Boethius: The Consolation of Philosophy The ladder of goods which cannot have an infinite number of steps has its

end in the perfect good which is also complete happiness. Discuss this notion in the light of your study of the consolation of philosophy.
There are many evident themes in Boethiuss work the Consolation of Philosophy, some of which are his views on philosophy, the Divine Reason of God, Fortune, the problem of evil and on free will. However, probably one of the most prevailing themes is that regarding the notion of the supreme good which in turn results in complete happiness. Before the Consolations, Boethius had attempted to elucidate this notion of good in his Quomodo Substantiae as the third of his Theological Tractates. He also addresses the notion of human happiness in his work entitled On the Supreme Good, also known as De Summo Bono. This work was greatly influenced by Aristotles Nichomachean Ethics, particularly book X, in which he argues that human happiness is one which can be achieved through the pursuit of philosophy. In it Boethius argues that ones complete and perfect happiness depends on and is ensured by the supreme good which consists of taking delight in both knowing what is true and doing what is good. But despite these works, his most powerful and influencing views on the supreme good and happiness is in his Consolations. The notion of perfect good and complete happiness can be seen very early on in the text. The reader first encounter Boethius in a prison cell, for supposedly a crime which he did not commit. We learn that he has suffered great injustice and a great loss of fortune, as he has gone from being King Theodorics consul to being his prisoner. Philosophys, personified as a womans first aim is to provide consolation to Boethius, hence the title of the text, the Consolation of Philosophy. However, the type of consolation offered is not in the form of sympathy but in terms of knowledge. Philosophy aims to open Boethiuss eyes to the truth, that despite his miserable state and misfortune, he has not yet lost the chance of true and eternal happiness. Philosophy makes use of two main arguments in order to show Boethius that it is not the muses and the material objects which he gives so much importance to, that can guarantee him real and lasting happiness, but rather it is his spiritual beliefs which can indeed provide him with complete happiness. The first argument can be found in book two and the first part of book three in the Consolations. In it, Philosophy presents Boethius with a complex view of the notion of the supreme good by distinguishing between the ornamental goods and the ultimate good. Philosophy explains that ornamental goods are those which we find on earth such as wealth, power, status and so on. She argues that one should not get too attached to such earthly goods as they are limited and temporal goods which can easily be taken away. A case in point is Boethius himself, who one day had certain wealth, popularity, power and so on, and the next he had nothing. Moreover, Philosophy argues that these are not real goods but rather they are inferior decorations or reproductions of the supreme good. Since they are not real goods and since they are temporary, then philosophy argues that such goods cannot really satisfy the eternal soul and provide complete happiness. On the other hand, the ultimate good is the virtues and sufficiency which the ornamental or rather earthly goods really seek. It is these true goods which provide one with complete happiness. By means of this distinction, Philosophy wants to show Boethius that although he has lost the earthly goods which he possessed, hence power, status, wealth and so on, he did not lose the chance to

obtain true goods which in turn result in complete happiness because true happiness do not depend on such earthly goods but as we have seen, it depends on sufficiency, virtue and wisdom in ones life. In book three, Philosophy presents the readers with the second argument, which unlike the first, is based on a more simple view of the highest good. In what is probably the most solemn poem of the whole work, Philosophy shows how the perfect good and perfect happiness are God himself. This means that the perfect good and perfect happiness are those which are completely untouched by changes in earthly fortunes. However, the problem with this argument is that it fails to explain how the individual human, in this case Boethius, is suppose to relate with the perfect good and perfect happiness which is God. All that the argument seems to imply is that if one knows that God is the perfect good and perfect happiness, then he will achieve complete happiness. After these arguments, Boethius asks what any other men would probably ask if he were in the same position. He asks, which wise man would prefer a life of misery, with no money, status or respect, to a life in flourishing in wealth, honour and power? Philosophys answer is simply that God is not the intervening final cause of the universe, but rather He is the efficient cause of all things. Everything which takes place in the universe, does so according to Gods providence. Towards the end of the Consolations and after long discussion between Boethius and Lady Philosophy, we see how Philosophy has eventually reached her goal, which as we have seen earlier was to cure Boethius from his illness and bring him to enlightenment. We see how after all of these discussions and explanations, Boethius is finally comforted and Philosophy has managed to convince him of summum bonum, meaning of highest good. It is here that Lady Philosophy leaves Boethius with the advice to cultivate virtues for the heavenly judge or rather for God to judge and see.