The Consolation of Philosophy has been described as the single most important and influential work in the West on medieval and early Renaissance Christianity, and is also the last great Western work of the Classical Period. Written while Boethius was in prison awaiting execution, the work consists of a dialogue in alternating prose and verse between the author, lamenting his own sorrows, and a majestic woman, who is the incarnation of his guardian Philosophy. The woman develops a modified form of Neo-Platonism and Stoicism, demonstrating the unreality of earthly fortunes, then proving that the highest good and the highest happiness are in God, and reconciling the apparent contradictions concerning the existence of everything.

A conversational text that addresses many philosophical concepts as well as Western religion by questioning good versus evil and the unnecessary suffering of innocent people. Anicius Boethius draws from his own experiences to illustrate these spiritual and ethical struggles. In The Consolation of Philosophy the author engages in a figurative discussion with Lady Philosophy, a type of teacher. Through their exchange, he poses serious questions regarding the existence of God and human nature. He also acknowledges his own dire circumstances, contemplating the hardships and trauma. Many counterpoints are tied to ideals such as the Wheel of Fortune, highlighting inconsistent and often unfair outcomes. He also focuses on the importance of intangible gifts such as love and intelligence. The Consolation of Philosophy is an honest analysis of the nature of happiness. It forces the reader to face hard truths about their wants versus needs. It’s a sobering examination of the unpredictable structure of life. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Consolation of Philosophy is both modern and readable.

‘Why else does slippery Fortune change
So much, and punishment more fit
For crime oppress the innocent?’

Written in prison before his brutal execution in AD 524, Boethius’s The Consolation of Philosophy is a conversation between the ailing prisoner and his ‘nurse’ Philosophy, whose instruction restores him to health and brings him to enlightenment. Boethius was an eminent public figure who had risen to great political heights in the court of King Theodoric when he was implicated in conspiracy and condemned to death. Although a Christian, it was to the pagan Greek philosophers that he turned for inspiration following his abrupt fall from grace. With great clarity of thought and philosophical brilliance, Boethius adopted the classical model of the dialogue to debate the vagaries of Fortune, and to explore the nature of happiness, good and evil, fate and free will.

Victor Watts’s English translation makes The Consolation of Philosophy accessible to the modern reader while losing nothing of its poetic artistry and breadth of vision. This edition includes an introduction discussing Boethius’s life and writings, a bibliography, glossary and notes.

A conversational text that addresses many philosophical concepts as well as Western religion by questioning good versus evil and the unnecessary suffering of innocent people. Anicius Boethius draws from his own experiences to illustrate these spiritual and ethical struggles. In The Consolation of Philosophy the author engages in a figurative discussion with Lady Philosophy, a type of teacher. Through their exchange, he poses serious questions regarding the existence of God and human nature. He also acknowledges his own dire circumstances, contemplating the hardships and trauma. Many counterpoints are tied to ideals such as the Wheel of Fortune, highlighting inconsistent and often unfair outcomes. He also focuses on the importance of intangible gifts such as love and intelligence. The Consolation of Philosophy is an honest analysis of the nature of happiness. It forces the reader to face hard truths about their wants versus needs. It's a sobering examination of the unpredictable structure of life. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Consolation of Philosophy is both modern and readable.

The Consolation of Philosophy has been described as the single most important and influential work in the West on medieval and early Renaissance Christianity, and is also the last great Western work of the Classical Period. Written while Boethius was in prison awaiting execution, the work consists of a dialogue in alternating prose and verse between the author, lamenting his own sorrows, and a majestic woman, who is the incarnation of his guardian Philosophy. The woman develops a modified form of Neo-Platonism and Stoicism, demonstrating the unreality of earthly fortunes, then proving that the highest good and the highest happiness are in God, and reconciling the apparent contradictions concerning the existence of everything.

Owing heavily to the styles of Plato and Socrates, Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy is a deep investigation into the nature of wisdom and the physical world. Making use of fiction, dialogue, and other Platonic conventions, Boethius's envisioned discussions with Philosophy personified take the reader on a journey of philosophical inquiry and reflection that is as stimulating today as it was in the sixth century.