The Consolation Of Philosophy By Boethius: An Analysis

Socrates and Boethius – two men that have left an everlasting footprint in the world of philosophy. They seem to be similar in their experiences of injustice, but we learn how very different their outlooks are while they are facing imprisonment and execution. Little did they know, their experiences would forever change how philosophy would be conceived in the years ahead.

Napoleon Hill once stated, “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” From George Washington to Nelson Mandela, greatness is cultivated from adversity during turbulent times. Horace’s assertion is correct in view of the fact that adversity causes people to act, reveals vulnerabilities, and forces people to adapt.

Any obstacle or disadvantage can be turned into something good because no matter how hard the obstacle is to overcome there can always be a positive outcome. For example, in the novel “The Outsiders” no matter how bad Ponyboy was treated and all the problems

When I think of the concept of “evil,” I think of The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. In The Consolation of Philosophy, Lady Philosophy stated:

It can occur in any form, slightly stressful or devastating painful. It can happen to anyone, rich, poor, big or small. Adversity is inevitable. Most people would consider it very negative with no benefits, but they are not aware of its hidden effect. Roman poet Horace suggests that adversity can cause a person to demonstrate certain talents, which would not have been present if not for their misfortune. People and characters in any literary work experience unfortunate events and put through difficult situations that they need to overcome. Adversity uncovers their concealed gifts that help them through their hardships. Under its effect, it also can alter the process in developing a character and transform them into someone completely different.

In Book II and III, Lady Philosophy comforts Boethius that he should not grieve the loss of his former fortune by explaining that gifts from Fortune are all temporal things and people should not seek happiness from these eternal things. Their conversation raises the discussion about happiness, that true happiness cannot be found in earthly good things because they are never truly good.

In life there will always be those moments that we most value and those that we wish to avoid. Misfortunes are the situations or events that we wish to vanish from our lives because we view them in a negative way. However, what many choose to avoid is actually something that defines who we are. Misfortunes develop one’s character and it identifies us as a person. Everyone goes through different situations and because of that each and every person develops their own unique character based on those misfortunes. The essays “Flavio’s Home” by Gordon Parks, “What I’ve Learned From Men” by Barbara Ehrenreich, and “Common Decency” by Susan Jacoby all explain to us in detail the situation that a particular person is going through which in the end reveals how the person’s character was developed by that misfortune.

Misfortune allows one to learn how to benifit in the future. The seeds represent a new start after making a mistake for any person. Thus allowing them room to improve for the next time. I support Malcolm’s qoute and believe that he proved his own words. Malcolm being sentenced to jail made him change his life completely.

The most confident people are those to have known failure and misfortune. It is evident that adversity elicits our talents that successful situations could not elicit. However, overcoming obstacles can also elicit our character flaws. Through my study of the memoirs Night and The Glass Castle as well as personal observation, I agree with Horace in that adversity elicits character talents but adversity can also extract our character faults.

There are times in life that we attribute good luck to our hard work, dedication or talent but there are some other times when we can say that luck is just a chance that we get. As we can see on the work of this two authors James H. Austin the author of “Four kinds of chance” published in Saturday Review and Robert H. Frank author of “why luck matters much more than you think” published in The Atlantic (May 2016) they show the reader how chances can influence in different ways. After reading their work I consider Robert H Frank article more effectively fulfills his thesis.

Horace states, "Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant," meaning that differences in a person's life, meaning misfortunes as a whole, has the ability to change a person's personality and character. This can go two separate ways though, it can make them into a better person, or a worse person. But the overall idea that Horace stated is easy to agree with.

Making the most of your life will turn it into to something worth smiling for, it gets you through the storm with a smile even when you know bad things are going to happen. Happiness isn't about having no problems, it's about learning to deal with your problems so that they don't interfere with your life. Learning to appreciate what you have and live the most of it makes you happy despite any negativity that you may have. It gives

There is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment after successfully achieving a goal or task without encountering failure. Many may say that happiness is success without having to deal with the problem of disappointment. But what if that idea of happiness is the exact opposite of what it really is? What if the true path to contentment is learning how to be a failure? In the article Happiness is a glass half empty, the author establishes the misconception of how happiness is portrayed by society through irony, antithesis, and by using analogies in order to get the reader thinking about the idea of how failure is the main step to reaching success.

Adversity puts people in difficult or unpleasant situations which can create very strong emotions that can help or harm. When people face adversity, it is seen as a challenge and whether or not they overcome the challenge is personal. However regardless of whether adversity helps or harms, it is advantageous because it offers a challenge to overcome which builds character.

Boethius (Through Lady Philosophy), argues that all fortune is good. In the Book 4, Prose 7 in the The Consolation of Philosophy, Lady Philosophy argues that all kinds of fortune have a purpose to them: Either to reward or test good men, or correct and punish the wicked. Furthermore, it must be good because it is visibly just, fair, and useful. She also goes on to say that an individual can make his or her fortune themselves. Her claim is that for any type of fortune which might seem to be hard either trials virtue or disciplines vice. In order to fully understand Philosophy’s argument, it would be helpful to go back to Book 4, Prose 6, where she talks about Providence and fate. She states that providence, which directs everything toward the good and virtue, is the divine reason