One of the most influential books in the history of Western thought,
The Consolation of Philosophy was written in a prison cell by a
condemned man. Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (c. 480-524) was a
Roman scholar, theologian, philosopher, and statesman. Imprisoned by the
Ostrogothic king Theodoric, probably on trumped-up subversion charges,
he was thrown into a remote prison where he was eventually executed.
While awaiting his fate, he wrote this dialogue in alternating prose and
poetry between himself and his spiritual guardian. Its subject is human
happiness and the possibility of achieving it in the midst of the
suffering and disappointment that characterize human existence. As
Richard H. Green notes in the introduction, For the reader of the
Christian Middle Ages, The Consolation of Philosophy celebrated the
life of the mind, or reason, and the possibility of its ultimate victory
over the misfortunes and frustrations which attend fallen man's pursuit
of transitory substitutes for the Supreme Good which alone can satisfy
human desires.
Mr. Green's translation is quite literal in order to remain as faithful
as possible to Boethius's original meaning. He has also provided an
informative introduction and notes. The result is a superbly accessible
edition that still exercises a powerful influence on contemporary
thinkers and theologians and represents a source of comfort and solace
for the general reader.
