The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3: True and False Happiness Book III, no. 72, Part I summary
Book 3: True and False Happiness Book III, no. 72, Part I of 82 · 3 min to read the part
In I, the narrator asks whether chance exists, and his teacher rejects the idea that anything happens without causes. Using a farmer’s discovery of buried gold, she explains that chance means an unexpected meeting of purposeful causes, which still belongs to the order established by Providence.
What happens
- The narrator interrupts his teacher to ask whether chance exists and what it means.
- She worries that this question distracts from their goal, but he says learning gives him relief.
- She rejects causeless chance because everything has causes and God orders everything.
- Drawing on Aristotle, she describes a farmer who unexpectedly uncovers gold while preparing land for planting.
- She explains that accidental discoveries arise when separate purposeful actions meet within the order of Providence.
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Why does the farmer discover the gold?
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