Abstract In this paper, both Boethius and Augustine reflect an active memory that is acutely based on solitude for clarity of higher spiritual truths. By being untainted by outside abuses to the memory of Jesus or Socrates, silence and isolation gave these authors a pure vision of the past in their recollection of greater truths within the human condition. By actively presenting memories that are valid to understanding human nature, the present tense and the future are glorified through forgiveness and greater truths within a philosophical and religious perspective.
From the Paper "In this philosophical study the nature of memory will be examined within the 'Confessions' by Augustine and 'The Consolation of Philosophy' by Boethius. The influence of philosophy on the nature of memory affects both authors through the affect of solitude in these writings. Memory is integral to realizing the truth of human nature, and how mankind can find the greater good through interpreting the past. Boethius and Augustine both place a great deal of spiritual and philosophical value when determining the personal convictions they exhibit in their belief systems. For Augustine the nature of memory is essential in discovering his conviction in God, and how this affects his faith in mankind. In writing the 'Confessions' Augustine has become aware of the nature of his solitude in searching for forgiveness for his past sins."
Abstract This paper examines Neoplatonism in Boethius' treatise from the sixth century. The paper then compares Boethius' Neoplatonism to the Manicheism of Augustine's pre-conversion life, and to Augustine's "Confessions," written after his spiritual awakening. The paper concludes that despite Boethius' non-Christian attitude, his work shows greater authenticity about the nature of the soul than Augustine's.
From the Paper "Augustine ? at least the Augustine who wrote the Confessions ? would not have approved of the version of Christianity and the vision of the meaning of life that Boethius, the Christian philosopher, diplomat and author of the De consolatione philosophiae wrote. Boethius composed De consolation philosophiae in the sixth century A.D. while awaiting death by torture, condemned on a charge of plotting against Gothic rule, which he protested as manifestly unjust. And while a Christian, Boethius wrote about the true end of life as the soul's knowledge of God, and consoled himself with the tenets of Greek philosophy, not with Christian precepts."
Tags: Meippean, Satire, neoplatonism, Manicheism, Gnosticism, paganism, piety, holiness, church
Abstract This paper discusses that Boethius? belief regards free will seems self-evident, yet some religious philosophers have held that our actions are determined by God. This paper points out that Boethius, a Platonist deriving elements from both Plato and Aristotle, considers human nature a distinct entity and argues that Christ embodied both a divine nature and human nature. The author believes that Boethius sets forth the essential paradox in Christian thought between freedom and determinism, with determinism inherent in what he calls "God's universal foreknowledge," meaning the fact that God already knows all that is to happen.
From the Paper "Boethius laments his situation and the changes that have been wrought in his life. He is now imprisoned and is forced to look within for answers, given that his outer world is no more than a prison cell. He is changed physically in that old age has come upon him too early. Happiness is to be found in conquering this inner world, represented for Boethius not only within himself but also in his writings as he conveys his inner world to others and finds ways to shape his own relationship with that inner world through the written word. Lady Philosophy suggests that the poet must seek the truth within and that since all things are ruled by reason, it is wrong for the individual to be sick with despair when he or she can seek the truth by looking inward to find God."
Abstract This essay analyzes how Boethius tackles the concepts of justice and free will in his work "The Consolations of Philosophy." The writer provides a synopsis of the work and explains its central themes, the concept of justice, the omniscience of God, free will and the problem of reconciling free will with the determinism that follows from God's omniscience. The paper concludes that the crux of the problem is reconciling necessity with free will, two concepts which normally contradict each other, and Boethius surmounts this contradiction by arguing that it exists only in temporal and spatial reality and disappears in the light of the higher reason of God.
From the Paper "The entire question revolves around the concept of justice. Boethius does not believe that he deserves to be stripped of his power, and then thrown into jail and awaiting execution. His own situation leads inexorably to the generalization that evildoers of the world enjoy the privileges of wealth, status and power, while the virtuous natures suffer under their yoke. Lady Philosophy intends to demonstrate to Boethius that this is a false opinion. In the first instance she shows that wealth and power only come to the virtuous, and cannot be appropriated by the evildoers at all. If wealth is determined to be that which enriches one, and cannot be easily taken away, then spiritual wealth is the only one that matters."
Abstract The issue of the foreknowledge of God is a mystery that St. Thomas Aquinas, Augustine and Boethius all struggled with. Divine foreknowledge involves the idea that the will of God articulated itself most comprehensively in divine predestination, of which the plan of salvation is an integral part. Thus, Christ himself was, obviously, predestined. This, of course, means that God knew that evil would come into the world and that Jesus would have to redeem mankind. Nonetheless, while God knew that evil would come into the world, he also willed an end, and in this his action can be seen as perfect. To protect his own freedom, God caused events contingently and without necessity; therefore his own causation and will was free. God, therefore, predestined contingently. In this way, we can understand that God was not the captive of his own action, but remained free.
Tags: THEOLOGY AND RELIGION STUDIES / CHRISTIANITY, divine foreknowledge
Abstract The paper describes the way in which Philosophy challenges the belief implicit in Boethius' view of his own life that Happiness can be the product of fortune. This essay critically examines one of Philosophy's arguments in this regard, noting how it contains a number of subsidiary complexities that go to the heart of our understanding of the good and human happiness.
From the Paper "Topic 1: Carpe Diem and the Good of Fortune in Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy In Book Two of his Consolation of Philosophy Boethius is challenged by Philosophy for his regretting his present condition and the unhappiness that accompanies it. In the process, Philosophy challenges the belief, implicit in Boethius' view of his own life, that Happiness can be the product of Fortune. This essay will critically examine one of Philosophy's arguments in this regard, noting how it contains a number of subsidiary complexities that go to the heart of our understanding of the Good and human Happiness."
Abstract By presenting the works and philosophical ideas of ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates and 1st Century Roman philosopher, Boethius, this paper examines how man seems to find consolation at the end of life's journey. The paper looks at Socrates' "The Apology" and Boethius' "Consolation in Philosophy".
From the Paper "The "Apology" gives rise to a number of arguments and defenses that Socrates and others make on their behalf. One of the first arguments made by Socrates is that of his visit to the oracle at Delphi. There the oracle tells Socrates that he is the wisest man and he decides to check the validity of the claim. With that Socrates does in fact find himself to be the wisest man in Athens."
Abstract Boethius, in The Consolation of Philosophy, is simply trying to apply his reason to human existence in order to make sense of that existence in a world which seems to champion evil and defy justice and goodness. The author depicts himself as a man torn by the misfortunes of life, finding some relief if not happiness in the pleasures of poetry.
From the Paper "Boethius, in The Consolation of Philosophy, is simply trying to apply his reason to human existence in order to make sense of that existence in a world which seems to champion evil and defy justice and goodness. The author depicts himself as a man torn by the misfortunes of life, finding some relief if not happiness in the pleasures of poetry. Poetry does not help him make sense of his suffering but at least gives him the opportunity to express his pain: "Poetry, which was once the glory of my happy and flourishing youth, is still my comfort in this misery of my old age" (3).
However, immediately, philosophy comes to him in a vision as Lady Philosophy, offering him more than poetry could ever offer, namely the opportunity to make rational sense of the world as a means of transcending his suffering instead of wallowing in it."
Abstract This paper presents the main arguments made by Boethius about the importance of philosophy. It shows how he believed philosophy was valuable for its insights into the way human beings seek solace in asking certain questions and seeking the answers. He saw philosophy as a means of learning more about God and of coming to grips with one's relationship to the rest of creation.
From the Paper "Philosophy is a way of looking at things and a way of examining and relating different things into a whole. Philosophy seeks to integrate the various areas of human interests and activities and in some way to explain life and its relatedness to nature or the universe or some outside construct. Different philosophers will answer the questions of philosophy in a different way, and their philosophy is built from those answers and from the method of thinking that produced those answers. We might ask why we should study philosophy if we are dedicated to practical matters and lack the time and inclination to delve into the kinds of questions philosophy asks, but this question itself assumes certain facts about philosophy that are not accurate. For one thing, philosophy is not something simply removed from the practical world, though philosophy in different eras may be more dedicated to less practical issues than at other times. Philosophy as practiced by the Greeks, for instance, was a precursor to science, as can be seen in the compendium of knowledge offered by Aristotle on issues of physics, astronomy, and nature. Philosophy asks questions everyone asks, questions about meaning, ethics, behavior, the afterlife, and so on. Knowledge in these areas is practical in a profound sense and should not be dismissed as useless, for it tells us how to live our lives and what values to place on our actions."
Abstract This essay discusses Lord Byron's poem "Manfred" in terms of Boethian Philosophy. It looks at the ways in which "Manfred" supports Lady Philosophae's claim that poetry is an inadequate consolation for despair. The paper also explores the ways in which Lord Byron may have structured his poem around Boethian concepts. Byron's poem seems to support Boethius' idea that poetry is a detour leading one astray from the path that leads to "ultimate good."
From the Paper "Manfred flees from Philosophy and Reason and moves closer to Passion and evil. His body lives, and his soul dies. "You know, then, that everything that is remains and subsists just so long as it is one, but perishes and dissolves immediately it ceases to be one" (CP 105). There is no true consolation to be arrived upon through Poetry or Philosophy. Catechism and equivocation will keep a mortal alive as long as he has the passion to rebel and the will to argue. There is no divine agent that can alone conquer the ominous fury of despair. In reality and imagination, there is no power that rules destiny and fate quite like apathy and ambivalence. Reaction makes slaves of kings. Resistance makes kings of slaves."
Abstract This paper summarizes Plato's and Aristotle's view on universals and particulars. The main focus, however, is on how Boethius interprets these arguments and forms his own opinion. The author also forms his own opinion on each topic and provides a critical view on the success of each argument.
From the Paper "Aristotle has a different notion of how we construct universals. He believes that our ideas about forms are reached "from below". Our understanding about particulars leads us to the understanding of universals. The form does not exist outside of the object but rather in it. The concrete object is the form itself, the abstract idea in our mind is just a definition of it. Aristotle is not perfect though, he tends to switch from using form to describe the substance we use to describe things and that substance has a real existence itself. Either way he disagrees with Plato's idea that forms are things separate from reality. Boethius aligns himself closer to this view and seems to settle without fully resolving the problem."
Abstract This paper discusses Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Book of the Duchess" and "Troilus and Criseyde." It describes their two young lovers, smitten by the blows of fortune - the Black Knight and Troilus, respectively and looks at the different references to fortune in each of the texts. The paper then relates the two texts to Boethian philosophy, namely that found in Boethius' "The Consolation of Philosophy."
From the Paper "Unlike in The Book of the Duchess, however, there are a number of individuals in Troilus and Criseyde who are responsible for the events that led both up to Troilus' affair with Criseyde, as well as the separation of the lovers and the betrayal of Troilus: without Calchas' betrayal of Troy, Criseyde wouldn't have been in the vulnerable position that preceded her affair with Troilus; without Pandarus and Troilus' elaborate scheming, deceit and manipulation of Criseyde, there would have been no affair; without Criseyde's betrayal and persistent deceit of Troilus, Troilus' pain would have been lessened, and they could have stolen away together as Criseyde kept considering to do. Here, it surely is not Fortune who is false, but Calchas, Pandarus, Troilus, and Criseyde. Therefore, one could argue that the role of Fortune, in Troilus and Criseyde, is to relieve these individuals for the moral responsibility for their actions as well as the consequences of those actions. They also seem to relieve Troilus of the responsibility to himself to continue his life actively. He seems to feel that if he has no hand in his fate or fortune, then he can just lie in bed all day, that it won't make a difference; a very distorted, although convenient, interpretation of Boethius' philosophy of Fate and Fortune."
An analysis of the themes of predetermination, chance and free will in Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" and Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius' "The Consolation of Philosophy".
Abstract This paper embarks on a comparative study between the works of two giants in their fields: Sophocles, one of the three ancient great tragedians in Greece and Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, a Christian philosopher of the 6th Century in Rome. The purpose of the study of the two works, i.e., "Oedipus Rex" and "The Consolation of Philosophy", is to determine the differences, if any, in the reconciliation of the concepts of predetermination, chance and free will existing together at the same time in the universe.
Outline
Introduction
Oedipus Rex
The Consolation of Philosophy
Predetermination, Chance and Free Will: Oedipus vs. The Consolation of Philosophy
Conclusion
From the Paper "The narrator of the story (which one can fairly presumed to be Boethius), was contemplating the hopelessness and anguish of his isolation. He was writing his desperate musings, hoping death will come to end his despair. He was despairing with the Muses of Poetry when suddenly appeared Philosophy, his old friend. Philosophy drives away the Muses of poetry and asks Boethius what is ailing him. To Philosophy, Boethius poured out his grief and anguish over his fate, the unjust accusations against him and his utter ruin. Philosophy condoles with Boethius and sets out to calm and sooth his spirit. But first she wanted to know why he has changed so much so she asked him several questions. She finds that Boethius has forgotten his own nature; that Boethius does not know the destiny or direction of the universe, and; third, that he was ignorant of how the world is being governed. "
From the Paper "The Consolation of Philosophy, the last work of Boethius, essentially focuses on the concerns of philosophy and the comfort and understanding it provides, but in most cases Boethius does not pose philosophy as a challenge to or conflict with religion. Primarily, then, Boethius is writing in this work about philosophical issues rather than about anything that might be construed as "his last confession to God."
A woman is used in the text as "Philosophy" by Boethius to emphasize his love for philosophy. Philosophy, in Greek, means "lover of wisdom," and Boethius clearly means to depict the character of Philosophy as a lover of the writer in a non-carnal but nevertheless very real sense. The philosopher seeks comfort and understanding from Philosophy just as a non-philosopher might seek comfort and understanding from a physical/sexual relation..."
Abstract Through the use of ironic humor and logical wisdom, the two writers present the misconceptions and reality associated with human wisdom, mocking the perceptions of humans in their so called wisdom by devaluing materialism in face of spirituality.
