Andrew's Wiki
Positive Philosophy

1830-42 Cours de Philosophie Positive

• Positivism: methodological monism
  • One scientific method will work for all branches of knowledge
  • Unbiased, objective facts and attitudes are source of truth
• Use the natural sciences to study humans (even their psychology is ruled by the same laws as move the stars)
• Production of general explanatory laws
  • As few as possible, always getting slimmer
  • Used to procure a desired future
    • Positivism will lead to stable, rational government and efficient industry: essentially, the end of history
    • It’s always utilitarian, always in the hopes of fixing something
    • Thus not actually disinterested
• Three-step chronology of man
  • Theology (basically just superstition)
  • Metaphysics (impartial Forces are to account for what previously was done by Gods)
  • Science (real!)
• Not empirical
  • Empiricism is guided by facts alone
  • Positivism is informed by some guiding theory (an hypothesis)
• Not ontological
  • Only cares about HOW
  • Does not care about why or what
  • Ie, not trying to answer the same questions as metaphysics
  • Somewhat humble attitude about scope of human knowledge, although totally self-assured in its own realm
• Progressive and Normative
  • Positivism is “Destined to Prevail”

• Influences human sciences but rejected by modernist hermeneuts who see humans as unpredictable and see meaning in the irrational sides of being