Boethius composed the Consolatio Philosophiae in the sixth century AD whilst awaiting death under torture. He had been condemned on a charge of treason which he protested was manifestly unjust. Though a convinced Christian, in detailing the true end of life which is the soul's knowledge of God, he consoled himself not with Christian precepts but with the tenets of Greek philosophy. This work dominated the intellectual world of the Middle Ages; writers as diverse as Thomas Aquinas, Jean de (...) Meun, and Dante were inspired by it. In England it was rendered into Old English by Alfred the Great, into Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer, and later Queen Elizabeth I made her own translation. The circumstances of composition, the heroic demeanour of the author, and the `Menippean' texture have combined to exercise a fascination over students of philosophy and of literature ever since. Professor Walsh has included an introduction and explanatory notes which combined with his new translation make the text accessible to general readers and scholars alike. (shrink)

The first collection of philosophical essays devoted to Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy, one of the most widely read and influential texts in medieval Europe. Thirteen essays, reflecting the diverse approaches taken in contemporary scholarship, attend to its literary features and philosophical content, and demonstrate its ongoing vitality.

Boethius composed the De Consolatione Philosophiae in the sixth century AD whilst awaiting death under torture, condemned on a charge of treason which he protested was manifestly unjust. Though a convinced Christian, in detailing the true end of life which is the soul's knowledge of God, he consoled himself not with Christian precepts but with the tenets of Greek philosophy. This work dominated the intellectual world of the Middle Ages; writers as diverse as Thomas Aquinas, Jean de Meun, and (...) Dante were inspired by it. In England it was rendered in to Old English by Alfred the Great, into Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer, and later Queen Elizabeth I made her own translation. The circumstances of composition, the heroic demeanour of the author, and the 'Menippean' texture of part prose, part verse have combined to exercise a fascination over students of philosophy and literature ever since. (shrink)

Composed while its author was imprisoned, this book remains one of Western literature’s most eloquent meditations on the transitory nature of earthly belongings, and the superiority of things of the mind. Slavitt’s translation captures the energy and passion of the original. And in an introduction intended for the general reader, Seth Lerer places Boethius’s life and achievement in context.

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 scholars 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 Alfreds paraphrase to the translations of Lord Preston, Causton, Ridpath, and Duncan, in the eighteenth century.

Boethius and the ideology of the Roman Senatorial aristocracy -- The illness and the healer -- How does Philosophy convey her therapy? -- Christianity and the Consolation.

This book is a Christian introduction to Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy.

This chapter examines the notion of being in the Consolation of Philosophy and contrasts it with modern notions of existence. The notions in the Consolation relevant to this inquiry are those expressed by the verbs esse and exsistere. The chapter argues that the basic notion of exsistere in the Consolation should be understood as “to be manifest,” while the basic notion of esse should be understood as “to be something or other” or “to be intelligible.” Furthermore, (...) the chapter demonstrates that the notion of esse in the Consolation differs from typical modern notions of existence in two significant ways. First, unlike modern notions of existence, according to which there are things that do not exist, the notion of esse or being in the Consolation has no contrary. Everything that can be spoken of or thought about “is” in some way. Second, the notion of esse in the Consolation, as in Aristotle, is “said in many ways.” In this it differs from modern notions of existence, which tend to be univocal. The chapter shows that once the notions of exsistere and esse are properly understood, certain arguments in the Consolation that might initially appear confused turn out to be quite clear and highly plausible. (shrink)

Essays and accompanying bibliographies survey recent (to 1990) studies of Boethius' 6th-century Latin work as it was translated into Old English (primarily King Alfred), medieval German, medieval French, and Middle English (primarily Chaucer). Each of the four chapters is an independent treatment, b.

This work is a posthumous publication of two essays written from 1973 to 1976: "Hobbes's Secret" and "Spinoza's Way." An introduction to the studies is provided by the editor who seeks to make "the whole course of the argument a bit more accessible to readers" inasmuch as its development is "quite unconventional, often unexpected, yet reliably unstudied in its ways of securing its effects". The intention of the combined essays is to address the problem of "being an individual and a (...) moral agent within the constraints of social and political life, and of history" in the text of Hobbes's Leviathan; and to confront the same problem in Spinoza's Ethics in terms of "the context of private life, with the focus on those special features of it that deserve to be called eternal". Nevertheless, it is not the author's aim to resolve controversies regarding Hobbes or Spinoza interpretation. Instead, he wishes to explore the boundaries or lines of demarcation appropriate to those controversies and hence the purpose and scope of the work is characterized as "a piece of philosophic writing in the meditative tradition". Considering the reflective mood of Rosenthal's studies, it is difficult to evaluate the success of his work: for instance, it does not seem pertinent to ask whether he has demonstrated a thesis or not. Still, perhaps the more appropriate question is to ask whether he has persuaded us to think seriously about Hobbes and Spinoza in accordance with the viewpoints he has proposed. And to that end something should be said about Hobbes's secret and Spinoza's way. (shrink)

This book offers eleven different philosophical approaches to issues concerning the basis of value, the nature of the good life, and human destiny; important matters in this recession. The essayists featured are professors at Trinity College Dublin.

Summary This paper argues that The Consolation of Philosophy by Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius and Either/or by Søren Kierkegaard bear certain striking similarities in their content, form, arguments, and in the way key ideas are expressed. It proposes that the explanation for this similarity could be causal dependency: The Consolation impacted Kierkegaard, consciously or unconsciously, in the development of Either/or. Regardless of whether this is correct or not, it further proposes that the correlation between these two works (...) is close enough that an intertextual reading is valuable for the comprehension of both The Consoluation and Either/or. This paper seeks to prove this by executing such a reading. (shrink)

보에티우스 [철학의 위안] 5권에서 논의되는 신의 예지와 인간의 자유의지 사이의 양립가능성 문제에 대한 첫 번째 응답은기술적 영역에 속하는 사안을 중심으로 구성된다. 이 논문은 지금까지 주목받지 못한 이 기술 논변이 구체적으로 어떤 통찰을전해주고 있는지, 또 이어지는 전체 논증에서 어떤 역할을 하고있는지 분석한다. 기술적 영역은 특정한 조건이 주어지면 기술의 투입을 통해 의도했던 효과가 발생하기에 충분할 정도의 구조를 갖추고 있다는 점에서 필연성에 대한 앎을 허락하지만, 이필연성이 인간적 판단과 의지라는 조건에 의존하는 만큼 반드시그런 결과가 나와야만 할 필연성은 없는 영역이다. 보에티우스는 이 모델을 토대로 미래 (...) 결과에 대한 앎은 성립하지만, 그 앎이 미래 사건이 자유롭지 않게 만드는 필연성을 부여하는 것은아니라는 점을 보여준다. 기술 논변은 짧은 논증 속에서 자신에게 기대되는 역할을 성공적으로 수행한 것으로 평가할 수 있다. (shrink)

Does The Consolation of Philosophy console? Is Philosophy able to bring the prisoner not simply to an acceptance of and reconciliation with his situation, but further to move him beyond this to ultimate peace through philosophical activity? The Consolation does offer some consolation but only ironically and not in the way intended by the character Philosophy. Philosophy is attempting to bring the prisoner to a philosophical experience in which he will contemplate and enjoy (...) eternal truths, and thereby be consoled. Nevertheless the prisoner will in the end reject this project which takes him away from what he perceives to be his life’s work. Philosophy’s failure to console the prisoner is disconsoling in part to herself because the prisoner ultimately rejects her invitation to become a martyr for her sake. It is disconsoling in part to the prisoner who seeks a consolation that would support his firmly held desire to remain engaged in public life. (shrink)

This book treats Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy as a work of imaginative literature, and applies modern techniques of criticism to his writings. The author's central purpose is to demonstrate the methodological and thematic coherence of The Consolation of Philosophy. Originally published in 1985. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books (...) while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. (shrink)

A new translation of a selection of Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy, showing how philosophy can help us understand and endure personal misfortune.

This edition offers you the first Modern English version of Chaucer's only previously untranslated major work, Boece. Boece is Chaucer's Middle English translation of the 6th-century CE philosopher Boethius's The Consolation of Philosophy. For over a thousand years,,The Consolation underpinned Christian understanding of Fate, Fortune, Free Will, and Divine Providence, and its ideas influenced Chaucer's major works. While many editions offer a Modern English translation from the original Latin, this edition gives you an approachable version of Chaucer's (...) translation and puts you face-to-face with his phrasings and emendations. Here, the father of English poetry's voice finally speaks up, so you can enjoy his poetic turns and even track where the language from Boece echoes in The Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde. (shrink)

Consolatio Philosophiae, unquestionably one of the most influential works in the development of medieval thought, presents an incredible richness in terms of occult dimensions. This paper analyses the position which poetry and music assume, showing that they play a central role not only in this work, but also in his philosophical production as a whole.

In book one of the Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius is portrayed as a man who suffers because he forgot philosophy. Scholars have underestimated the significance of this portrayal and considered it a literary device the goal of which is simply to introduce the discussion that follows. In this paper, I show that this view is mistaken since it overlooks that this portrayal of Boethius is the key for the understanding of the whole text. The philosophical therapy that (...) constitutes the core of the ?Consolation? can in fact be properly evaluated only if we recognize the condition it is designed to cure. Through the portrayal of Boethius's forgetfulness, the ?Consolation? illustrates that it is the very nature of philosophical knowledge that makes it susceptible to being forgotten. Philosophical knowledge can (i) turn into misology, when it appears unable to solve certain problems, and (ii) be overrun by strong emotions. The therapy offered in the ?Consolation? is designed to make Boethius aware of the ?fragility? of philosophical knowledge and show him how to ?strengthen? it. He is taught how to more fully embody philosophy's precepts and that philosophy's inability to solve certain problems reveals not its failures but its limits. (shrink)