Consolation Of Philosophy

Boethius feels that he is now ready for Philosophy to administer a sharper cure. Philosophy replies that the remedies she will now apply will taste bitter at first but will grow more sweet once absorbed. Philosophy will show him the way to true happiness—something Boethius dreams of but is unable to see because illusions of false happiness cloud his mind. 

Philosophy explains that all human beings are striving toward the same goal: happiness. This is the “perfection of all good things and contains in itself all that is good” (48). Although all men are naturally oriented toward the good, error leads them astray in search of lesser goods. These include power, riches, fame, and pleasure—each of which is good in itself but does not constitute the whole of happiness. 

Human beings retain an instinctive sense of the true good, but various errors lead them astray to seek lesser or false goods. In fact, all these false goods do not deliver what they promise. Wealth promises self-sufficiency and freedom from want, yet it creates extra worry and gives rise to insatiable greed.