The Social Character of Science: The Lessons of Positivism

In: International journal of politics, culture and society, Band 12, Heft 4, S. 535-553

Abstract

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