Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, commonly only called Boethius and in Roman times spelled Boetius (ca. 475/77–524 or 525 C. E.), was one of the most influential philosophers in late antiquity and has had a tremendous impact on the entire intellectual and cultural world of the West since then, powerfully straddling the divide between Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Most famously, he composed a treatise shortly before his death,

De consolatione philosophiae

(On the Consolation of Philosophy), which promises to answer many of the fundamental questions humans face when they are treated unjustly, are afraid of dying, and have to deal with the quintessential unfairness of life in which the good seem to suffer and the bad seem to triumph. But Boethius also wrote many treatises on a wide…

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Citation: Classen, Albrecht. "Boethius". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 August 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=466, accessed 19 March 2024.]

466 Boethius 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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