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Lady Philosophy In Boethius's The Consolation Of Philosophy

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The Consolation of Philosophy Philosophy cannot give complete consolation, therefore, Lady Philosophy’s main aim is to restore Boethius’s relationship with God, who can provide true consolation. While philosophy provides a path for humans to contemplate how the world works, it ultimately provides Boethius consolation indirectly by pointing to Christianity. In The Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius defines a human as, “A rational and mortal creature” however, Lady Philosophy implies he is missing something and declares, “Now I know the other, in fact the greatest, cause of your disease: you no longer know what you are.” She believes that Boethius is in so much distress not primarily because of the difficult situation he’s facing in prison, but because he has forgotten in part what it means to be human, “A rational and mortal creature” created by good and loving God in His image. After her diagnosis, Lady Philosophy begins to cure Boethius through reason and dialogue, but ultimately strives to restore his relationship with God as the root of his dilemma comes from a lack of faith in God. Similar to a doctor referring a patient to a specialist, Lady Philosophy shows Boethius that he needs to turn to God in his despair in order to receive full consolation. As such, Lady Philosophy’s remedy consists of her using reason and philosophy to point out that Boethius the answers to the questions he has is derived from an understanding of God. In Book 3, Lady Philosophy asks, “What do you think we should do when we are looking for the foundation of the highest Good?” to which Boethius replies, “We should call upon the Father of all things. If we leave this out, we can’t make a proper beginning of our work.” Here marks the point, in the middle of the novel, where Boethius begins to turn to God for him in his dire situation. At this point, he is beginning to understand that God is source of all good and blessedness, rather than abiding in material goods and earthly views of happiness such as fame and wealth. For the rest of the book, God comes up more frequently in their dialogue and the conversation shifts to a more faith based discussion. The Consolation of Philosophy seems to end abruptly, leaving the reader to

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