---
title: "Book 3 Chapter 5: Power Is No Substitute"
date: 2020-10-11T21:08:01Z
series: "The Consolation of Philosophy"
image: img/1295493-1600603592100-ed09faf074b2c.jpg
enclosure: audio/podcast_2020-09-20_boethius-book-3-chapter-5.mp3
draft: false
---

{{< audio "https://gmgauthier.us-east-1.linodeobjects.com/podcast/audio/podcast_2020-09-20_boethius-book-3-chapter-5.mp3" >}} 

(c) Sovereignty cannot even bestow safety. History tells of the downfall of kings and their ministers. Tyrants go in fear of their lives. Analysis: Lady Philosophy has been walking us through the various false routes to happiness, and this week, we revisit the question of power. I look briefly at the relationship between Seneca and Nero, and ask the question: why are philosophers drawn to the powerful?