Abstract

This chapter argues that the philosophical problem Boethius addresses in his Consolation of Philosophy is the Problem of Desert, why people do not get what they deserve. He rejects the proposal that any undeserved fortunes in this life are compensated for in the Afterlife, arguing instead that, contrary to appearances, people do get exactly what they deserve. Later medieval thinkers recognize that this is Boethius’s solution, but several disagree with its adequacy.