A General View of Positivism
Encyclopedia
A General View of Positivism (Discours sur l'ensemble du positivisme) was an 1848 book by the French philosopher Auguste Comte
, first published in English in 1865. A founding text in the development of positivism
and the discipline of sociology
, the work provides a revised and full account of the theory Comte presented earlier in his multi-part The Course in Positive Philosophy
[1830-1842]. Comte outlines the epistemological view of positivism, provides an account of the manner by which sociology should be performed, and describes his law of three stages
.
Auguste Comte
Isidore Auguste Marie François Xavier Comte , better known as Auguste Comte , was a French philosopher, a founder of the discipline of sociology and of the doctrine of positivism...
, first published in English in 1865. A founding text in the development of positivism
Positivism
Positivism is a a view of scientific methods and a philosophical approach, theory, or system based on the view that, in the social as well as natural sciences, sensory experiences and their logical and mathematical treatment are together the exclusive source of all worthwhile information....
and the discipline of sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, the work provides a revised and full account of the theory Comte presented earlier in his multi-part The Course in Positive Philosophy
The Course in Positive Philosophy
The Course in Positivist Philosophy was a series of texts written by the French philosopher of science and founding sociologist, Auguste Comte, between 1830 and 1842. Within it he unveiled the epistemological perspective of positivism...
[1830-1842]. Comte outlines the epistemological view of positivism, provides an account of the manner by which sociology should be performed, and describes his law of three stages
Law of three stages
The Law of Three Stages is an idea developed by Auguste Comte. It states that society as a whole, and each particular science, develops through three mentally conceived stages: the theological stage, the metaphysical stage, and the positive stage....
.
See also
- Sociological positivism
- Religion of humanityReligion of HumanityReligion of Humanity was a secular religion created by Auguste Comte, the founder of positivist philosophy. Adherents of this religion have built chapels of Humanity in France and Brazil.-Origins:...
- Quantitative researchQuantitative researchIn the social sciences, quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of social phenomena via statistical, mathematical or computational techniques. The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to...
- History of sociologyHistory of sociologySociology emerged from enlightenment thought, shortly after the French Revolution, as a positivist science of society. Its genesis owed to various key movements in the philosophy of science and the philosophy of knowledge. Social analysis in a broader sense, however, has origins in the common stock...