Wills and natural laws: freedom and determinism in comtean positivism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5433/2176-6665.2015v20n1p307Keywords:
Auguste Comte, Determinism, Freedom, Positive willAbstract
In Social Sciences, “Positivism” in general implies naturalism, objectivism and naturalism. To Comte Positivism, however, natural laws are compatible with subjectivity and historicism, because: (1) human intervention in reality is presupposed; (2) Sociology is one of the most complex sciences and, so, one of the most modifiable ones in its concrete applications; (3) Sociology’s position allows it to and even obligates it to modify Natural Sciences’ methods and theories. In this way, there are many connections among Epistemology, Sociology and practical policies, specially through the idea of “freedom of action”, which would imply the dicothomy “determinism-free will.” In such a context, Comtean concept of “positive will” is a way to solve that dicothomy. The concept of “will” was iniatially perceived by Comte as theological-methaphysical, but in his more mature works he introduced the “positive will,” which aim was to design the concrete aspects of human intervention in society and in the world. In these terms, this article presents the main phases of Comtean concept of “will.”Downloads
References
ARON, Raymond. Auguste Comte. In: ARON, Raymond. As etapas do pensamento sociológico. 3. ed. Lisboa: Dom Quixote, 1999.
ARON, Raymond. ¿Qué es una teoría de relaciones internacionales? In: ARON, Raymond. Estudios políticos. Ciudad de México: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1997.
BAZALGETTE, John S. De la doctrine démocratique et de ses origines. Revue Occidentale, Paris, année 1, n. 1, p. 519-554, 1878.
BERLIN, Isaiah. Dois conceitos de liberdade. In: HARDY, Henry; HAUSHEER, Roger. (Org.). Isaiah Berlin: estudos sobre a humanidade. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2002.
BOBBIO, Norberto. Igualdade e liberdade. 3. ed. Rio de Janeiro: Ediouro, 1997.
COMTE, Auguste. Apelos aos conservadores. Rio de Janeiro: Igreja Positivista do Brasil, 1899.
COMTE, Auguste. Catecismo positivista, ou sumária apresentação da religião universal. 4. ed. Rio de Janeiro: Igreja Positivista do Brasil, 1934.
COMTE, Auguste. Discurso sobre o espírito positivo. São Paulo: M. Fontes, 1990.
COMTE, Auguste. Écrits de jeunesse (1816-1828): suivis du mémoire sur la cosmogonie de laplace (1835). Paris: J. Vrin, 1970.
COMTE, Auguste. Opúsculos de filosofia social. Porto Alegre: Globo, 1972.
COMTE, Auguste. Physique social: cours de philosophie positive, leçons 46 à 60. Paris: Hermann, 1975.
COMTE, Auguste. Synthèse subjective ou système universel des conceptions propres a l’état normal de l’humanite. Paris: Fayard, 1856.
COMTE, Auguste. Système de politique positive ou traité de sociologie instituant la religion de l’humanite. 4ème ed. Paris: Larousse, 1929. 4 v.
DENT, Nicholas. J. H. Dicionário Rousseau. Rio de Janeiro: J. Zahar, 1996.
DUMONT, L. Essays on individualism: modern ideology in anthropological perspective. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1992.
DUTRA, Louis H. A. Introdução à teoria da ciência. 2. ed. Florianópolis: Ed. UFSC, 2004.
DUVERGER, Maurice. Os laranjais do lago Balaton. Brasília: Ed. UNB, 1982. FÉDI, Laurent. Comte. São Paulo: Estação Liberdade, 2008.
GANE, Mike. Auguste Comte. London: Routledge, 2006.
GIDDENS, Anthony. Augusto Comte e o positivismo. In: GIDDENS, Anthony. Em defesa da sociologia. São Paulo: Ed. Unesp. 2000.
GRANGE, Juliette. La philosophie d’Auguste Comte: science, politique, religion. Paris: PUF, 1996.
GUNNELL, John. Teoria política. Brasília: Ed. UnB, 1981. HAYEK, Friedrich A. O caminho da servidão. 6. ed. São Paulo: Instituto Ludwig von Mises Brasil, 2010.
LACERDA, Gustavo Biscaia. Augusto Comte e o positivismo redescobertos. Revista de Sociologia e Política, Curitiba, v. 16, n. 34, p. 319-343, out. 2009a.
LACERDA, Gustavo Biscaia. Augusto Comte “no cotidiano”. 2009b. Disponível em: . Acesso em: 24 jun. 2015.
LACERDA, Gustavo Biscaia. O momento comtiano: república e política no pensamento de Augusto Comte. Florianópolis. 2010. Tese (Doutorado em Sociologia Política) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, 2010.
LACERDA, Gustavo Biscaia. O positivismo e o conceito de “metafísica”. 2011.
LAFFITTE, Pierre. Cours de philosophie première T. I: theorie positive de l’entendement. Paris: Société Positiviste, 1928.
MENDES, Raymundo Teixeira. As últimas concepções de Augusto Comte. Rio de Janeiro: Igreja Positivista do Brasil, 1898.
PETTIT, Philip. Republicanism: a theory of freedom and government. Oxford: Clarendon, 1997.
SILVA, Ricardo. Identidades da teoria política: entre a ciência, a normatividade e a história. Pensamento Plural, Pelotas, v. 3, p. 9-21, jul.- dez. 2008.
STURGIS, Daniel. Is voting a private matter? Journal of Social Philosophy, London, v. 36, n. 1, p. 18-30, mar. 2005.
WOLIN, Richard. The seduction of unreason. Princeton: Princeton University, 2004.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright on articles published in Mediações belongs to the author(s): in the case of partial or entire republication of the original publication, we ask author(s) to indicate the original publication in the periodical.
Mediações uses the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, which allows Open Access, enabling any user to read, download, copy and disseminate its content so long as adequately referenced.
The opinions expressed by the author(s) are their sole responsibility.