Auguste Comte: An Intellectual Biography

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 7
Copyright......Page 8
Dedication......Page 9
Contents......Page 11
Acknowledgments......Page 13
Notes......Page 15
Introduction......Page 17
Comte’s three projects......Page 31
Traite elementaire de geometrie analytique......Page 41
The retort of the ecole polytechnique......Page 44
Offshoots of the astronomy course: discours sur l’esprit positif and traite philosophique d’astronomie populaire......Page 53
Comte’s loss of position......Page 67
The recourse to mill......Page 77
More trouble at the ecole polytechnique......Page 79
Difficulties in comte’s friendship with mill......Page 86
A major problem looms: the woman question......Page 88
More strains in their relationship......Page 101
The end of the relationship......Page 104
A final analysis of their relationship......Page 113
Old friends......Page 129
The sorrows of caroline massin......Page 132
Sarah austin......Page 136
Introduction......Page 149
The young clotilde marie......Page 150
Comte’s first meetings with clotilde de vaux......Page 155
The battle between the sexes......Page 163
Movement toward the religion of humanity......Page 168
De vaux’s search for a room of her own......Page 171
A new closeness between de vaux and comte......Page 181
The problem of sex......Page 188
Willelmine......Page 191
Health, financial, family, and friendship problems......Page 199
“Lettre philosophique sur le mariage”......Page 212
Sickness and death......Page 219
Final analysis of clotilde de vaux......Page 232
The aftermath of de vaux’s death......Page 237
More disappointment......Page 246
Mentorship......Page 252
Other admirers......Page 264
Emile littre......Page 268
English enthusiasts: george henry lewes......Page 273
Comte’s relation to the workers: the challenge of communism......Page 282
Comte’s course of 1847......Page 290
The outbreak of the revolution......Page 299
The positivist society and the religious turn......Page 308
The commission on the ecole positive and comte’s views on medicine......Page 324
The commission on work......Page 335
The occidental positive committee......Page 338
The june days and comte’s activism......Page 341
Introduction: positivism as politics and as religion......Page 351
Morality and human nature......Page 358
A defensive posture......Page 365
Order and progress......Page 371
Appeal to the workers......Page 375
The role of women......Page 386
Aesthetics......Page 411
Humanity......Page 417
Public reaction to the discours......Page 423
Frustration as a teacher......Page 430
The college de france......Page 436
More instructional problems......Page 438
Financial challenges......Page 439
Politics......Page 443
Course on the history of humanity......Page 447
Memories: the cult of the dead and the positivist calendar......Page 469
More thoughts on the religion of humanity: sacraments, temples, and flags......Page 485
Comte’s private life and its public manifestations......Page 496
Blainville......Page 507
The performance of more sacraments......Page 513
The positivist theory of the mind......Page 516
Positivist library......Page 527
Popularity of positivism......Page 532
Comte’s growing conservatism......Page 564
“Complete positivists”......Page 571
Comte’s fluctuations: the growth of positivism among workers in lyon......Page 575
The end of comte’s career at the ecole polytechnique......Page 582
New routines......Page 589
Portraits of comte......Page 592
Conclusion......Page 597
Primary sources......Page 603
Other Primary Sources......Page 605
Secondary sources......Page 608
Index......Page 631