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1798- 1857Auguste Comte
Lecture:
LifeWorksContribution
Life
Quick Facts
Also Listed In :Philosophers Nationality :French, Famous French Men religion :Atheist Born on :19 January 1798 AD Zodiac Sign :Capricorn Born in :Montpellier, France Died on :05 September 1857 AD place of death :Paris, France father :Louis Comte mother :Rosalie Boyer Spouse: :Caroline Massin (m. 1825–1842) education :École Polytechnique discoveries / inventions :Discipline Of Sociology And Of The
Doctrine Of Positivism
It is a philosophy of science that gained wide recognition in
the second half of the nineteenth century.
Auguste Comte or Isidore Auguste Marie François Xavier Comte was a prominent French philosopher.
He, for the first time, proposed the idea of positivism
Childhood & Early Life
Born in Montpellier, Herault, in southern France.
He studied at the Lycee Joffre and later attended the University of Montpellier.
Personal Life & Legacy
• He married his live-in partner Caroline Massin in 1824. They did not lead a happy married life on account of financial problems and he divorced his wife in 1842. From 1844, he developed a platonic relationship with Clotilde de Vaux.
• He passed away due to stomach cancer. He was buried in the Pere Lachaise Cemetry, Paris. His apartment, where he lived from 1841 to 1857, has been preserved as the Maison d’Auguste Comte which is a private museum.
Works
The Early EssaysThe Course of Positive PhilosophyThe Systems of Positive PolityThe Subjective SynthesisScientific Textbooks
The Early Essays/Writings
where one can see the influence of Saint-Simon, for whom Comte served as secretary from 1817 to 1824 A General Distinction Between Opinions and Desires
(1819) A Summary Appreciation of Modern Past (1820) A Plan for the Scientific Works Necessary to
Reorganize Society (1822) Philosophical Consideration on Science and Scientists
(1825) Considerations of Spiritual Power A Review of Broussais’s Treatise On Irritation (1828)
The Course of Positive Philosophy
six volumes, translated and condensed by Harriet Martineau as The Positive Philosophy of Auguste Comte
Like the physical world, society operated under its own set of laws.
Explains Comte’s three Law of Development.1. The Theological Stage (Fictitious)2. The Metaphysical State (Abstract)3. The Positive State (Scientific)
The Systems of Positive Polity
Two main tenets of positive politics1. There are no society without government2. The proper functioning of society requires a
spiritual power independent from the temporal power.
The Subjective Synthesis
He intended to be a review of the seven sciences from the point of view of the “subjective” method.
He intended to write, besides the volume on mathematics, two volumes on morals, theoretical and practical.
The remaining volumes he was prepared to leave to his successors.
Scientific Textbooks
Philosophical Treatise of Popular Astronomy (1844)
Elementary Treatise of Analytical Geometry (1843)
Contribution
Comte’s goal was to
Explain the pastPredict the future
Contribution
He coined the term “Sociology”2 broad area of Sociology
Social Statics Social Dynamics/ Social Change ( The
Law of Three Stages)
Theological or Fictitious Stage
Universe explained in terms of: Gods Demons Mythological Beings
In this stage the social and the physical
world was produced by God.
The concept of super natural power itself passes through four sub-stages. In other words Comte had divided the theological stage into the following four stages.
Fetishism- In this stage men thought that in every object or thing God resided. Fetishism is a kind of belief that there exists some living spirit in the non-living objects.
Anthropomorphism- With the gradual development in human thinking there occurred a change or improvement in the human thinking which resulted in the development of this stage.
Polytheism- He believed that each and every God had some definite function and his area of action or operation was determined. At this stage man had classified God’s or natural forces.
Monotheism- ‘Mono’ means one. It implied that one God was supreme who was responsible for the maintenance of system in the world. This type of monotheistic thinking marked the victory of human intellect over irrational thinking.
Metaphysical or Abstract Stage:
In this stage, people viewed the world and events as natural reflection of human tendencies.
Positivistic Stage:
• Experimentation• Observation• Logic
Three basic methods of Inquiry
Observation
Experiment
Historical Comparison
Three Levels of Society
The Individual
Family
Social Integration