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Auguste Comte

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Auguste Comte

via Wikipedia: Auguste Comte · see source

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy states that Comte is the founder of positivism, a philosophical and political movement widely diffused in the second half of the nineteenth century.[1] Comte is considered the initial modern philosopher of science because he systematically developed philosophies for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology.[1][2][3]

Life and work

His most important works include the Course on Positive Philosophy (1830–1842, six volumes) and the System of Positive Polity (1851–1854, four volumes).[1] In later years, Comte developed the Religion of Humanity for positivist societies.[4] Comte died on 5 September 1857.[5] On 19 January 1798, in Montpellier, Hérault, under the French First Republic, Comte was born.[6]

Irreconcilable differences caused Comte to separate from Saint-Simon in 1824.[7] The epistemological stance of positivism was initially detailed by Comte within The Course in Positive Philosophy, a set of writings released from 1830 through 1842.[4] Comte introduced the word sociology and viewed this field as the highest accomplishment among the sciences.[8]

What the cited sources add

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy notes that Comte’s decision to develop philosophies of mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology makes him the first philosopher of science in the modern sense.[1] The Humanist Heritage account states that Comte’s positivism placed moral agency with human beings and dispensed with supernatural forces.[5] The Humanist Heritage account notes that Comte’s philosophy influenced thinkers such as John Stuart Mill and Rabindranath Tagore.[5]

References

  1. Bourdeau, "Stanford Encyclopaedia: Auguste Comte", Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, October 1, 2008. facts only, no text reused. plato.stanford.edu
  2. "The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy", Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, 2018. facts only, no text reused. plato.stanford.edu
  3. Bourdeau, Michel. Auguste Comte. Stanford University. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/comte/ [28 April 2016].. facts only, no text reused. plato.stanford.edu
  4. Wikipedia, "Auguste Comte" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bourdeau, "Stanford Encyclopaedia: Auguste Comte", Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, October 1, 2008 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. "Auguste Comte (1798-1857)", Humanist Heritage. facts only, no text reused. heritage.humanists.uk
  6. Wikipedia, "Auguste Comte" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Auguste Comte" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "A Comtean Centenary", American Journal of Sociology, 1922, p. 510–513 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Auguste Comte" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy", Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, 2018; Park, "Sociology and the Social Sciences", American Journal of Sociology, 1921, p. 401–424; "A Comtean Centenary", American Journal of Sociology, 1922, p. 510–513 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Auguste Comte (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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1. In what year was Auguste Comte born?

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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