![]() For this reason, the work reads almost like a journal or diary of various entries. Two things stand out: When you flip through the pages of The Consolation of Philosophy, one of the most striking features is how it alternates between discursive meditations and poetic meditations. The next step requires actually reading the work itself. We are now closer to understanding what Boethius means by philosophy and how it serves as a source of consolation. As a brief side note, however, the influences of Neoplatonism exists in all three of the Abrahamic religions, so the thoughts presented in these texts are not strictly Christian. In both The Consolation of Philosophy and The Cloud of Unknowing, the view towards another life drives the thoughts of these two Christian authors. The important thing to bear in mind about Neoplatonism and its influence on Boethius and the anonymous monk is its concern with salvation-that is, a life after this one. The monk who wrote The Cloud of Unknowing was also influenced by Neoplatonism, which in his case allowed him to combine Christian mysticism with spiritual metaphysics of Classical antiquity. Indeed, Boethius’ understanding of philosophy and the ways it may serve to console a burdened soul is largely influenced by his Neoplatonism. As the title of the work implies, Boethius finds consolation in this moment of adversity through what he calls “philosophy.” Certainly, he is not simply talking about philosophy as we might think about it: As a field of study that analyzes the various branches of knowledge to better understand existence and reality. Boethius wrote the work in prison whie awaiting trial under the charge of treason, for which he was eventually executed. The background to the work may be familiar to some readers, but it is worth mentioning here for readers who have not explored the work before. We must now turn back from the 14 th century to the 6 th century to articulate the answer to this question and revisit that classic work: Boethius’ The Consolation of Philosophy. Still, what kind of knowledge does this method produce? When we contemplate, the process combines familiarity with wonder, resulting in a much more open-ended process. When we think, we follow a process that builds one previous knowledge. Contemplation, moreover, requires a dispositional shift that is different from our usual methods of thinking. This fact is certainly part of the answer to the question. We might be familiar with the idea that setting aside preexisting knowledge opens us up to greater absorption of unknown concepts. It is possible to think of some responses, however. What does contemplation have to do with knowledge, if contemplation requires giving up our preexisting knowledge? In one sense, this question is not directly answered by the monk. As the mystic scholar Evelyn Underhill wrote in her introduction to The Cloud of Unknowing, contemplation was a common practice in the Middle Ages in Europe and all over the world. This approach may sound silly, even outdated for our day and age. As the monk explained, entering this “cloud of unknowing” is similar to entering a “darkness,” where we know nothing and are therefore open to experiencing what comes from the exercise. The anonymous monk who wrote The Cloud of Unknowing tells us that contemplation is an exercise in humility, moreover, because it asks that we set aside not only our daily activities but also the knowledge that we carry within us from those activities. The focus of The Cloud of Unknowing is on the importance of contemplation-its effects on the mind and soul as it relates to religious experience-as a respite from adversity or what the author calls the “active life” which we all must lead as workers, family members, or students in society. The previous essay of this series, which focused on the 14 th century mystic text, The Cloud of Unknowing, introduced the theme of knowledge and Christianity. Men’s minds are obviously such that when they lose true opinions they have to take up false ones, and then a fog arises from these false ideas, which obscures that true vision. Still, for the literary man who has studied books most of his life, like Boethius, this wisdom is never gone and can be recovered. Philosophy’s role in the work is more than thought: She represents a form of superior wisdom which is easy to forget in moments of strife. In “The Consolation of Philosophy,” Boethius is not writing to console us, but to console himself.
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