Auguste Comte and Positivism

Auguste Comte and Positivism by John Stuart Mill

In the late 19th century, John Stuart Mill, one of the leading figures in Western philosophical thought, proposed examinations in civil rights, personal and social rights and obligations, and the achievement of individual pleasure that continue to influence our philosophies, both private and political, to this day. Perhaps the best indication of how far-reaching his thought was, and important on an ongoing basis, is this succinct yet explosive essay. Mill addresses the logical "religion" of French philosopher and social scientist Auguste Comte in this 1865 book, analyzing the great treatise of his fellow thinker on human action as knowable, quantifiable, and correctable from both positive and negative angles, "endeavouring to sever," writes the poet, "what is real in our opinion, from the far less erroneous."