The Philosophy of Auguste Comte

Harriet Martineau's condensed translation of Comte's Course of Positive Philosophy, the book that gave positivism its name. It walks through the law of three stages, the hierarchy of the sciences and the birth of sociology.

Auguste Comte

Comte's own overview of his system, written for a wide audience. It explains the intellectual and social side of positivism, its message to workers and women, its view of art and the Religion of Humanity.

Auguste Comte

Comte sets out his Religion of Humanity as thirteen conversations between a woman and a priest, covering worship, doctrine and daily life. The complete 1858 translation by Richard Congreve.

Auguste Comte

Mill's famous two-part essay on Comte: high praise for the Course of Positive Philosophy and a sharp critique of the later religious system. The best short guide to what positivism got right and wrong.

John Stuart Mill

A university study unit that introduces positivism step by step: Comte's life and aims, the classification of the sciences, his sociology and Religion of Humanity, and the later rise of logical positivism. Includes review questions.

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