Consolation of Philosophy

In The Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius, a religious and philosophical man, is framed for treason and sentenced to a cruel and painful death. During his imprisonment before his execution is to begin, he starts to believe three things: the wicked have power and happiness, things happen haphazardly, and he has been robbed and banished from all of his possessions. When he has become depressed and angry at his circumstance, he is visited by Lady Philosophy. She is disappointed that he has forgotten his philosophy, and begins to diagnose and cure him of these “illnesses” that have taken form in his new beliefs. Through his belief in an all good, all knowing, and all powerful god, she explains that none of these new beliefs can be true. They are disproved by the definition of an AGAPAK God. At the top of the cave, there is a light. This light represents God, who is all good, all powerful, and all knowing. God’s view on mankind is defined as Providence. However, because humans lack the ability to truly understand Providence, it cannot be defined accurately. Men only see the actions of God without the reasoning and planning behind them, and this is defined as Fate. God’s abilities far surpass the abilities of mankind, and because God is all knowing, God is able to observe all of mankind in a single instant. God knows the plan for everyone’s life. This means that God knows what is going to happen in advance, and that these events occur because God decided there was a purpose for them. God is not limited by time, as God is eternal, so God will always be able to have plans for men. The ability to know the plan for mankind and allow them to happen because they must have a purpose disproves Boethius’ belief that things happen haphazardly. If an AGAPAK God knows what’s going to happen, and sees a purpose behind them, then nothing can happen by chance. It’s impossible for chance to exist if God knows the future. However, this raises questions about the existence of free