Consolation of Philosophy
by Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius
English
⏱ 5h 13m
41 chapters
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About this audiobook
Consolation of Philosophy (Latin: Consolatio Philosophiae) is a philosophical work by Boethius written in about the year 524 AD. It has been described as the single most important and influential work in the West in medieval and early Renaissance Christianity, and is also the last great work that can be called Classical. <br><br> Consolation of Philosophy was written during Boethius' one year imprisonment while awaiting trial, and eventual horrific execution, for the crime of treason by Ostrogothic King Theodoric the Great. Boethius was at the very heights of power in Rome and was brought down by treachery. It was from this experience he was inspired to write a philosophical book from prison reflecting on how a lord's favor could change so quickly and why friends would turn against him. It has been described as “by far the most interesting example of prison literature the world has ever seen.” <br><br> The Consolation of Philosophy stands, by its note of fatalism and its affinities with the Christian doctrine of humility, midway between the heathen philosophy of Seneca the Younger and the later Christian philosophy of consolation represented by Thomas Aquinas. <br><br>The book is heavily influenced by Plato and his dialogues (as was Boethius himself). (Summary from Wikipedia)
Chapters
1
Preface & Proem
7m
2
Bk1: Song I: Boethius' Complaint, and section I
4m
3
Bk1: Song II: His Depondency, and section II
2m
4
Bk 1: Song III: The Mists Dispelled, and section III
4m
5
Bk 1: Song IV: Nothing Can Subdue Virtue, and section IV
16m
6
Bk 1: Song V: Boethius' Prayer, and section V
6m
7
Bk 1: Song VI: All Things Have Their Needful Order, and section VI
5m
8
Bk 1: Song VII: The Perturbations of Passion
1m
9
Bk 2: Section I, and Song I: Fortune's Malice
6m
10
Bk 2: Section II, and Song II: Man's Covetousness
5m
11
Bk 2: Section III, and Song III: All Passes
5m
12
Bk 2: Section IV, and Song IV: The Golden Mean
8m
13
Bk 2: Section V, and Song V: The Former Age
11m
14
Bk 2: Section VI, and Song VI: Nero's Infamy
6m
15
Bk 2: Section VII, and Song VII: Glory May Not Last
7m
16
Bk 2: Section VIII, and Song VIII: Love Is Lord of All
3m
17
Bk 3: Section I, and Song I: The Thorns of Error
2m
18
Bk 3: Section II, and Song II: The Bent of Nature
9m
19
Bk 3: Section III, and Song III: The Insatiableness of Avarice
5m
20
Bk 3: Section IV, and Song IV: Disgrace of Honours Conferred by a Tyrant
4m
21
Bk 3: Section V, and Song V: Self-Mastery
3m
22
Bk 3: Section VI, and Song VI: True Nobility
3m
23
Bk 3: Section VII, and Song VII: Pleasure's Sting
2m
24
Bk 3: Section VIII, and Song VIII: Human Folly
5m
25
Bk 3: Section IX, and Song IX: Invocation
12m
26
Bk 3: Section X, and Song X: The True Light
13m
27
Bk 3: Section XI, and Song XI: Reminiscence
9m
28
Bk 3: Section XII, and Song XII: Orpheus and Eurydice
12m
29
Bk 4: Section I, and Song I: The Soul's Flight
5m
30
Bk 4: Section II, and Song II: The Bondage of Passion
10m
31
Bk 4: Section III, and Song III: Circe's Cup
8m
32
Bk 4: Section IV, and Song IV: The Unreasonableness of Hatred
14m
33
Bk 4: Section V, and Song V: Wonder and Ignorance
4m
34
Bk 4: Section VI, and Song VI: The Universal Aim
21m
35
Bk 4: Section VII, and Song VII: The Hero's Path
5m
36
Bk 5: Section I, and Song I: Chance
7m
37
Bk 5: Section II, and Song II: The True Sun
3m
38
Bk 5: Section III, and Song III: Truth's Paradoxes
11m
39
Bk 5: Section IV, and Song IV: A Psychological Fallacy
10m
40
Bk 5: Section V, and Song V: The Upward Look
6m
41
Bk 5: Section VI & Epilogue
15m