Boethius Notion of Self-Sufficiency

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“For it is in your power,” says Marcus Aurelius in the Meditation “to retire into yourself whenever you choose”. Struggling to live the virtuous life according to Stoic philosophy, the roman emperor wrote in his private Meditations about the Good, the Bad and the Indifferent. In order to avert angst over the Indifferent –those things that are by nature uncontrollable-, Aurelius practiced the stoic virtue of ¬autarkeia or mental independence of all things. In light of this, the following essay will explain Boethius notion of self-sufficiency in Consolation of Philosophy in relation to Hellenistic philosophy.
The Consolations opens with the apparition of a lady -personifying Philosophy- over an anxious prisoner who scolds the slings and arrows of fortune that caused his downfall into imprisonment. She claims that “if you seek the physicians help, you must uncover the wound”, that is, a problem must firstly be understood (i.e. the cause of his mental unrest) to initiate a proper inquiry towards a possible solution. Lady Philosophy plays the figurative role of a soothing mother (or nurse) treating his child; firstly, with mild “medicine” to render him more tolerant to its effects, and then progressing the dosage with a heavier one (i.e. philosophical insight of great depth and breadth).
Unbeknown to prisoner is the (perfect) order of nature; as a result, Boethius suffers from the harmful consequences of “grief, anger and melancholia”. Such intense emotions are wounding to the soul, therefore “unclouded” raison is the end cure of “the disease of emotion”. In replying to Boethius emotional remarks, Lady Philosophy is described as showing “calm demeanor of indifference”, thus exemplifying the cosmos relationship to men (i.e. having ...

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...gs considered, consolation is attainable by virtue of knowledge of the Good, and by the end of book V, Boethius understands that God orders all things sweetly (perfectly). The once unappeased prisoner can now surpass his situation, uplift his spiritual freedom from the bondage of his (physical and mental) cell and rise to contemplation of the divine perfection. Was Boethius a quasi-stoic in high office like Marcus Aurelius? Skeptical in his approach, like is ideal Cicero? Or, was Boethius a neo-platonic philosopher coming into grips with his Christian faith? What ever it may be, Boethius is certainty a divisive figure for the breadth of his philosophy and the depth of his notion of the self-sufficient life.

Bibliography.

Works Cited

Nicholas Bunnin, Jiyuan Yu, The Blackwell Dictionary of Western Philosophy. Blackwell publishing: Malden, MA. 2004. Print.

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