the nature of Man - AnnaKate Burleson
Y'all.
breanna & kayla
I. Love. This. Book.
Maybe it's the fact that it isn't taking me nearly as long to understand what the point is as opposed to Augustine's Confessions, but I am thoroughly enjoying reading what Boethius has to say.
My favorite part of this week's reading was when Philosophy is asking him some fairly thought-provoking questions to get to the heart of his grief. She asks his thoughts on nature, God, and man.
"'And what is a man?' she asked.
'Are you asking me if I believe that man is a mortal, rational animal? Both of those things are certainly true.'
'But are you not something more?'
'I don't think so, no.'
After a brief pause, she said, 'I see. And I understand the cause of your sickness. You have forgotten who you are.'"
I'm not sure why I loved this so much the first time I read it. I can't put my finger on what part of it exactly stands out to me the most, but it definitely piqued my interest. Maybe it's the fact that Boethius didn't even hesitate when he said he doesn't think man is anything more than a rational animal. He is so enamored by philosophy, yet was so quick to deny the existence of a soul. I found that to be really interesting. But even more interesting was Philosophy's response. "I understand the cause of your sickness. You have forgotten who you are." One would assume that thinking of yourself as a rational animal would make you less likely to fall into such morbid self-pity as Boethius' when he first finds himself in this exile of sorts, but Philosophy begs to differ. She says his unwillingness to give himself a little more credit is, in fact, the cause of his grief. Not his imprisonment or impending execution, but his thought process. The way he views himself and the world around him is the cause of his grief, according to Philosophy, and I found that to be fairly profound.
I feel like I'm rambling quite a bit here, so I'm just going to spare you all of the torment that would be Deciphering AnnaKate's Philosophical Ramblings. Just know I'm enamored with this book.
breanna & kayla
Philosophy determining a man’s happiness or grief? But of course! If it were otherwise, the church wouldn’t be exploding in atheistic China and other persecution hotspots. When life is hell, your beliefs determine whether you will find hope in a higher power or commit suicide—external circumstances evidently don’t control human responses, as human responses differ according to their beliefs. Do you think life is meaningless? You have less of a problem jumping off a bridge when brutally hard times and depression hit. Do you think God works all things for good? You’ll probably hang around even when it hurts. Do you believe in heaven and eternal salvation? If that’s what you’re focused on, impending execution isn’t a cause for grief. It all depends on your perspective, your worldview, your philosophy—everything about how you think.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think that Boethius is questioning his worth to a sense. However, more than questioning his worth, I believe he is tying to understand his purpose. He seems to be asking what the point of his creation is. As if, he cant understand what he is supposed to do so he sees himself as an inanimate object. So far, throught this book, He questions alot what it comes to the lifestyle of man. HE looks to the Woman of Philopshy as the keeper of all knowledge, which he is taking advantage of.
ReplyDeleteI love it when Philosophy asks him provoking questions, because that’s when you really get to see who Boethius is, or who anyone is when they are asked those questions. I do agree with you when she says that he has lost himself, really she is saying he’s lost his thought process. It actually made me understand the whole grief part of the book way better. I think Boethius has gotten himself so far down over what bad things are happening it has caused him to lose sight of who he truly is and what he believes.
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