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Auguste Comte's positivism is studied & compared with that of John Stuart Mill. Rather than reduce Comtean positivism to factualism, it is contended that Comte acknowledged the importance of theory in achieving scientific knowledge. The centrality of the antagonistic relationship between order & progress in Comte's positivism is noted. The influence of Charles de Montesquieu, Marie Jean Antoine Nicholas de Condorcet, & Adam Smith on Comte's creation of a scientific sociology is reviewed. Problems with Comte's contention that humanity experienced three evolutionary phases -- theology, metaphysics, & positivism -- are corrected by turning to Mill's empiricism. Although the traditional division between natural & social sciences remains intact, it is maintained that current scholarship has rediscovered the human aspects of scientific inquiry. Further, scientific inquiry in the contemporary world is essentially a public activity; Comte's recognition of science's public character is noted, but his perception of science as the foundation for social consensus is viewed as a shortcoming. The import of the humanities in deciding political & social policy is considered. J. W. Parker

An introduction to Comte's ideas -- The Comtean illusion -- The context and materials of sociology -- The intimations of social science and a new politics -- Comte's heretical report on knowledge -- But why did Comte need sociology? -- A sociological theory of modernity -- A second sociology -- Spiritual supra-state power, sociology and humanity -- Sociologists and the regime of the fetishes -- Comte's futures.

An introduction to Comte's ideas -- The Comtean illusion -- The context and materials of sociology -- The intimations of social science and a new politics -- Comte's heretical report on knowledge -- But why did Comte need sociology? -- A sociological theory of modernity -- Spiritual power, sociology and humanity -- A second sociology -- Sociologists and the regime of the fetishes -- Comte's futures.

Auguste Comte is widely acknowledged as the founder of the science of sociology and the 'Religion of Humanity'. In this fascinating study, the first major reassessment of Comte's sociology for many years, Mike Gane draws on recent scholarship and presents a new reading of this remarkable figure. Comte's contributions to the history and philosophy of science have decisively influenced positive methodologies. He coined the term 'sociology' and gave it its first content, and he is renowned for having introduced the sociology of gender and emotion into sociology. What is less well known however, is that Comte contributed to ethics, and indeed coined the word 'altruism'. In this important work Gane examines Comte's sociological vision and shows that, because he thought sociology could and should be reflexive, encyclopaedic and utopian, he considered topics such as fetishism, polytheism, fate, love, and the relations between sociology, science, theology and culture. This fascinating account of the birth of sociology is an unprecedented introductory text on Comte. Gane's work is an essential read for all sociologists and students of the discipline.