Born Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, Boethius came from a prestigious family which gave him in advantage to have access to a great education. Although he was a religious man, he was highly influenced by Aristotle and Plato’s philosophical ideas. He was considered royal, yet the king was angered that Boethius praised a God instead of the king. Because of this, the king ordered for Boethius to be executed due of his religious rebellion. As he was awaiting his execution, Boethius wrote The Consolation of Philosophy, one of the last works in the late Roman period. In this influential work, Boethius is having a dialogue with Lady Philosophy about the religious and philosophical basis for human freedom. What really stood out to me while reading this work is how peaceful Lady …show more content…
If he was going to be executed because of his faith in God, and God was an all-knowing God, why was God allowing the king to execute him? Through his philosophical point of view, Boethius was able to answer his own question. In Christianity, followers believe that God knows what they are going to say and what is going to happen even before it is said and/or done. Instead of looking at a problem through a human point, Boethius recommended looking at it from God’s perspective. Because God lives in eternity, the eternal moment for God is now, therefore, in sense, God cannot “foresee” ones future. Instead, God grasps all activity sequentially and in that moment is when God sees our choices and events that are about to happen. Lady Philosophy assures Boethius that people due in fact act with freedom and that the ultimate meaning of life rests with the all-seeing God. She assures him that although he waiting execution, his life was not “a product of blind fate of an uncaring force in the universe” (153). Being raised Christian, I can relate with Boethius’ struggle with the notion of an all-knowing
In understanding God as the greatest good, and of all things working towards good, it would be easier for Roland to find hope to carry on in battle. In addition, the punishment of Ganelon’s treason would also be assured in a larger sense, as evil is its own punishment. Finally, the understanding of all Fortune as working towards the good would enable Roland to see the good that could later be brought out of the tragedy of the rear guard. As a whole, the agreement of the philosophy of Boethius’ with the actions of Roland are clear, and the work is applicable in its arguments to the code of knighthood as well as on an individual
Of Music: Understanding the Text 1. Boethius begins the essay by writing about the other senses, especially sight, before introducing the topic of music because our actions we part take are “not so obvious” why the way we are when we are listening to music and using our senses. The similarity of music and the senses are not so easy to comprehend our actions under the influence of music and the knowledge of our senses. 2.
2. The literary genre of the Consolation of Philosophy is a satura. A satura is a combination of poems and prose. The model for Boethius’s work is Augustine. A lot of his work parallels Augustine’s beliefs and readings (especially in Book 5). Cicero was also a model for Boethius. He was a philosopher that had many ideas that Boethius agreed with. The work is structured by a combination of poems and prose. Book 1 starts off with a poem and alternates prose and Book 2-5 starts with a prose and alternates with poems. The prose is considered the story part and the poem summarizes the prose. They are very much like saying the same thing in two different ways. The poems were often Boethius’s response and the prose was Lady Philosophy’s consolations.
I was given the task to make a decision concerning the confession of Alexandros of Nicomedia regarding his Monophysite beliefs. After carefully studying Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy, and closely analyzing his arguments, I was able to come to a conclusion. Boethius would argue that the correct thing to do is punish Alexandros to push him to reform himself rather than just senseless torture, given that wicked men technically do not exist, wicked men are already punishing themselves and wicked man can reform themselves by suing the right punishment.
Stark asserts, “Peace isn’t a commodity that can be bought or even coerced. An inner desire for peace has to be in the individual hearts of the warring parties.” Therefore, anything that can be taken away was never truly in one’s possession. This is in exact accordance to what Lady Philosophy is trying to teach Boethius: “ you will realize that you neither had, nor have lost, anything of worth through your association with [Lady Fortune]” (Boethius 19). Furthermore, Boethius is told that he has “no right to complain as if [he has] lost what is indisputably [his]” (Boethius 21). Lady Philosophy reminds Boethius that returning something you were lent is no reason to grieve. “If happiness is the highest good of a rational nature, and if what can be taken from you in any way cannot be the highest, it is obvious that the fluidity of Fortune cannot hope to win happiness” (Boethius 27). The only thing of true value cannot be taken away for you. Therefore, true happiness comes form within ones self and is eternal; his only true possession is his
In The Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius uses good vs. evil argument in an objective, metaphysical view, on an abstract level. Good being the all-powerful God and evil being nothing. Parallel to that view, there is good vs. bad, which is presented from a human viewpoint. While the good has similar meani...
Boethius was wrongfully accused of treason and imprisoned, leading him to question as to why God would allow bad things to happen to good people and how you can not be completely happy and there is never true happiness. The fear of losing happiness destroys happiness. "No man is so completely happy that something somewhere does not clash with his condition. It is the nature of human affairs to be fraught with anxiety; they never prosper perfectly and they never remain constant" Boethius (30). This quote represents the fear of losing happiness destroys happiness in my
... reflects the accomplishments made in four centuries. While man still does not have absolute free speech, he is not so suppressed that he must hide his feelings by literary means.
Around 524, the Christian philosopher Boethius awaited his death. During the last stage of his life, he composed one of the most influential writings of the Medieval period: The Consolation of Philosophy. C.S. Lewis says of the work, "To acquire a taste for it is almost to become naturalized in the Middle Ages" (Lewis 75). Over 800 years later, Geoffrey Chaucer, one of the most highly praised authors in the English language, would draw upon Boethius to compose his finest work, Troilus and Criseyde.
Boethius places an increased emphasis on God’s eternal goodness to prove He can neither causes nor condone wickedness, intending to provide comfort for the virtuous affected by injustice. Boethius’s belief concerning the interaction of evil and justice in the Consolation of Philosophy intends to comfort the virtuous from the seemingly wicked world. Lady Philosophy, representing reason, soothes Boethius’s initial concerns by explaining how evil, the absence of good, can never defeat justice, and that the wicked will receive their punishment when Providence sees fit. Boethius also places an increased emphasis on God’s eternal goodness to clarify the role of Providence in the natural plan of the world. Boethius advises the reader that true happiness can only be found in the stability of the self and a virtuous lifestyle.
The idea and value of the woman would not progress under these conditions. Olympe de Gouges’ aim in The Declaration of the Rights of Woman was not only to obtain equal rights for woman, but to reconfigure how womankind was perceived within society. Olympe de Gouges’ woman was not a beautiful plaything, but a strong, opinionated, respected member of the public sphere. In order to demonstrate how Olympe de Gouges sought to obtain rights for women, I will first summarize the passage and define any key terms. I will then define the rights of woman under the Ancien Regime. I will also discuss the parallels drawn between the woman and the slave to illustrate the severe lack of rights women had under the former regime. Next, I will discuss the ideas of her male counterparts and how they are inadequate in her view. I will then go through Gouges’ Rights of the Woman and the Citizeness, and the way in which this bill of rights creates a new prototype of the woman. Next, I will discuss the passage, as a response to Hobbes’ ideas and the implications this piece had on society. I will go on to analyze the passage and discuss its meaning in The
...d appear to be unrestrained and unpunished because their wickedness and the lack of true happiness that is associated with it is their punishment (Consolation of Philosophy 94). To both Augustine and Boethius, God is completely good and sovereign. However, He allows men free will and the punishment or rewards that come with these free decisions.
This essay seeks to explore the life of the flawed mythological person, Oedipus, as protagonist of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex.
Marcus Aurelius was a famous philosopher in 121 through 180 C.E. He lived a hard life and even though he was surrounded by crowds he was considered a recluse. He was known for his kindness and mercy. The last years of his life were spent on a military campaign. It is said that these years were the hardest and loneliest. However, instead of becoming bitter and angry Aurelius wrote The Meditations. This was a diary or journal of his personal thoughts. He believed that by writing this it was his duty to his soul. The Meditations, is a popular piece of stoic literature. In this paper I will be describing how Aurelius used stoicism in book two of The Meditations and what I liked and did not like about what he said.
Throughout Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, Oedipus frantically searched for the truth, but due to his pride, remained blind to his own connection to the dire plague that infected Thebes.