The Conservative Reaction

1
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Background
• Catholic at the wrong time.
• Opposed to the Revolution.
• Social order paramount.
• Ecole Polytechnique Military efficiency and
  preeminence of science.
• Liked the school.
• Expelled for anti-Enlightenment beliefs.
• Secretary to Saint-Simon (1817).
• Similar beliefs about society.
• Comte preferred more positivist approach.

2
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Background
• Breaks with Saint-Simon (1824).
• Mental breakdown (1826).
• Cerebral hygiene.
• Ridiculed in scientific community.
• Death of Clotilde Emotion over intellect,
  feeling over mind.
• Founder of Universal Religion, Great Priest of
  Humanity.
• The new order The Positivist Society.

3
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Intellectual Influences
• Social order.
• Science of society.
• Hobbes, Kant, Saint-Simon.
• Empirical approach to society
• Observe structure and function to predict future
  events.
• Critical of Enlightenment individualism.

4
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Intellectual Influences
• Pascal Continuity of history.
• Turgot Three stages of history.
• Montesquieu Laws of society.
• Condorcet Progress through science.
• Use science to understand the laws of society.
• Use science to predict the future of society.
• Apply science to directing society.
• de Bonald and de Maistre Negative reaction to
  the French Revolution Need to restore order.

5
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Intellectual Influences
• The tradition of order
• Social contracts did not work.
• Men had duties, not rights.
• Society perfects man.
• The tradition of liberalism
• Laissez faire economics (Adam Smith) is a system
  conducive to anarchy.
• Division of labor, on the other hand, awakens
  social cooperation.

6
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Concepts and Contributions
• Coined term Sociology.
• The social physics of society.
• Reject metaphysics and theology.
• Science should intervene for the betterment of
  society.
• Positivism study society in the same manner as
  the natural sciences
• Natural laws.
• Objective observation.

7
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Concepts and Contributions
• Law of three stages
• Theological Rule by religion.
• Metaphysical Rule by mystics.
• Positive Reason, observation, natural laws of
  society that can predict future events.
• Research Methods
• Observation.
• Experimentation.
• Comparison.
• Historical.

8
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Concepts and Contributions
• Social Statics (anatomy)
• Social structure.
• Unit of observation is individual.
• Processes that hold society together.
• Humans must cooperate with one another.
• Government functions for the benefit of the
  whole.
• Subordination to government is necessary to
  achieve consensus. .

9
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Concepts and Contributions
• Social Statics (anatomy)
• Consensus universalis.
• Necessary for solidarity.
• Foundation for the division of labor.
• Importance of the family for maintaining
  consensus and social solidarity.

10
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Concepts and Contributions
• Social Dynamics (physiology)
• Social change.
• Progress through science.
• Change is evolutionary.
• Dynamic equilibrium of alterations within the
  rule of government and social order.
• Change came about as a result of a need to refine
  structure to adapt to new needs in society.

11
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Concepts and Contributions
• Hierarchy of the Sciences
• Mathematics.
• Astronomy.
• Physics.
• Biology.
• Chemistry.
• Sociology The queen of the sciences.
• Sociology is the most complex of the sciences.

12
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Concepts and Contributions
• Division of Labor
• Creates solidarity.
• Tasks suitable to talents.
• Parts function for the benefit of the whole.
• Religion of Humanity
• Religion contributes to social stability.
• Need to move away from theocracy.
• Positive religion Humanistic approach.
• The new clergy were sociologists.

13
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Concepts and Contributions
• Race, Class, Women
• Romanticized the working class.
• Positivism over communism
• Positivism focused on morals.
• Positivism encouraged individuality.
• Positivism esteems leaders of industry.
• Positivism encourage inheritance to provide
  historical continuity.
• Womens affectional component was a critical
  piece of positivism order over self.

14
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Concepts and Contributions
• Language
• Binds us to one another.
• Promotes unity.
• Allows for interaction.
• Continuity of traditions.
• Without language, solidarity, consensus, and
  social order would be impossible.

15
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Concepts and Contributions
• Theory
• Necessary for observation.
• Ideas guide science.
• Science guides society.
• Organic Analogy
• Society is like a living organism.
• The advancement of the organism through the three
  stages (for individuals and societies) is a
  progression of ideas.

16
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Relevancy
• Sociology.
• Functionalism.
• Laws of society.
• Positivism the importance of scientific methods.
• Social statics and social dynamics.
• Focus on the practical applications of science.
• Focus on macro-structures gives Comtes sociology
  a strong historical perspective.
• Last Line Focus on his science, ignore his
  advocacy as the Great Priest of Humanity.

17
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Philosophy
• Realism vs. Idealism
• Realism, because he believed
• that society had laws that could
• be discovered.
• Realism vs. Nominalism
• Realism, because Comte believed that abstract
  ideas, such as social contract, were real in
  their consequences.

18
The Conservative Reaction
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Philosophy
• Idealism vs. Materialism
• Idealist in noting the importance
• of language in forming social
• relationships.
• Materialist in focus upon the functional
  imperatives of society.