The Consolation of Philosophy 1st Edition by Boethius ISBN 0674048350 9780674048355 by Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius 9780674028456, 9780674031050, 0674028457, 0674031059 instant download after payment.

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ISBN 10: 0674048350 
ISBN 13: 9780674048355
Author: Boethius 

In this highly praised new translation of Boethius’s The Consolation of Philosophy, David R. Slavitt presents a graceful, accessible, and modern version for both longtime admirers of one of the great masterpieces of philosophical literature and those encountering it for the first time. Slavitt preserves the distinction between the alternating verse and prose sections in the Latin original, allowing us to appreciate the Menippian parallels between the discourses of literary and logical inquiry. His prose translations are lively and colloquial, conveying the argumentative, occasionally bantering tone of the original, while his verse translations restore the beauty and power of Boethius’s poetry. The result is a major contribution to the art of translation.

Those less familiar with Consolation may remember it was written under a death sentence. Boethius (c. 480–524), an Imperial official under Theodoric, Ostrogoth ruler of Rome, found himself, in a time of political paranoia, denounced, arrested, and then executed two years later without a trial. Composed while its author was imprisoned, cut off from family and friends, it remains one of Western literature’s most eloquent meditations on the transitory nature of earthly belongings, and the superiority of things of the mind. In an artful combination of verse and prose, Slavitt 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 Consolation of Philosophy 1st Table of contents:

Book I: The Misery of Fortune

• Chapter 1 (Prose): Boethius laments his unjust fate and lost prosperity. He is interrupted by the appearance of Lady Philosophy.
• Chapter 2 (Verse): A poetic lament on the instability of Fortune.
• Chapter 3 (Prose): Lady Philosophy consoles Boethius, recognizing his intellectual capabilities but diagnosing his spiritual illness as forgetfulness of his true nature and of the source of all good.
• Chapter 4 (Verse): Philosophy encourages Boethius to lament no more.
• Chapter 5 (Prose): Boethius recounts his past virtuous deeds and the injustice of his current condemnation, asserting his innocence.
• Chapter 6 (Verse): A prayer from Boethius for truth and light.
• Chapter 7 (Prose): Lady Philosophy begins her systematic diagnosis, pointing out that Boethius has forgotten the true nature of the universe and divine governance.

Book II: The Insufficiency of Earthly Goods

• Chapter 1 (Verse): A poem on the changing nature of Fortune.
• Chapter 2 (Prose): Lady Philosophy challenges Boethius's despair by showing the fickle nature of Fortune, reminding him that she has not taken everything.
• Chapter 3 (Verse): Philosophy describes Fortune's capriciousness.
• Chapter 4 (Prose): Philosophy argues that good fortune is often more deceptive than adversity, as it leads people astray.
• Chapter 5 (Verse): A reflection on the golden age and contentment.
• Chapter 6 (Prose): Philosophy systematically examines various earthly goods (wealth, honor, power, pleasure) and demonstrates their inherent inadequacy and inability to provide true happiness.
• Chapter 7 (Verse): A poem on true nobility.
• Chapter 8 (Prose): Philosophy concludes that even if these goods were truly desirable, they cannot be perfectly possessed and often bring more trouble than joy.
• Chapter 9 (Verse): A praise of the cosmic order.

Book III: True Happiness and the Highest Good

• Chapter 1 (Verse): Philosophy invites Boethius to leave earthly woes and seek true good.
• Chapter 2 (Prose): Philosophy begins to lead Boethius towards understanding true happiness, which is the highest good.
• Chapter 3 (Verse): A poetic argument against the pursuit of worldly power.
• Chapter 4 (Prose): Philosophy demonstrates that all apparent goods (wealth, honor, power, fame, pleasure) are merely imperfect and fragmented reflections of the true, perfect Good.
• Chapter 5 (Verse): On the futility of human ambition.
• Chapter 6 (Prose): Philosophy shows that perfect happiness is found only in the perfect Good, which is God.
• Chapter 7 (Verse): A hymn to the divine ruler.
• Chapter 8 (Prose): Philosophy asserts that the Good is one, and all good things partake in this unity. Therefore, God is the highest good and the source of all happiness.
• Chapter 9 (Verse): A praise of divine unity and goodness.
• Chapter 10 (Prose): Philosophy identifies God as the ultimate good and happiness itself. Since God is goodness, and all things desire good, all things ultimately desire God. Thus, evil has no real substance.
• Chapter 11 (Verse): A poem on the power of love.
• Chapter 12 (Prose): Philosophy explains how all things, by seeking existence, seek the good, because God, who is existence and good, directs all things to Himself.

Book IV: Good and Evil in the Divine Plan

• Chapter 1 (Verse): Boethius marvels at the vastness of the divine plan.
• Chapter 2 (Prose): Boethius raises a profound theological problem: if God is good and governs all, why does evil exist and why do bad people prosper while good people suffer? Philosophy assures him that prosperity for the wicked is impossible, and they are always punished.
• Chapter 3 (Verse): A lament on the seeming injustice of the world.
• Chapter 4 (Prose): Philosophy argues that the power of the wicked is merely apparent; they are weak because they desire what is contrary to their nature (good) and thus fail to achieve true happiness. The good are always powerful because they are aligned with the ultimate Good.
• Chapter 5 (Verse): On the nature of true power.
• Chapter 6 (Prose): Philosophy explains that all fortune, both good and bad, serves a good purpose in the divine plan (Providence). Adversity can be a test, a correction, or a means to spiritual growth.
• Chapter 7 (Verse): A poem on the hidden divine order.
• Chapter 8 (Prose): Philosophy asserts that there is no evil in the universe that is not ordered for good by divine Providence. She uses the analogy of a physician's bitter medicine.
• Chapter 9 (Verse): A lament on the folly of seeking earthly desires.
• Chapter 10 (Prose): Philosophy explains that while human free will exists, it operates within the framework of divine Providence, which orders all events.

Book V: Providence, Free Will, and Foreknowledge

• Chapter 1 (Verse): Boethius expresses confusion about fate and free will.
• Chapter 2 (Prose): Boethius acknowledges the arguments for Providence but then introduces the ultimate theological dilemma: if God foresees everything, how can human beings have free will? Philosophy begins to untangle this knot.
• Chapter 3 (Verse): A poem on the limitations of human knowledge.
• Chapter 4 (Prose): Philosophy clarifies the nature of divine foreknowledge. God's knowledge is not like human foresight, which compels future events. Instead, God knows all things in an eternal present.
• Chapter 5 (Verse): On the eternal present of God.
• Chapter 6 (Prose): Philosophy argues that God's eternal present knowledge encompasses all time simultaneously. Therefore, God's foreknowledge does not impose necessity on free actions. It is a knowledge of what free agents will freely choose to do.
• Chapter 7 (Verse): A final exhortation to virtue.
• Chapter 8 (Prose): The final chapter concludes that since God sees all things in an eternal present, including our free choices, there is indeed a scope for prayer and hope. Good deeds are not in vain, and the virtuous are known to God. Humans should live righteously because their lives are always observed by the ultimate Judge.

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