Considered the “last of the Roman philosophers,” Boethius’s philosophical perspectives were influenced by the Greek Neoplatonists and the Stoics. When Theoderic the Great, the Ostrogoth who ruled Italy, accused him of treason, Boethius found himself awaiting execution in a Roman prison. There, he wrote his “Consolation of Philosophy.”
In it, he takes the reader through a conversation with Lady Philosophy who, mentally or spiritually, enters his prison cell to discuss not simply philosophy, but the reasons for philosophy.
In his new book “After Stoicism: Last Words of the Last Roman Philosopher,” author Thomas Ward uses Boethius’s work as the background for demonstrating to modern audiences how philosophy can only take us so far. As Ward notes, his book “tells the story of a man whose long study of philosophy had given him respectable answers to all of life’s hard questions. Then life happened.”
The Reader as Boethius
In “After Stoicism,” Ward isn’t just a guide to Boethius’s “Consolation,” but is also a guide to our own philosophies and questions. As the book progresses, it becomes easier to view Boethius as a mirror image of ourselves: How should one view good and evil? What is happiness? What is truth? Is suffering good? Is pleasure? The author uses Boethius’s discussions with Lady Philosophy to maneuver through these important questions and address absurdities found in certain philosophies. This approach makes sense since it was the Roman who was asking or being asked these questions in the first place.The Ultimate Philosophy
Just as with Boethius, who was a Christian and is considered a martyr, Ward concludes that just as all roads lead to Rome, all good leads to God. This is the ultimate imperative. It’s the truth about the universe that ensures philosophy can stand, since philosophy can hardly stand on its own: Even philosophy must have a reason, and the reason must be more than simply giving people a roadmap for how to understand a specific thing, like good, evil, pleasure, or suffering. In this regard, Ward presents the ultimate philosophy.
By positing God, he shores up the ultimate question that even the philosophers ask: What does it all mean? Certainly, a philosophy may guide one to a more virtuous life, but does it answer the question “why be virtuous?” Answers often revolve around bettering oneself or society, or living at peace with others. Indeed, these are noble pursuits, but why should one care about oneself, much less others? With life so brief, why wouldn’t the pursuit of pleasure at the expense of others take precedence?
For Ward, and therefore Boethius (and one can conclude Lady Philosophy as well), there is something that comes after Stoicism, and after philosophy in general. It is that thing supports us when philosophies fail us: faith.
“After Stoicism” is a thoughtful reminder that one must look further into philosophy to find its soul and substance. For such a short read, it covers plenty. I recommend reading it slowly. After every few pages, place it aside and ponder its deep and moving claims.
