Posted on 03/08/2002 7:30:49 PM PST by primeval patriot
I probably won't respond to any posts as I couldn't debate my way out of a wet paper bag.
If this is your cup of tea, enjoy.
I believe that Boethius is considered essentially the last light of classical civilization in the West. Certainly not the creative genius of the earlier Greeks and even the Romans of 500 years earlier, his works helped transmit their ideas to thinkers of the medeival period, when many of the earlier works were lost, at least for a time. Of course, thinkers such as King Alfred, and the leaders of the Carolingian court, 3 and 4 centuries after Boethius, still considered that they lived in 'Romania', in the wider sense, the lands of Roman civilization.
People in later times said that these people lived in the 'Dark Ages', and they were well aware of their reduced level of culture. But their writings, and that of Boethius before them, contributed to the continuation of the conception of classical civilization until its revival in the Renaissance. Their continuing influence helped pave the way for this later revival of high culture.
I wasn't aware there was any debate on this. Boethius was widely regarded to have died an orthodox Christian martyr's death at the hands of the Arian Theodoric, for his efforts to reunite the churches. At the time of his birth, Christianity was hardly a "new faith," and indeed was only increasing its dominance of the Empire.
An observation: the only part that seemed "outdated" in any meaningful sense was the observation that fame cannot truly be called fame at all because it's necessarily local. This is no longer the case. Other than that, it defies those who claim that old thoughts no longer matter. Even there, often the things that have to be done to become famous around the world are immoral, degrading, buffoonish, or all three, and, as it says of those who hold office or other honors, "Their unworthiness is less conspicuous if they are not made famous." Just think of what Bill Clinton will be remembered for a hundred years from now, if he's remembered at all. Even here the point still holds.
I tend to think he will be thought of as sort of a junior grade, less violent (because of our political system), Caligula or Nero. Both of these guys were first thought to be the brilliant hopes for a better future for Rome, and both demonstrated the truth that 'character counts' -- the hard way.
Unfortunately, that is all that I have of Boethius. This article was transcribed from a beautifully printed, seventy year-old book.
A few notes on the source:
My guess is that this book was written on a level that would be understandable for the average high school graduate of the 1930's.
All of the readings are short excerpts of the original books, with each reading prefaced by a brief description of the work and author.
There are perhaps four-hundred readings from various sources.
Catallus, Caesar, Seneca, Xenophon, Lucretius, Cicero and many more.
It's definitely one of my prized books, for its content and the craftsmanship of the printer.
Hopefully never to be surpassed by a more senior grade version.
Thanks, Boethius is a very sad figure, the last thinking man at the end of a thousand years of a great civilization, having no intellectual equals, and not able to foresee any successors, since classical theories of history did not assume continuing progress. No wonder he turned, in his final imprisonment, to 'The Consolation of Philosophy'. I am not sure if anything he wrote is still in print (too tired to check Amazon). The odds are that only used bookstores could supply copies of his works. Perhaps our situation is not all that distant from his.
'Never' is a long time, but we can hope.
For from 10 to 25 cents on the dollar, you can furnish a well-stocked home library.
I recently acquired a hardbound century-old six-volume Plutarch's Lives for $45 Canadian.
It's all out there, and available. ;^)
Wisdom.
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