Boethius

Does Honor equal True Happiness?
The argument that I am choosing from Boethius’ The Consolation of Philosophy, is the argument that honor doesn’t equal happiness as told by Boethius. He is trying to explain that just because a person holds a certain position or office that doesn’t make them happy just based on the status of their position. He is trying to explain that happiness should be sought after in different ways rather than just to get as much acclaim as possible. An individuals search for true happiness isn’t found through glory and praise.
The premises for Boethius’s argument include: If you are publicly honored your faults or personal problems will probably be revealed, and then you will be hated on because of the public honors that you received like being the president. We have to keep in mind that we can not judge these people with praise and honor just based on the fact that they do hold a important position or the awards that they have won. Virtue is its own honor and people who posses virtue automatically posses that honor.   True honor cannot just be given to people receiving all the credit and high praise for their actions; it isn’t earned through public acclaim. If a person, who is looking for honor and praise, decides to run for an honorable position to achieve some sense of honorability, he is going at in the wrong way. You won’t achieve that honor or praise you are looking for just by holding that position. Its what you do in that position that will earn you a well thought perception from your peers.
We also have to remember that honor is thought of differently in different cultures, for example our president visiting a Middle Eastern country isn’t going to receive as much praise as he does in America. You have to separate honor from office. They do not come as a packaged deal. These are separate things. Office positions can also lose their honor. For instance the Royal family of England. They surely aren’t considered the same influential...