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A review by alanffm
The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius
3.0
Boethius is often called the last classical philosopher and the first medieval one namely because of this work.
The Consolation of Philosophy acts as a bridge between classical learning and Christian religious thought by applying and interpreting classical concepts of virtue, rationality, justice, and chance towards justifying the existence of God and divine justice. While this is what largely makes Boethius famous, it is his flirtation with theology that I find less appealing.
Nevertheless, Boethius' core arguments are fundamentally sound and useful-- regardless of one's religious beliefs or interest in theology.
Here are some great lessons I learned from this short text:
1) When confronted with death, art won't help you: only philosophy will.
2) Fortune owes nothing to nobody so don't get mad when your fortune runs out: think about how fortunate you've been your whole life instead of focusing on your present misfortune.
3) The material things you pursue end up owning you and weighing you down: it's much harder to grow as a person when your emotions and actions are driven by the pursuit of physical goods or status. The less you have the better.
4) A Christian worldview separates human knowledge and divine knowledge: this is how we have free choice but God still knows everything that will happen. It's almost as if Boethius is saying rationality exists on two different planes, a linear plane of time (humans) and an eternal fully encompassing plane (God).
The Consolation of Philosophy acts as a bridge between classical learning and Christian religious thought by applying and interpreting classical concepts of virtue, rationality, justice, and chance towards justifying the existence of God and divine justice. While this is what largely makes Boethius famous, it is his flirtation with theology that I find less appealing.
Nevertheless, Boethius' core arguments are fundamentally sound and useful-- regardless of one's religious beliefs or interest in theology.
Here are some great lessons I learned from this short text:
1) When confronted with death, art won't help you: only philosophy will.
2) Fortune owes nothing to nobody so don't get mad when your fortune runs out: think about how fortunate you've been your whole life instead of focusing on your present misfortune.
3) The material things you pursue end up owning you and weighing you down: it's much harder to grow as a person when your emotions and actions are driven by the pursuit of physical goods or status. The less you have the better.
4) A Christian worldview separates human knowledge and divine knowledge: this is how we have free choice but God still knows everything that will happen. It's almost as if Boethius is saying rationality exists on two different planes, a linear plane of time (humans) and an eternal fully encompassing plane (God).