Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy is one of those books that is worth revisiting later in life. It contains much that is useful to know and remember, even though it was written for and about late Roman audiences and times - particularly criminal emperors with fantastic wealth, Theodoric!
Of all the parts of the book, my interest was most piqued by the discussion early in Book IV about the nature of evil and evil acts. The principal claim is that the wicked do not exist: "anything which turns away from goodness ceases to exist ... That [the wicked] used to be human is shown by the human appearance of their body which still remains...[Anyone who is wicked] sinks to the level of an animal." Recently, a friend with high moral sense referred to those who frequent nightclubs as moths attracted by one of those insect zappers. Whether consciously or not, he was echoing Boethius's thoughts more than 1500 years ago!
Of all the parts of the book, my interest was most piqued by the discussion early in Book IV about the nature of evil and evil acts. The principal claim is that the wicked do not exist: "anything which turns away from goodness ceases to exist ... That [the wicked] used to be human is shown by the human appearance of their body which still remains...[Anyone who is wicked] sinks to the level of an animal." Recently, a friend with high moral sense referred to those who frequent nightclubs as moths attracted by one of those insect zappers. Whether consciously or not, he was echoing Boethius's thoughts more than 1500 years ago!