The Positive Philosophy of Auguste Comte

By Martineau, Harriet

Book Id: WPLBN0000660805
Format Type: PDF eBook:
File Size: 0.6 MB
Reproduction Date: 2005

Title:	The Positive Philosophy of Auguste Comte
Author:	Martineau, Harriet
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Political science., Economics and literature, Economic & political studies series
Collections:	Economics Publications Collection
Historic Publication Date:
Publisher:	Archive for the History of Economic Thought


Citation APA MLA Chicago Martineau, B. H. (n.d.). The Positive Philosophy of Auguste Comte. Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.cc/

Description
Economic Theory Literature

Excerpt
Excerpt: Book V: Biology. Chapter I. General View of Biology. The study of the external world and Man is the eternal business of philosophy, and there are two methods of proceeding; by passing from the study of Man philosophy to that of eternal nature, or from the study of external nature to that of Man. Whenever philosophy shall be perfect, the too methods will be reconciled: meantime, the contrast of the two distinguishes the opposite philosophies,?the theological and the positive. We shall see hereafter that all theological and metaphysical philosophy proceeds to explain the phenomena of the external world from the starting-point of our consciousness of human phenomena; whereas, the positive philosophy subordinates the conception of Man to that of the eternal world. All the multitude of incompatibilities between the two philosophies proceed from this radical opposition. If the consideration of Man is to prevail over that of the universe all phenomena are inevitably attributed to will,?first natural, and then outside of nature; and this constitutes the theological system On the contrary, the direct study of the universe suggests and develops the great idea of the laws of nature, which is the basis of all positive philosophy, and capable of extension to the whole of phenomena, including at last those of Man and society. The one point of agreement among all schools of theology and metaphysics, which otherwise differ without limit, is that they regard the study of Man as primary, and that of the universe as secondary,?usually neglecting the latter entirely. Whereas, the most marked characteristic of the positive school is that it founds the study of Man on the prior knowledge of the external world.

Table of Contents
Contents Book V: Biology ................................................................................. 5 Chapter I: General View of Biology ................................................. 5 Chapter II: Anatomical Philosophy ................................................ 43 Chapter III: Biotaxic Philosophy ................................................... 53 Chapter IV: Organic or Votive Life. ............................................... 67 Chapter V: The Animal Life. ......................................................... 82 Chapter VI: Intellectual And Moral, or Cerebral Functions .......... 95 Book VI: Social Physics .................................................................116 Chapter I: Necessity and Opportuneness of this New Science ......116 Chapter II: Principal Philosophical Attempts to Constitute a Social System. .................................................................................... 162 Chapter III: Characteristics of the Positive Method in Its Application to Social Phenomena. .............................................................. 175 Chapter IV: Relation of Sociology to The Other Departments of Positive Philosophy ................................................................. 215 Chapter V: Social Statics; or, Theory of The Spontaneous Order of Human Society ........................................................................ 229 Chapter VI: Social Dynamics; or, Theory of the Natural Progress of Human Society ........................................................................ 249