Auguste Comte & Philosophy of History

The evolution of history as an academic discipline began in the 19th century. The role of the German historians in making the discipline cannot be underestimated as Leopold von Ranke is deemed the ‘father of history’. The impeccable role of the father of Sociology, Auguste Comte can also not be taken for granted in understanding history as a discipline for he contributed to history as a discipline through the adoption of his eleven systematic comparisons between the Bourbon Regime and the Terror using the ‘fact of history’. He was more interested in disseminating the lessons of history to enlighten the French about the great dangers to their liberties as a result of the revolution. In his quest to unravel the dangers of King Louis XVI’s actions, Comte came up with the essence of positivism – a philosophy which encompassed the didactism of the Revolution and his contemporaries’ fascination with the past. History was therefore perceived as an ‘an act of social bonding’ and social action as Comte was concerned with using the past to create social harmony in the present, therefore believed that the correct interpretation of history holds the key to social actions – solving the problems of his time. History was considered to create a republic for France that would ensure justice and liberty as the creation of an intellectual elite composed of scientists and philosophers who would enlighten the people would save the members of the society from arbitrary rule. The article assesses the contribution of Auguste Comte to the Philosophy of History by critically examining the theory of positivism