For eons, humanity’s greatest conquest has been the pursuit of happiness. The pursuit of happiness leads people to chase many sources of pleasure, the most prominent of which is good Fortune. Although experiencing good Fortune is pleasurable, Fortune’s unpredictable nature makes her an unsafe foundation for human happiness. In his book, the Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius uses the figure of Philosophy to encourage and admonish his fictional self while gradually leading readers to the conclusion that humanity should abandon its dependence on Fortune’s whims for happiness.
Fortune has taken Boethius’s home, status, family, and wealth from him. He now languishes in a prison cell, depressed and alone. As people who have experienced tragedy tend to do, Boethius bemoans all that he has lost. Philosophy, though, quickly cuts through his lamentations and rebukes him for trusting that Fortune would allow him to keep his riches. Philosophy says, “She [Fortune] hasn’t changed a bit,” and “she remains constant to her inconstancy. You were wrong to take her smiles seriously and to rely on them as the basis for your happiness” (28). Philosophy tells Boethius that Fortune has consistently demonstrated that. Trusting someone like Fortune, who has consistently shown herself to be unreliable, is foolish. Boethius, knowing that Fortune is untrustworthy, foolishly decides to trust her anyway.
After explaining to Boethius that he was foolish to trust the unreliable character of Fortune, Philosophy explains that Fortune’s gifts never belong to humans. She says, “What harm have I done to you? What possessions of yours have I taken? For that matter, can any mortal actually claim ownership of any possession or office or claim or title to these things before any judge in the world?” (31). Boethius did not earn his possessions and titles by merit or hard work. Even if he did earn his possessions and titles through hard work, though, no judge would make Fortune, a force that cannot be affected by human actions, return them. Instead, Fortune loaned Boethius gifts that could be recalled at any moment. Fortune states, “You [Boethius] ought to thank me for the use of what was always mine anyway rather than complain of the loss of what was never yours” (31). Boethius constantly points to his surroundings in prison as evidence of his mistreatment at Fortune’s hands. For example, he says, “Look at this dreadful cell! Does it resemble that cozy library where you used to visit in my house…?” (10). Fortune lends Boethius riches that he could never obtain on his own. Instead of being thankful for his unmerited usage of her resources, however, Boethius wrongfully accuses Fortune of mistreating him.
After establishing that no human can truly claim possession of Fortune’s gifts, Philosophy makes her final point: Fortune’s gifts are empty. She argues that Fortune’s gifts are empty because they do not allow men to lead worry-free lives. To better explain her point, Philosophy paints a verbal portrait of two men whom Fortune has blessed immensely. One wealthy land-owner, she says, is ashamed of his ignominious family name. At the same time, another well-respected man is ashamed of his poverty (39). Fortune’s gifts do not alleviate either man’s worry because no physical gift can leave humans without wants and desires. Not only are Fortune’s gifts incomplete, but they also cannot lead to happiness, which is the highest good. Philosophy says that “happiness is the highest good of a rational man” and that “whatever can be taken away cannot be the highest good” (41). If the highest good cannot be taken, and Fortune can easily reclaim her gifts, then possessing good Fortune cannot lead to happiness. If Fortune’s gifts cannot lead to happiness or significantly reduce worry, then they are empty.
Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy gradually helps the reader realize that humanity must not rely on Fortune’s gifts for happiness. He demonstrates that Fortune is untrustworthy, that she does not give presents that humans can keep, and that her gifts are empty. People often feel entitled to their bodily strength, mental prowess, or social success and derive an imperfect sense of happiness from these gifts of Fortune. Seldom do people realize that these long-sought-after gifts are lent to them by Fortune and are not only the results of their physical or mental labor. When Fortune takes back her gifts, she derails lives that have depended on her for happiness. By proving to his readers that Fortune’s gifts are temporary, false sources of happiness, Boethius saves his readers from being devastated when she inevitably reclaims her gifts.
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