 Boethius’ argumentation is primarily based on the Aristotelian ergon argument: the highest good for a human being is to develop to the full the capability that is specific to humans, i.e., our rationality or intellect, and there are many echoes of Nicomachean Ethics X, but his explanation of why the philosopher will act virtuously is not easily compatible with the Aristotelian insistence that ethics is not a theoretical science and that habituation is central to making people virtuous.