A General View of Positivism: Or, Summary exposition of the System of Thought and LifeComte, Auguste
Philosophy
A General View of Positivism: Or, Summary exposition of the System of Thought and Life
Comte, Auguste
Positivism
of political regulations on the subject, and the necessity of moral
rules; for these and these only can ensure the right use of all our
faculties without distinction. Intellectual effort, to be of any
value, must be spontaneous; and it is doubtless an instinctive sense
of this truth which prevents Communists from subjecting intellectual
faculties to their utopian regulations. But Positivism can deal with
these faculties which stand in the most urgent need of wise direction,
without inconsistency and without disturbance. It leaves to them
their fair measure of free action; and in the case of other faculties
which, though less eminent, are hardly less dangerous to repress, it
strengthens their freedom. When a pure morality arises capable of
impressing a social tendency upon every phase of human activity, the
freer our action becomes the more useful will it be to the public. The
tendency of modern civilization, far from impeding private industry, is
to entrust it more and more with functions, especially with those of a
material kind, which were originally left to government. Unfortunately
this tendency, which is very evident, leads economists into the mistake
of supposing that industry may be left altogether without organization.
All that it really proves is that the influence of moral principles is
gradually preponderating over that of governmental regulations.
[Action of organized public
opinion upon Capitalists.
Strikes]
The method which is peculiar to Positivism of solving our great
social problems by moral agencies, will be found applicable also to
the settlement of industrial disputes, so far as the popular claims
involved are well founded. These claims will thus become clear from
all tendency to disorder, and will consequently gain immensely in
force; especially when they are seen to be consistent with principles
which are freely accepted by all, and when they are supported by
a philosophic body of known impartiality and enlightenment. This
spiritual power, while impressing on the people the duty of respecting
their temporal leaders, will impose duties upon these latter, which
they will find impossible to evade. As all classes will have received
a common education, they will all alike be penetrated with the general
principles on which these special obligations will rest. And these
weapons, derived from no source but that of Feeling and Reason, and
aided solely by Public Opinion, will wield an influence over practical
life, of which nothing in the present day can give any conception. We
might compare it with the influence of Catholicism in the Middle Ages,
only that men are too apt to attribute the results of Catholicism
to the chimerical hopes and fears which it inspired, rather than to
the energy with which praise and blame were distributed. With the new
spiritual power praise and blame will form the only resource; but it
will be developed and consolidated to a degree which, as I have before
shown, was impossible for Catholicism.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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