Idea postępu w filozofii Auguste’a Comte’a

Abstract

The article draws out the problem of the idea of progress in the philosophy of Auguste Comte. The aim of the paper is to reconstruct the historiosophy hidden behind the positivism founder’s idea of progress. The text is divided into three parts. In the first part, there are presented the assumptions useful for the analysis of the French philosopher’s thought. These are Marek Wichrowski’s and Leszek Nowak’s typologies of the theory of historical process and the typology of societies formulated by the latter author. In addition, the definition of change, development and progress of Jan Such and Małgorzata Szcześniak are applied as well. Whereas so as to characterise the status of the idea of progress in Comte’s thought, Leszek Nowak’s distinction into the rational and irrational mythologisation is used. In the second part, an analysis of the idea of progress in Comte’s writings is carried out. In the last, third part, on the ground of interpretative assumptions, a reconstruction of the historiosophy of the 19th century’s philosopher’s concept of progress is accom plished. It is assigned as the paradigm of the ascending line and defined as the culturalist solidaristic idealism. In the investigated idea of progress features of the rational mythologisation are figured out and the Comtean vision of society is identified as the three-momentum society of hierocratic type.