Auguste Comte: an intellectual biography

This volume continues to explore the life and works of Auguste Comte during his so-called second career. It covers the period from the coup d'état of Louis Napoleon in late 1851 to Comte's death in 1857. During these early years of the Second Empire, Comte became increasingly conservative and anxious to control his disciples. This study offers the first study of the tensions within his movement. Focusing on his second masterpiece, the Système de politique positive, and other important books, such as the Synthèse subjective, Mary Pickering not only sheds light on Comte's intellectual development but also traces the dissemination of positivism and the Religion of Humanity throughout many parts of the world.

Cover; Half-title; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Acknowledgments; Abbreviations and Notes; Abbreviations; Notes; Introduction; Chapter 1 The Coup d'Etat and Its Consequences; Coup d'etat and the second empire; The aftermath of the seizure of power: the disciples' reactions; Littrè's defection; Chapter 2 Comte's Stumblings; Second thoughts; Catechisme positiviste; A look to the east; A strange appeal to the left; Chapter 3 The Vicissitudes of Positivism during the Early Empire; New disciples during the empire; More defections, quarrels, and hesitations

The elusive disciple: harriet martineauDeullin's republication of the cours; Chapter 4 Système de politique positive: Natural and Social Philosophy; Volume one: natural philosophy; The subjective synthesis; A reexamination of the sciences; Volume two: social philosophy and the introduction of morality; Religion; Economics and material activities; The family and emotional activities; Comte's theory of language: intellectual activities; The social organism; The church and positive priests; Material life: practicians; The new science of morality

Chapter 5 Système de politique positive: Comte's Philosophy of HistoryIntroducti…