Table of Contents

Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. The early years; 2. The life and works of Saint-Simon up to 1817; 3. Comte's first works for Saint-Simon; 4. Comte's growing independence, 1819–21; 5. The fundamental opuscule and Comte's rupture with Saint-Simon; 6. The aftermath of the rupture; the search for connections; 7. Comte's efforts to establish himself; 8. Intellectual and mental crises; 9. The road to recovery, 1828–30; 10. Years of success and confrontation, 1830–8; 11. Comte's changing psyche and aberrant behavior, 1838–40; 12. The encounter between two luminaries: Comte and Mill; 13. 1842: a turning point; 14. Cours de philosophie positive: positivism and the natural sciences; 15. Cours de philosophie positive; sociology; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

Promotional Information

The first volume of a two-volume intellectual biography of Auguste Comte, the founder of modern sociology and positivism.

Reviews

A notable feature of this magnificent book is the illuminating way in which Mary Pickering relates the life-struggles of Comte with the development of his ideas. I. Bernard Cohen, Harvard University

A notable feature of this magnificent book is the illuminating way in which Mary Pickering relates the life-struggles of Comte with the development of his ideas. I. Bernard Cohen, Harvard University