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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
This one is a book to come back to over and over again. It is lovely from start to finish. The poems were definitely my favorite.
In this Plato-dialogue-style book, Boethius speaks with Lady Philosophy while he is imprisoned. They discuss what it means to be happy, fate vs providence, and how God is outside of our understanding of time (among many other topics).
In this Plato-dialogue-style book, Boethius speaks with Lady Philosophy while he is imprisoned. They discuss what it means to be happy, fate vs providence, and how God is outside of our understanding of time (among many other topics).
En el siglo VI, encarcelado a la espera de su ejecución y consciente de que el mundo que conocía iba a desaparecer, Boecio resumió lo mejor de la sabiduría grecorromana en busca de algo de esperanza. La hermosa obra resultante sirve como puente e inspiración a los pensadores futuros.
This book is famous for its opening with the wheel of fortune, but the rest of the book was hard for me to focus on. Even though it was tough, there were some really good thoughts and quotes in it.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This book was an incredible journey. Unlike the typically dry preachy philosophy I am used to reading this book was fun and engaging. The story it creates gives the author an avenue to start you out in simple things to get the ball rolling until delivering hard hitting arguments later in the book. While I didn’t necessarily agree with everything on the page the author undoubtedly has numerous great points. Even for one who disagrees with the author the journey is fun to deduce his influences while simultaneously rewarding one who has read later western philosophy because so many ideas spawned from this book. By the end I literally could not put this book down I was so engrossed in the level of thought and simplicity that was used to convey the message. Truly a unique experience that I will not soon forget.
Remarquable book, the last jewel of the Roman civilization before the start of the Middle Ages. Especially book 1 and 2 are beautiful pieces of consolation. I found the theological and philosophical parts rather disappointing.
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (c. 480 - 524)
Moral growth, the true good of wisdom
lady Philosophy in her lettered robe
"What we want is the fruits of reason, while all they have is the useless thorns of intemperate passion."
desire as a delusion...
The world judges actions not on their merit but on their results, which are often a matter of pure chance.
If you look at the natural world, there appears to be an order.
The result of divine reason.
...the loss of what was never yours.
Why then do men look outside themselves for happiness when it is surely to be found inside?
Are you not able to find value in yourself?
Don't chase the recognition...
You thought you were a philosopher, but let me tell you a story. There was a man who made such a claim, not from a dedication to truth and reason but out of vanity, as a way of enhancing his reputation.
Let him who hopes for fame consider
the extent of the starry skies
arching over our small planet.
To be happy, that is the summum bonum, the supreme good.
Principles similar to Rousseau and Lao-tzu...
Popular acclaim is not worth talking about. It comes randomly, for little or no reason, and it never lasts very long.
What is simple and undivided by nature human error manages to divide and distort.
Ask for God's help even in the smallest matters.
... for you are our beginning, our journey, and our end.
And whatever it is that created and maintains the university I call by the name of God.
Orpheus long ago sang
his dirge for Euridyce's death
and rooted trees ran to hear
and running rivers stopped
to listen.
All men are happy insofar as they are good.
Moral growth, the true good of wisdom
lady Philosophy in her lettered robe
"What we want is the fruits of reason, while all they have is the useless thorns of intemperate passion."
desire as a delusion...
The world judges actions not on their merit but on their results, which are often a matter of pure chance.
If you look at the natural world, there appears to be an order.
The result of divine reason.
...the loss of what was never yours.
Why then do men look outside themselves for happiness when it is surely to be found inside?
Are you not able to find value in yourself?
Don't chase the recognition...
You thought you were a philosopher, but let me tell you a story. There was a man who made such a claim, not from a dedication to truth and reason but out of vanity, as a way of enhancing his reputation.
Let him who hopes for fame consider
the extent of the starry skies
arching over our small planet.
To be happy, that is the summum bonum, the supreme good.
Principles similar to Rousseau and Lao-tzu...
Popular acclaim is not worth talking about. It comes randomly, for little or no reason, and it never lasts very long.
What is simple and undivided by nature human error manages to divide and distort.
Ask for God's help even in the smallest matters.
... for you are our beginning, our journey, and our end.
And whatever it is that created and maintains the university I call by the name of God.
Orpheus long ago sang
his dirge for Euridyce's death
and rooted trees ran to hear
and running rivers stopped
to listen.
All men are happy insofar as they are good.
"Any human action presupposes two things: will
and ability. If either one of these is lacking, no one
can do anything. Without the will, no man can begin
any action, and without ability, the will is frustrated."
***
I don't usually read philosophical books, but since this was required for class, I had no choice. Surprisingly, the text was accessible (perhaps I got lucky with the translation). It made me ponder over certain questions that always remained at the back of my mind (mostly unaddressed). I also found good counterarguments to some of my longstanding principles—a notable one being "money can buy happiness."
While I don't agree with all the ideas here, it's safe to say that—overall—this book left an impact.
and ability. If either one of these is lacking, no one
can do anything. Without the will, no man can begin
any action, and without ability, the will is frustrated."
***
I don't usually read philosophical books, but since this was required for class, I had no choice. Surprisingly, the text was accessible (perhaps I got lucky with the translation). It made me ponder over certain questions that always remained at the back of my mind (mostly unaddressed). I also found good counterarguments to some of my longstanding principles—a notable one being "money can buy happiness."
While I don't agree with all the ideas here, it's safe to say that—overall—this book left an impact.
This was written in the 6th century CE and is quite an interesting work made up of verse and prose and shows the backbone of Medieval philosophy and influences philosophy even to our day.
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius was a member of the Roman senate, very prominent and influential. He was later imprisoned and executed for treason. During his imprisonment, Boethius wrote The Consolation of Philosophy.
In it, Boethius narrates Lady Philosophy coming and visiting him. They discuss good vs evil, fate, death, and other topics, which bring him consolation.
I am now going to plagiarize another summary of the book because they do much better than me.
"Philosophy begins by proving by meticulous reasoning that God is not only good, but the source of goodness. People are good in so far as they participate in divine goodness; they are evil in so far as they reject it. To be human is to accept good; to reject it makes one subhuman. The evil therefore only appear to be triumphant in the world. In fact, their own evil is their punishment.
"The reason the bad seem to be rewarded is that they are favoured by Fortune, the force that rewards and punishes within the world. It is better, Philosophy argues, to follow Providence, the force that sees to it that God's plan is followed, no matter how men mar it.
"Philosophy finishes up by reconciling God's foreknowledge of events with Man's free will. Foreseeing a thing does not necessitate that one has influenced it at all--God's foreknowledge merely enables him to see what will happen. He foresees because, from the perspective of eternity, all events, past, present, and future and simultaneously present to Him."
I found the book very interesting, especially the discussion of foreknowledge. Though the discussion seem religious, they are more a reasoned and less of a theological approach to these subjects.
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius was a member of the Roman senate, very prominent and influential. He was later imprisoned and executed for treason. During his imprisonment, Boethius wrote The Consolation of Philosophy.
In it, Boethius narrates Lady Philosophy coming and visiting him. They discuss good vs evil, fate, death, and other topics, which bring him consolation.
I am now going to plagiarize another summary of the book because they do much better than me.
"Philosophy begins by proving by meticulous reasoning that God is not only good, but the source of goodness. People are good in so far as they participate in divine goodness; they are evil in so far as they reject it. To be human is to accept good; to reject it makes one subhuman. The evil therefore only appear to be triumphant in the world. In fact, their own evil is their punishment.
"The reason the bad seem to be rewarded is that they are favoured by Fortune, the force that rewards and punishes within the world. It is better, Philosophy argues, to follow Providence, the force that sees to it that God's plan is followed, no matter how men mar it.
"Philosophy finishes up by reconciling God's foreknowledge of events with Man's free will. Foreseeing a thing does not necessitate that one has influenced it at all--God's foreknowledge merely enables him to see what will happen. He foresees because, from the perspective of eternity, all events, past, present, and future and simultaneously present to Him."
I found the book very interesting, especially the discussion of foreknowledge. Though the discussion seem religious, they are more a reasoned and less of a theological approach to these subjects.
I first read the Green translation as published by Bobbs-Merrill in the 1980s (and earlier). I am not familiar with some of the more recent translations, but this version still garners a five-star rating, and inclusion on my favorites shelf.