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
As the static festivals represent Morality, so the dynamic festivals,
those of Progress, will represent History. In these the worship of
Humanity assumes a more concrete and animated form; as it will consist
principally in rendering honour to the noblest types of each phase of
human development. It is desirable, however, that each of the more
important phases should be represented in itself, independently of the
greatness of any individual belonging to it. Of the months unoccupied
by static festivals, three might be given to the principal phases of
the Past, Fetichism, Polytheism, and Monotheism; and a fourth to the
celebration of the Future, the normal state to which all these phases
have been tending.
Forming thus the chain of historical succession, we may consecrate
each month to some one of the types who best represent the various
stages. I omit, however, some explanations of detail given in the
first edition of this General View, written at the time when I had
not made the distinction between the abstract and concrete worship
sufficiently clear. A few months after its publication, in 1848,
the circumstances of the time induced me to frame a complete system
of commemoration applicable to Western Europe, under the title of
_Positivist Calendar_[12]. Of this I shall speak more at length in the
fourth volume of the present treatise. Its success has fully justified
me in anticipating this part of my subject. To it I now refer the
reader, recommending him to familiarize himself with the provisional
arrangement of the new Western year then put forward and already
adopted by most Positivists.
[Worship of the dead.
Commemoration of their
service]
But the practice need not be restricted to names of European
importance. It is applicable in its degree to each separate province,
and even to private life. Catholicism offers two institutions in which
the religion of the family connects itself with public worship in
its most comprehensive sense. There is a day appointed in Catholic
countries in which all are in the habit of visiting the tombs of those
dear to them; finding consolation for their grief by sharing it with
others. To this custom Positivists devote the last day of the year. The
working classes of Paris give every year a noble proof that complete
freedom of thought is in no respect compatible with worship of the
dead, which in their case is unconnected with any system. Again there
is the institution of baptismal names, which though little thought
of at present, will be maintained and improved by Positivism. It is
an admirable mode of impressing on men the connexion of private with
public life, by furnishing every one with a type for his own personal
imitation. Here the superiority of the new religion is very apparent;
since the choice of a name will not be limited to any time or country.
In this, as in other cases, the absolute spirit of Catholicism proved
fatal to its prospects of becoming universal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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