Auguste Comte
French Philosopher
Early Life and Death
He lived from 1798 to 1857. His father was a government official. Growing up, his parents were Roman Catholics and favored monarchy. He attended the University of Montpellier. While there he broke away from his parents views and favored the idea of a Republic.
He died of stomach cancer.
Contributions
- Course of Positive Philosophy
- Argued that society operates under it's own laws similar to the physical world
- Founded the concept of positivism
- Came up with the term sociology
- Religions of Humanity
- Discourse on the Positive Spirit
- A General View of Positivism
- Divided Sociology into two main fields- social dynamics and social statics
- Worked with Henri de Saint-Simon when he was 19
- Greatly influenced by his views of early European socialism and the reform of Utopia
People
Marriage
Wives
- Caroline Massin Comte was his first wife, they divorced after 17 years
- He fell in love with Clotilde de Vaux but they never married since she was already wed.