Prophet of Science: The Vision and Passion of Auguste Comte

An accessible biography of the man who founded sociology.

Born during the ferment of the French Revolution, Auguste Comte (1798–1857) was one of the foremost thinkers of the nineteenth century, whose ideas influenced social reformers, philosophers, politicians, and scientists. Advocating for what he called “the science of society,” he contended that facts and reason alone should matter in public discourse. But while Comte strove to create social harmony, he suffered from repeated disasters in his personal and professional life that ultimately endangered his health and undermined his project. An avid self-dramatizer, Comte’s increasingly erratic behavior stood at odds with his philosophy of “order and progress.” This readable intellectual and personal biography explains Comte’s importance to modern Western thought and provides a fascinating psychological portrait of a deeply troubled yet brilliant man.

Mary Pickering is professor of modern European history at San Jose State University. She is the author of the three-volume Auguste Comte: An Intellectual Biography.