<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 4, Chapter 3 - What Good and Evil Deserve]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Lady Philosophy explains how the righteous never lack their reward, nor the wicked their punishment. We take a trip with Odysseus to the Island of the Winds, and find ourselves transformed into swine, by Cerce. </p>
<p>My Boethius <ahref="https://gmgauthier.com/shownote/the-consolation-of-philosophy/"rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"target="_blank">Publication Schedule can be found here</a>.</p>
<itunes:summary><p>Lady Philosophy explains how the righteous never lack their reward, nor the wicked their punishment. We take a trip with Odysseus to the Island of the Winds, and find ourselves transformed into swine, by Cerce.&nbsp;</p>
<p>My Boethius <a href="https://gmgauthier.com/shownote/the-consolation-of-philosophy/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Publication Schedule can be found here</a>.</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 4, Chapter 2 - The Evil Are Powerless]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>In today's episode, Lady Philosophy lays out for us, the first of four arguments attempting to defang the problem of evil, and in the process, we discover that evil people simply don't exist!</p>
<itunes:summary><p>In today's episode, Lady Philosophy lays out for us, the first of four arguments attempting to defang the problem of evil, and in the process, we discover that evil people simply don't exist!</p>
<p>My Boethius <a href="https://gmgauthier.com/shownote/the-consolation-of-philosophy/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Publication Schedule can be found here</a>. If you'd like to get these podcasts in first-release, please visit my <a href="https://exitingthecave.locals.com/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Locals Community</a> page, and subscribe! Your subscription will also entitle you to participate in the curated discussion. Sign up now, to join in the discussion.</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 4, Chapter 1 - The Problem of Evil Restated]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>The mystery of the seeming moral confusion. Philosophy engages to make this plain, and to fulfill her former promise to the full. Boethius takes on The Gorgias. Let's see what he comes up with!</p>
<p>Librivox version of <ahref="https://librivox.org/gorgias-by-plato-platon/">The Gorgias can be found here</a>.</p>
<itunes:summary><p>The mystery of the seeming moral confusion. Philosophy engages to make this plain, and to fulfill her former promise to the full.&nbsp;Boethius takes on The Gorgias. Let's see what he comes up with!</p>
<p>Librivox version of <a href="https://librivox.org/gorgias-by-plato-platon/">The Gorgias can be found here</a>.</p>
<p>My Boethius <a href="https://gmgauthier.com/shownote/the-consolation-of-philosophy/">Publication Schedule can be found here</a>.</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: Boethius Sidebar - Who Is Lady Philosophy?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>This week, we take a momentary pause from the text, to ponder the origins of Lady Philosophy. What you will discover in this podcast, is a nexus of faith, reason, religion, and philosophy, in the books of Proverbs and Wisdom, and a powerful symbol who's meaning goes far beyond the superficial anthropomorphism of philosophy in human form.</p>
<p>I couldn't think of a good way to work in the famous passage from Acts 17, but that's hovering in the background of this, as well...</p>
<itunes:summary><p>This week, we take a momentary pause from the text, to ponder the origins of Lady Philosophy. What you will discover in this podcast, is a nexus of faith, reason, religion, and philosophy, in the books of Proverbs and Wisdom, and a powerful symbol who's meaning goes far beyond the superficial anthropomorphism of philosophy in human form.</p>
<p>I couldn't think of a good way to work in the famous passage from Acts 17, but that's hovering in the background of this, as well...</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 12]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Boethius and Lady philosophy confront the problem of evil, and Boethius laments the slipping of the vision of the true good just out of his sight.</p>
<itunes:summary><p>Boethius and Lady philosophy confront the problem of evil, and Boethius laments the slipping of the vision of the true good just out of his sight.</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 11]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Philosophy and Boethius rehearse the final arguments for the unity of happiness, and the good, and Philosophy makes the case for The Good as the Telos of all things. The analysis of this episode includes an extended clip from Plato's Phaedo.</p>
<itunes:summary><p>Philosophy and Boethius rehearse the final arguments for the unity of happiness, and the good, and Philosophy makes the case for The Good as the Telos of all things. The analysis of this episode includes an extended clip from Plato's Phaedo.</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 10]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>We have reached the summit, and Lady Philosophy now lays out the full case defending Divine Unity along Neo-Platonic lines of reasoning. This is going to be an intensely technical episode, but if you make it all the way to the end, I have a treat in store for you. Did you know that Boethius wrote his own music? We don't know absolutely for sure what it sounded like, but you may enjoy "Bella quis quinis", a work by Boethius himself.</p>
<itunes:summary><p>We have reached the summit, and Lady Philosophy now lays out the full case defending Divine Unity along Neo-Platonic lines of reasoning. This is going to be an intensely technical episode, but if you make it all the way to the end, I have a treat in store for you. Did you know that Boethius wrote his own music? We don't know absolutely for sure what it sounded like, but you may enjoy "Bella quis quinis", a work by Boethius himself.</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 9]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>We reach the end of the journey to the true good. Philosophy and Boethius have a brief dialogue on the false good, and turn toward the true good. Philosophy ends the dialogue with a prayer to the source of the One True Good (God). </p>
<itunes:summary><p>We reach the end of the journey to the true good. Philosophy and Boethius have a brief dialogue on the false good, and turn toward the true good. Philosophy ends the dialogue with a prayer to the source of the One True Good (God).&nbsp;</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 8]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Lady Philosophy concludes her case against false happiness with a brief bullet-point recap, and a verse to remind us not to spend our lives looking for things where they cannot be found.</p>
<itunes:summary><p>Lady Philosophy concludes her case against false happiness with a brief bullet-point recap, and a verse to remind us not to spend our lives looking for things where they cannot be found.</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 7]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Boethius warns us off of bodily pleasures, through the mouth of Lady Philosophy, because they give you a hangover.</p>
<p>Also, a segment from a lecture by Dominican Father Dominic Legge, on the question of intellectual pleasure. You can find the <ahref="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_Mga-Deu4A"><strong>original lecture here.</strong></a></p>
<itunes:summary><p>Boethius warns us off of bodily pleasures, through the mouth of Lady Philosophy, because they give you a hangover.</p>
<p>Also, a segment from a lecture by Dominican Father Dominic Legge, on the question of intellectual pleasure. You can find the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_Mga-Deu4A"><strong>original lecture here.</strong></a></p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 6]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Philosophy Tells us why Glory is a poor substitute for true happiness. </p>
<p>Also, a segment from a Paula Gooder lecture, on the question of glory. You can find the<strong></strong><ahref="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ6NX0REEOE"><strong>original lecture here</strong></a>. </p>
<itunes:summary><p>Philosophy Tells us why Glory is a poor substitute for true happiness.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Also, a segment from a Paula Gooder lecture, on the question of glory. You can find the<strong></strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ6NX0REEOE"><strong>original lecture here</strong></a>.&nbsp;</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 5]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Lady Philosophy has been walking us through the various false routes to happiness, and this week, we revisit the question of power.</p>
<itunes:summary><p>Lady Philosophy has been walking us through the various false routes to happiness, and this week, we revisit the question of power.</p>
<title><![CDATA[Plato, Parmenides, and the Theory of Forms - An Analysis]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>In this podcast, I will be outlining the theory of Forms, beginning with why Plato might have concocted the theory in the first place, moving next to what exactly the theory is and how it works, and finishing up with an analysis of the criticisms of the Forms offered by Parmenides (primarily), and a few others since. </p>
<p>For all the snide dismissals of Plato's theory, nobody has ever bothered to explain to me <em>why</em> the Forms are no longer taken seriously, or <em>how</em> they’ve been shown to be disreputable. The point of the podcast is to answer for myself those 'why' and 'how' questions. In order to be confident of why I ought to either accept or reject this theory, I need to understand the theory, and to understand it, I need to portray it to myself, as closely as possible as Plato would have portrayed it to himself. Along the way, I hope you find this useful as well.</p>
<itunes:summary><p>In this podcast, I will be outlining the theory of Forms, beginning with why Plato might have concocted the theory in the first place, moving next to what exactly the theory is and how it works, and finishing up with an analysis of the criticisms of the Forms offered by Parmenides (primarily), and a few others since.&nbsp;</p>
<p>For all the snide dismissals of Plato's theory, nobody has ever bothered to explain to me <em>why</em> the Forms are no longer taken seriously, or <em>how</em> they’ve been shown to be disreputable. The point of the podcast is to answer for myself those 'why' and 'how' questions. In order to be confident of why I ought to either accept or reject this theory, I need to understand the theory, and to understand it, I need to portray it to myself, as closely as possible as Plato would have portrayed it to himself. Along the way, I hope you find this useful as well.</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 3]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Philosophy and Boethius discuss the insufficiency of wealth to the attainment of happiness. In the analysis, we shall see that Boethius is signaling his departure from Aristotle, here.</p>
<itunes:summary><p>Philosophy and Boethius discuss the insufficiency of wealth to the attainment of happiness. In the analysis, we shall see that Boethius is signaling his departure from Aristotle, here.</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 2, Chapter 7]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Philosophy takes Boethius to task for his love of glory. She reminds him of the fleeting nature of human life, and the impermanence of fame. This is the last of the four false pursuits of happiness: wealth, power, pleasure, and honour (as Aristotle would have called them). We get a visit from Carl Sagan, at the end, echoing Philosophy's counsel on the foolishness of glory.</p>
<itunes:summary><p>Philosophy takes Boethius to task for his love of glory. She reminds him of the fleeting nature of human life, and the impermanence of fame. This is the last of the four false pursuits of happiness: wealth, power, pleasure, and honour (as Aristotle would have called them). We get a visit from Carl Sagan, at the end, echoing Philosophy's counsel on the foolishness of glory.</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy - The Music Of The Consolation]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>This week is a musical hiatus from reading and analysis, because I have been working on my exams. Next week, normal programming will resume. But please enjoy this brief exploration of the medieval music of The Consolation. </p>
<p>NOTE: I did not do these interviews. They were done by Cambridge University, in an effort to promote the album created by the project discussed in the interviews. If you'd like to know more about the project, please visit their website: <ahref="https://boethius.mus.cam.ac.uk/">https://boethius.mus.cam.ac.uk/</a>. If you'd like to purchase the album they created, you can find it on Amazon (<ahref="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Boethius-Songs-Consolation-Sequentia/dp/B07D9CZPR2">link provided here</a>).</p>
<itunes:summary><p>This week is a musical hiatus from reading and analysis, because I have been working on my exams. Next week, normal programming will resume. But please enjoy this brief exploration of the medieval music of The Consolation. &nbsp;</p>
<p>NOTE: I did not do these interviews. They were done by Cambridge University, in an effort to promote the album created by the project discussed in the interviews. If you'd like to know more about the project, please visit their website: <a href="https://boethius.mus.cam.ac.uk/">https://boethius.mus.cam.ac.uk/</a>. If you'd like to purchase the album they created, you can find it on Amazon (<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Boethius-Songs-Consolation-Sequentia/dp/B07D9CZPR2">link provided here</a>).</p>
<p>If you'd like to get these podcasts in first-release, please visit my <a href="https://exitingthecave.locals.com/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Locals Community</a> page, and subscribe! Your subscription will also entitle you to participate in the curated discussion. Sign up now, to join in the discussion</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 2, Chapter 6]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Philosophy lectures Boethius on the false promise of power, and George Orwell answers her on whether the powerful can indeed get to the rational man.</p>
<itunes:summary><p>Philosophy lectures Boethius on the false promise of power, and George Orwell answers her on whether the powerful can indeed get to the rational man.</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 2, Chapter 4]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Philosophy tells Boethius to stop whining, and check his privilege. She also makes the first argument for happiness from virtue rather than external sources. Also, a special bonus clip at the end!</p>
<itunes:summary><p>Philosophy tells Boethius to stop whining, and check his privilege. She also makes the first argument for happiness from virtue rather than external sources.&nbsp;Also, a special bonus clip at the end!</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 2, Chapter 3]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Philosophy prepares Boethius for the hard road ahead by reminding him of the full scope of fortune’s blessings. Boethius is chastised for his excessive self-regard, and given a fresh set of reasons for eschewing his morbid despair.</p>
<itunes:summary><p>Philosophy prepares Boethius for the hard road ahead by reminding him of the full scope of fortune’s blessings. Boethius is chastised for his excessive self-regard, and given a fresh set of reasons for eschewing his morbid despair.</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 2, Chapter 2]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Philosophy warns Boethius of the inevitability of his place on the wheel, and chides him for challenging this most natural state of affairs. We'll briefly explore the history and mythology of Croesis and Perseus, and then we’ll have a quick look at the problem of fate.</p>
<itunes:summary><p>Philosophy warns Boethius of the inevitability of his place on the wheel, and chides him for challenging this most natural state of affairs. We'll briefly explore the history and mythology of Croesis and Perseus, and then we’ll have a quick look at the problem of fate.</p>
<title><![CDATA[Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 2, Chapter 1]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Philosophy calls Boethius a stupid-head, and then gives him three arguments for why his response to fortune was foolish. </p>
<itunes:summary><p>Philosophy calls Boethius a stupid-head, and then gives him three arguments for why his response to fortune was foolish.&nbsp;</p>
<itunes:summary><p>Philosophy reminds Boethius of the historical context within which he is situated.&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you'd like to get these podcasts in first-release, please visit my <a href="https://exitingthecave.locals.com/">Locals Community</a> page, and subscribe! Your subscription will also entitle you to participate in the curated discussion. Sign up now, to join in the debate.</p>
<description><![CDATA[<p>This feature begins with a series on "The Consolation of Philosophy", by Anicus Manlius Severinus Boethius. Each episode will consist of a reading of one or two chapters in sequence, followed by a brief commentary offering a few insights into the text. Boethius' chapters are very short. Each consists of a single section of verse, followed by a passage of narration. So, each episode is likely to be around 15 minutes long. There are a total of 5 books, or 39 chapters. So, this series should last us a while, given one reading per week!</p>
<p>The first episode covers both chapters one and two, of Book one. I am making this episode available to all comers to the Exiting the Cave community page, to provide a taste of what awaits those who are generous enough to support what I do</p>
<itunes:summary><p>Hello, and welcome to the first in a new series of Exiting The Cave short reads, made available exclusively to my Locals community. If you want to continue listening, you can sign up at this link: https://exitingthecave.locals.com</p>
<p>This feature begins with a series on "The Consolation of Philosophy", by Anicus Manlius Severinus Boethius. Each episode will consist of a reading of one or two chapters in sequence, followed by a brief commentary offering a few insights into the text. Boethius' chapters are very short. Each consists of a single section of verse, followed by a passage of narration. So, each episode is likely to be around 15 minutes long. There are a total of 5 books, or 39 chapters. So, this series should last us a while, given one reading per week!</p>
<p>The first episode covers both chapters one and two, of Book one. I am making this episode available to all comers to the Exiting the Cave community page, to provide a taste of what awaits those who are generous enough to support what I do</p>
<p>The Categories is Aristotle’s first attempt to outline a theory of being, in addition to the work’s central focus, which is to provide an account of the ways in which we think about being, and beings. In total, there are ten categories of thought about being, but the core of his theory of being begins with the first category. This is what he called “substance”. This essay will summarize Aristotle’s conception of substance as he presents it in The Categories, briefly explain what distinguishes substance from the other categories, and offer some additional thoughts about the metaphysics of being, in relation to Aristotle’s mentor, Plato.</p>
<p>The Categories is Aristotle’s first attempt to outline a theory of being, in addition to the work’s central focus, which is to provide an account of the ways in which we think about being, and beings. In total, there are ten categories of thought about being, but the core of his theory of being begins with the first category. This is what he called “substance”. This essay will summarize Aristotle’s conception of substance as he presents it in The Categories, briefly explain what distinguishes substance from the other categories, and offer some additional thoughts about the metaphysics of being, in relation to Aristotle’s mentor, Plato.</p>
<p>In the Physics, Aristotle says that we aim at understanding, which he says is to be able to give a full account of “<em>the how and the why of things coming into existence and going out of it</em>”. In other words, to understand something is to be able to give an explanation of how and why a thing changes. That explanation is what Aristotle means by ‘cause’. Today, thinking of explanation in terms of causes is not an alien notion. But, when we do this, we are typically only thinking in one narrow scientific sense of the term. Aristotle, however, describes a theory of causal explanation in both the Physics and the Metaphysics that includes four separate categorical senses of the term. Aristotle insists that a complete explanation will appeal to all four of these kinds of cause. In this answer, I will briefly describe the four causes, and attempt to explain why the fourth, ‘final’ cause is primary in Aristotle’s theory.</p>
<p>In the Physics, Aristotle says that we aim at understanding, which he says is to be able to give a full account of “<em>the how and the why of things coming into existence and going out of it</em>”. In other words, to understand something is to be able to give an explanation of how and why a thing changes. That explanation is what Aristotle means by ‘cause’. Today, thinking of explanation in terms of causes is not an alien notion. But, when we do this, we are typically only thinking in one narrow scientific sense of the term. Aristotle, however, describes a theory of causal explanation in both the Physics and the Metaphysics that includes four separate categorical senses of the term. Aristotle insists that a complete explanation will appeal to all four of these kinds of cause. In this answer, I will briefly describe the four causes, and attempt to explain why the fourth, ‘final’ cause is primary in Aristotle’s theory.</p>
<p>This post is my first foray into the question of whether or not there is a God. Before I can begin to attempt an answer, I need to explore a deeper question. Namely, what is the nature of this question? What exactly are we asking, when we ask this question? I want to suggest that this question is best understood as a fundamental choice, and that the choice is not simply one of satisfying an ontological preference, but one of universal significance. The way one answers this question will define one’s entire life, indeed all life. It will condition the content of all of one’s relationships, and predispose the outcome of every subsequent choice. It will frame every subsequent question you will ask yourself, from the nature of morality and history, to the kinds of activities you engage in, day to day. This choice lies at the center of everything it means to exist, and to be human. Which fork of the dilemma you choose, is therefore, the most important choice you will ever make.</p>
<p>This post is my first foray into the question of whether or not there is a God. Before I can begin to attempt an answer, I need to explore a deeper question. Namely, what is the nature of this question? What exactly are we asking, when we ask this question? I want to suggest that this question is best understood as a fundamental choice, and that the choice is not simply one of satisfying an ontological preference, but one of universal significance. The way one answers this question will define one’s entire life, indeed all life. It will condition the content of all of one’s relationships, and predispose the outcome of every subsequent choice. It will frame every subsequent question you will ask yourself, from the nature of morality and history, to the kinds of activities you engage in, day to day. This choice lies at the center of everything it means to exist, and to be human. Which fork of the dilemma you choose, is therefore, the most important choice you will ever make.</p>
<title><![CDATA[John Holroyd, Judging Religion: A Dialogue For Our Time - Author Interview]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>There is good reason why some people don’t want to talk about religion in polite company. Like conversations about politics, discussions about religion all too often set people at odds with each other in ways that are hard to predict and difficult to control.</p>
<p>For all the controversy involved with such debate, this book invites the reader to engage with an ethical appraisal of religion(s) as they are practised today. It is written in the belief that this is an important dialogue for our time. It claims, despite the emotive character of the subject, that the free exchange of ideas and experience between people of differing views and commitments can with practice generate more light than heat.</p>
<p>Particular effort is made to answer the question: how can we fairly evaluate the ethical character of religion(s)? It focuses especially but not at all exclusively on the religions of Christianity and Islam, being critical of them in many respects; but it also offers sharp rebuke to some of the perspectives of Richard Dawkins and others among the new atheists.</p>
<itunes:summary><p>There is good reason why some people don’t want to talk about religion in polite company. Like conversations about politics, discussions about religion all too often set people at odds with each other in ways that are hard to predict and difficult to control.</p>
<p>For all the controversy involved with such debate, this book invites the reader to engage with an ethical appraisal of religion(s) as they are practised today. It is written in the belief that this is an important dialogue for our time. It claims, despite the emotive character of the subject, that the free exchange of ideas and experience between people of differing views and commitments can with practice generate more light than heat.</p>
<p>Particular effort is made to answer the question: how can we fairly evaluate the ethical character of religion(s)? It focuses especially but not at all exclusively on the religions of Christianity and Islam, being critical of them in many respects; but it also offers sharp rebuke to some of the perspectives of Richard Dawkins and others among the new atheists.</p>
<title><![CDATA[On Cultural Knowledge and Discipline]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>We're being robbed of our capacity for expression in more ways than just overt censorship. In the name of "liberation" from an ostensible "oppression" we are stripped of access to our cultural heritage, and denied the opportunity to learn the rules and principles that governed the creation of new art in previous generations. This is dangerous, and we ought to reject this.</p>
<itunes:summary><p>We're being robbed of our capacity for expression in more ways than just overt censorship. In the name of "liberation" from an ostensible "oppression" we are stripped of access to our cultural heritage, and denied the opportunity to learn the rules and principles that governed the creation of new art in previous generations. This is dangerous, and we ought to reject this.</p>
<title><![CDATA[The Struggle Between the Public and the Private]]></title>
<description><