• Log In

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

A Philosophy Podcast and Philosophy Blog

Subscribe on Android Spotify Google Podcasts audible patreon
  • Home
  • Podcast
    • PEL Network Episodes
    • Publicly Available PEL Episodes
    • Paywalled and Ad-Free Episodes
    • PEL Episodes by Topic
    • Nightcap
    • Philosophy vs. Improv
    • Pretty Much Pop
    • Nakedly Examined Music
    • (sub)Text
    • Phi Fic Podcast
    • Combat & Classics
    • Constellary Tales
  • Blog
  • About
    • PEL FAQ
    • Meet PEL
    • About Pretty Much Pop
    • Philosophy vs. Improv
    • Nakedly Examined Music
    • Meet Phi Fic
    • Listener Feedback
    • Links
  • Join
    • Become a Citizen
    • Join Our Mailing List
    • Log In
  • Donate
  • Store
    • Episodes
    • Swag
    • Everything Else
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • My Account
  • Contact
  • Mailing List

Episode 158: Boethius: The Consolation of Philosophy (Part One)

February 13, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 5 Comments

http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/partiallyexaminedlife/PEL_ep_158pt1_1-16-17.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:28 — 50.9MB)

On the Consolation, written as Boethius awaited execution in 524 CE.

Do bad things really happen to good people? Boethius, surprisingly, says no, for Stoic (anything that can be taken away can't be of central importance; you can't lose your virtue in this way), Aristotelian (all things tend toward the good, and the best thing for a person is achieving his or her innate potential, which is to be virtuous), and Christian (God's unknowable plan means that even the stuff that seems bad really isn't) reasons.

Boethius imagines Lady Philosophy herself coming to him in his cell and reminding him of the philosophical perspective that (following Plato) gives him access to a higher realm of being than the one inhabited by goods like reputation and bodily freedom. This results in arguments like bad luck is really good, because when things go bad, that's when two-faced Fortune reveals herself as the inconstant villain she is. Also (this should be familiar from Plato's Republic), even if someone wicked seems happy, by definition wickedness rules out true happiness, and virtue is its own reward. Goods like pleasure, fame, and riches promise a sort of completion, but they don't deliver; really, what we're looking for is integrity of self, which is what virtue offers.

To hear more about the famous "How can we have free will when God knows all?" part of the book, check out John Marenbon's appearance on ep. 119 of the History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps podcast. On the episode before that one, host Peter Adamson also gives more information about what ideas came from what past authors and about the circumstances that gave rise to Boethius's imprisonment.

Buy the "prose translation" that we used or read this online version.

This is continued on part 2, or get the ad-free, unbroken Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Filed Under: Podcast Episodes Tagged With: Boethius, philosophy podcast, Roman philosophy, Stoicism, theodicy, virtue ethics

Comments

  1. WCB says

    February 14, 2017 at 10:22 pm

    Wonderful to hear this — particularly as I was teaching a class on Chaucer’s Nun’s Priest’s Tale this afternoon, wherein the simple vs. conditional necessity issue is directed at the plight of a … rooster.

    I’ve been listening for years and this is my first comment, so I just want to register a note of gratitude for what you do. I appreciate what each of you brings to a discussion, and you’ve all been good company for a long time now.

    Reply
    • Mark Linsenmayer says

      February 14, 2017 at 10:42 pm

      Thank you, sir!

      Reply
  2. Mascifer says

    July 9, 2017 at 9:41 am

    Wow, I love how much you guys disagreed in this one! Was there a series of remedial emails after?

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Episode 158: Boethius: The Consolation of Philosophy (Part Two) | The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast | A Philosophy Podcast and Blog says:
    February 20, 2017 at 7:00 am

    […] to part 1 first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support […]

    Reply
  2. Science, Religion, and Secularism Part XII: Michael Allen Gillespie, Theological Origins of Modernity | The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast | A Philosophy Podcast and Blog says:
    December 3, 2017 at 9:32 pm

    […] mention that in the sixth century, after the Goths had conquered Italy, the Roman philosopher Boethius, who recognized that the classical world was coming to an end, tried to carry out such a […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

PEL Live Show 2023

Brothers K Live Show

Citizenship has its Benefits

Become a PEL Citizen
Become a PEL Citizen, and get access to all paywalled episodes, early and ad-free, including exclusive Part 2's for episodes starting September 2020; our after-show Nightcap, where the guys respond to listener email and chat more causally; a community of fellow learners, and more.

Rate and Review

Nightcap

Listen to Nightcap
On Nightcap, listen to the guys respond to listener email and chat more casually about their lives, the making of the show, current events and politics, and anything else that happens to come up.

Subscribe to Email Updates

Select list(s):

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Support PEL

Buy stuff through Amazon and send a few shekels our way at no extra cost to you.

Tweets by PartiallyExLife

Recent Comments

  • Mark Linsenmayer on Ep. 302: Erasmus Praises Foolishness (Part Two)
  • Mark Linsenmayer on Ep. 308: Moore’s Proof of Mind-Independent Reality (Part Two for Supporters)
  • Mark Linsenmayer on Ep. 201: Marcus Aurelius’s Stoicism with Ryan Holiday (Citizen Edition)
  • MartinK on Ep. 201: Marcus Aurelius’s Stoicism with Ryan Holiday (Citizen Edition)
  • Wayne Barr on Ep. 308: Moore’s Proof of Mind-Independent Reality (Part Two for Supporters)

About The Partially Examined Life

The Partially Examined Life is a philosophy podcast by some guys who were at one point set on doing philosophy for a living but then thought better of it. Each episode, we pick a text and chat about it with some balance between insight and flippancy. You don’t have to know any philosophy, or even to have read the text we’re talking about to (mostly) follow and (hopefully) enjoy the discussion

Become a PEL Citizen!

As a PEL Citizen, you’ll have access to a private social community of philosophers, thinkers, and other partial examiners where you can join or initiate discussion groups dedicated to particular readings, participate in lively forums, arrange online meet-ups for impromptu seminars, and more. PEL Citizens also have free access to podcast transcripts, guided readings, episode guides, PEL music, and other citizen-exclusive material. Click here to join.

Blog Post Categories

  • (sub)Text
  • Aftershow
  • Announcements
  • Audiobook
  • Book Excerpts
  • Citizen Content
  • Citizen Document
  • Citizen News
  • Close Reading
  • Combat and Classics
  • Constellary Tales
  • Exclude from Newsletter
  • Featured Ad-Free
  • Featured Article
  • General Announcements
  • Interview
  • Letter to the Editor
  • Misc. Philosophical Musings
  • Nakedly Examined Music Podcast
  • Nakedly Self-Examined Music
  • NEM Bonus
  • Not School Recording
  • Not School Report
  • Other (i.e. Lesser) Podcasts
  • PEL Music
  • PEL Nightcap
  • PEL's Notes
  • Personal Philosophies
  • Phi Fic Podcast
  • Philosophy vs. Improv
  • Podcast Episode (Citizen)
  • Podcast Episodes
  • Pretty Much Pop
  • Reviewage
  • Song Self-Exam
  • Supporter Exclusive
  • Things to Watch
  • Vintage Episode (Citizen)
  • Web Detritus

Follow:

Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | Apple Podcasts

Copyright © 2009 - 2023 · The Partially Examined Life, LLC. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Copyright Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in