Why Boëthius? Anicius Manlius Severinus Boëthius isn’t an outstanding figure of history to me. I learned of this 6th century Roman master-of-all-trades “Renaissance man” in an English lit course on Geoffrey Chaucer in college. Most of us know Chaucer best by his flagship piece, The Canterbury Tales, and we know that Chaucer’s writing had a great impact on all literature after him, and on the formation of the English language.
But Chaucer also rendered a Middle-English translation of Boëthius’ flagship, The Consolation of Philosophy. I discovered that Chaucer was consoled by Boëthius enough to bring his work to life again some seven centuries after Boëthius’ execution, as if no value or meaning was dropped from this work. And I stand some seven centuries after Chaucer, moved deeply by Chaucer’s archaic and nearly unreadable Middle-English, again as if no time had passed at all. I had the same surprising experience with Chaucer’s retelling of Troilus and Criseyde, and I recommend both of these pieces to anyone willing to grapple with some antiquated language.
The point of Boëthius here is twofold:
1) He stands on the bridge of civilized history, linking all important art, poetry, philosophy, religion, science and thinking from the ancient empires to the present day. The Last Roman, as he’s been dubbed is also the first modern man concerning the sharing of knowledge and the discussion of ideas. He looks both backward and forward with equal relevance.
2) He appeals to discussion, not just as a tool of speech or a means to an end, but as a comfort food. It’s the pleasure taken in the dialogue of high and low ideas for the sake of fellowship and the appeal of common sense.
Boëthian Papers is homage to the great discussion had by the founding fathers of the United States regarding its pending Constitution – The Federalist Papers.
So I begin this blog with hopes of engaging in high and low discussion of consequential and inconsequential things, but always with purpose: for the consolation of philosophy.
I welcome comments on all entries, and I will always do my best to engage the comments – especially comments of disagreement. If nothing else, check back often for short, entertaining and hopefully out-of-the-ordinary pieces on society, religion, politics and the arts – Boëthian-style.
