Rising from the Depths of Despair: The Healing Arts of Lady Philosophy in Boethius's The Consolation of Philosophy
Rising from the Depths of Despair: The Healing Arts of Lady Philosophy in Boethius's The Consolation of Philosophy
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Date
2016-05
Authors
Qureshi, Nausheen
Journal Title
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Publisher
University Honors College, Middle Tennessee State University
Abstract
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius’s best-known work, The Consolation of Philosophy,
composed by the author in ca. 524/525 while imprisoned in Pavia, documents Boethius’s
journey back to enlightenment with the aid of Lady Philosophy, his teacher turned
physician. This study critically analyzes the physician/patient relationship established
between Lady Philosophy and Boethius, upon which the Consolation, and Boethius’s
recovery from his illness of lethargy, is built. Participating in the Graeco-Roman
lamentatio/consolatio tradition, the work showcases Lady Philosophy as physician, who
prescribes two types of remedies so that the patient can at first be pacified by the “weaker
remedy,” and then have his newfound misconceptions challenged by the “stronger
remedy.” Present-day applications of Lady Philosophy’s medical methods imply the need
of physicians to connect with their patients on a deeper level through the use of
individualized strategies, compassionate demeanors, and comforting bedside manners.
Only through such practices can physicians truly begin to heal their patients as a whole.
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Keywords
Boethius,
philosophy,
medicine,
spiritual healing