Abstract
Auguste Comte (1798–1857) is the founder of sociology, positivism, the history of science, and the secular Religion of Humanity. Growing up in the aftermath of the French Revolution and living through not only uprisings but various monarchies, republics, and empires, he saw the fruitlessness of political solutions to the chaotic period in which he lived. He argued that an intellectual revolution was necessary as it would lead to moral renewal and then a social and political restructuring – a restructuring that would temper class conflict, prevent war, and increase social justice.
Originally published in Mortimer Sellers and Stephan Kirste, Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy, © Springer Nature B.V. 2021, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6730-0_419-1.
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Pickering, M. (2023). Comte, Auguste. In: Zanetti, G., Sellers, M., Kirste, S. (eds) Handbook of the History of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy. Studies in the History of Law and Justice, vol 23. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-19546-4_7
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