Name: The Consolation of Philosophy
ISBN: 9781602064492

The Consolation of Philosophy

The book called 'The Consolation of Philosophy' was throughout the Middle Ages, and down to the beginnings of the modern epoch in the sixteenth century, the scholar's familiar companion. Few books have exercised a wider influence in their time. It has been translated into every European tongue, and into English nearly a dozen times, from King Alfred's paraphrase to the translations of Lord Preston, Causton, Ridpath, and Duncan, in the eighteenth century. The belief that what once pleased so widely must still have some charm is my excuse for attempting the present translation. The great work of Boethius, with its alternate prose and verse, skilfully fitted together like dialogue and chorus in a Greek play, is unique in literature, and has a pathetic interest from the time and circumstances of its composition. It ought not to be forgotten.

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natalisteOct 2024

The Consolation of Philosophy by Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius.

It is a profound synthesis of classical philosophy and personal reflection on the human condition. Boethius, writing in prison while awaiting execution, blends Stoic, Neoplatonic, and Christian ideas to address timeless questions of fate, fortune, happiness, and virtue. It transcends religious dogma and focuses on rational inquiry into how one can find inner peace and intellectual clarity amidst an almost total inversion of fortune.

Unlike Marcus Aurelius, writing at the peak of his power, Boethius wrote his at the bottom, and did so with more skin in the game. Marcus gave us Commodus and the Decline, Boethius gave us Aristotle and the Rebirth.

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aanetOct 2024

Thanks for this brief endorsement. I'll add it to my list of books to read... Currently, running a rather high tsundoku...

My own fav is also called Consolation of Philosophy but it's by Alain de Botton, one of my fav contemporary writers. His prose is fine, and the writing's a treat. His book is of course a modern treatment of Boethius. Recommended!

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natalisteAug 2024

The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. Written in 523 while he was imprisoned and awaiting execution by the Ostrogothic King Theodoric, it is often described as the last great Western work of the Classical Period.

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martinjacobdApr 2023

My son's third name is Boethius! The Consolation of Philosophy is one of the best works I've ever read.

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peter_l_downsApr 2020

If you like Seneca's work, check out Boethius's "Consolation of Philosophy" -- astonishing how every part of it is still relatable, despite having been written around 600-700AD. I never got a liberal arts education but I've been told that Boethius's writing was the link that helped the Western world re-discover the stoics like Seneca. His resolution of the conflict between an all-knowing God and individual free will is more convincing to me than anything else I've read (to be fair, very little) on the matter.

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pc2g4dMay 2018

As a person who's gone through something comparable in recent years, I will first recommend that you seek out a community of people undergoing a similar shift in worldview. There may be podcasts, forums, blogs, etc. where people who previously held your same worldview are processing their transition after finding "that a lot of the things that [they] used to believe were false". For me this has been immensely helpful.

Now some introspective books:

* The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. If you're open to fantasy, this series delves deep into how to respond when one's worldview is shattered. Highly recommended. Elantris also covers some similar territory.

* The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. How do you reconcile the whims of capricious Fortune with your desire for peace in this world?

* Bonds That Make Us Free by Terry Warner. This book makes you take a brutal look at how you contribute to your own misery in life. It will be agonizing to read, but persevere and I believe you will find it insightful. Try not to be too turned off by the conservative religious viewpoint that occasionally peeks through.

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