's [b:Sophie's World|10959|Sophie's World|Jostein Gaarder|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343459906s/10959.jpg|4432325], aimed at a young teen audience but with plenty of charm for older readers.
The Consolation of Philosophy appeals to me because I have long been interested in the medieval way of thought. Perhaps in itself it has less to offer than as a window into a very different, yet recognisable, world to the modern West.
I haven't really read or studied much philosophy, so I do feel a little unprepared to really discuss the merits of this book, but I did find it interesting and I think the translation was well done. It seems to be a laid out walk-through of basic philosophical ideas, focusing largely on how to really achieve happiness and why evil is allowed to remain in the world. This particular edition had a good introduction that gave helpful background on the life and condition of Boethius at the time of writing, and I did also appreciate the summary at the end, as a way to help reinforce understanding of the concepts and proofs discussed.
An intriguing example of philosophical style comprising prose, verse, dialogue, confessional, etc. The philosophy itself is respectably standard Platonic fare which I shall certainly not be reaching for for consolation, as it would piss me off.
How do you rate one of the most important pieces of philosophy ever written?