Positivism

The exponents of positivism

Positivism was founded by Auguste Comte (1798–1857), who introduced the term “positivism,” historically, there are three stages in the development of positivism. The exponents of the first were Comte, E. Littré and P. Laffitte in France, J S Mill and Herbert Spencer in England. Alongside the problems of the theory of knowledge (Comte) and logic (Mill), the main place in the first Positivism was assigned to sociology (Comte’s idea of transforming society based on science, Spencer’s organic theory of society).

Conceptual meaning of Positivism

Comte’s positive philosophy is his fundamental contribution to social and political philosophy. For him, it was the last stage of intellectual development. In this regard, he has been influenced both by Plato and Aristotle. The reason is the basis of positivism in his philosophy. In the words of Rollin Chambliss, “Positivism is concurred with the real rather than fanciful, with useful rather than all knowledge.”

According to Comte, industrial laws guide our present-day world, and these laws cannot be understood without the help of theological laws or concepts. He, therefore, kept theological laws out of his philosophy of positivism. In his philosophy, he emphasizes the use of observation, experimentation, comparison, and historical methods.

For him, positivism was not only responsible but inevitable for social reconstruction. It was essential for bringing about a new society and new social order. Comte believed that capitalism had necessary evils and was dangerous for those who asked for bread. But at the same time, we cannot do away with capital. He said the capital had become an instrument of oppression because proper industrial order had not been established in the society. He was pained to know that modern society had yet not gotten the system of its morality. He was convinced that a socialist society could not be established without the help of plans or rules alone but had to be brought about with the help of social reconstruction. The new structure should be based more on morals rather than on a political or economic basis. New moral order could be established only with the help of a new educational system which stressed moral education. For him, capitalism was not dangerous once a new moral system was established. Social morality could solve many social, economic, and political problems.

Positivism is also depicted as the view that all true knowledge is scientific and that all things are ultimately measurable. Because of its close association with reductionism, positivism and reductionism involve the view that entities of one kind are reducible to entities of another, such as societies to numbers or mental events to chemical events. It also consists of the contention that processes are reducible to physiological, physical, or chemical events, and even those social processes are reducible to relationships between actions of individuals or that biological organism are reducible to physical systems.

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