The Consolation of Philosophy

The book is written as a conversation between Boethius and a female personification of philosophy. Philosophy consoles Boethius by discussing the nature of predestination, free will, evil, human nature, virtue and justice. Boethius attempts to answer religious questions from a philosophical perspective. The text has been described as a work ‘written by a Platonist who is also a Christian.’

The Consolation of Philosophy was written by Boethius while imprisoned during the Ostrogothic occupation of Rome in the 6th Century AD. The work is considered to be the last great Western work of the Classical Period. Boethius was born into the Roman aristocracy during a time of great turmoil for the Western Empire, and was educated in Greek and classical philosophy. He served as a state official in Rome during the reign of Theodoric the Great, and was executed for treason shortly after he finished the Consolation of Philosophy.