Auguste Comte and Positivism

"Auguste Comte and Positivism" by John Stuart Mill is a critique of the philosophy developed by Auguste Comte in France. In Part 1, Mill outlines the foundations of Positivism as presented in Comte's Cours de Philosophie Positive. He highlights the strengths and weaknesses of Comte's movement. Part 2 focuses on Comte's other writings, revealing how his views changed over time. Comte became disenchanted with the pursuit of knowledge and turned his philosophy into a religious belief system, with morality as its guiding principle. Mill argues that Comte's disdain for science and intellect led him to prioritize the control of change. This summary provides an overview of the book's contents, giving insight to readers who are unfamiliar with the original work.