12 - Auguste Comte and Positivism by John Stuart Mill

Dive into the fascinating world of Positivism, a movement founded by Auguste Comte in France as outlined in his Cours de Philosophie Positive. In Part 1, we explore the core principles of Comtes philosophy while also highlighting its shortcomings. Part 2 delves into the rest of Comtes writings outside of the Cours de Philosophie Positive. It uncovers a period in Comtes life where he shunned newspapers and periodicals in pursuit of higher intellectual purity. Discover how a fateful encounter with a woman profoundly alters his life perspective, leading him to transform his philosophy into a full-fledged religion, with morality as its guiding compass. Comtes later years saw him develop a disdain for science and intellect, replacing it with an obsessive desire for regulated change. Join us as we dissect this intriguing evolution. (Summary by Bill Boerst)