1. In The Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius considers the differences between philosophy and fortune. Specifically, fortune is something that an individual has for a while as opposed to always having it. In other words, where the mind can always philosophize on a particular subject, the concept of fortune is fleeting. It is temporal and can be snatched away at any moment. This does not make fortune negative, however. Essentially, fortune should be savored for the time in which one has it.
2. From Boethius' perspective, God sees everything and is foreknowing. As a consequence, or effect of this foreknowledge, Boethius considers that there is not really free will. If God knows what decision(s) an individual will make beforehand, then the idea and concept of freedom, which is having the possibility of making a rational choice, is not really a concept present in man. Freedom does not mean what it is stated to mean because of the foreknowledge of God.
3. According to Boethius, the unrighteous are happy when they receive their just desserts for the particular actions that they have executed or done. The idea is that "the wicked receive some good when they are punished because the punishment itself is good" (Boethius) in that it is aligned with the wicked deed that was done. By receiving this happiness, the unhappy acknowledge their evildoing whereas if they get away with the evil deed that they have done, then the unrighteous are less happy because they have that evil deed on their conscience.
4. Lady Philosophy believes that the Muses of Poetry is nothing but lies and that it messes with one's reasoning. The concept here is that because Boethius is not an ordinary individual, with the Muses of Poetry being present, he cannot think, reason and philosophize well because of the dictation from the Muses messing with his thought processes.
Works Cited
Boethius. The Consolation of Philosophy. ebook.
