New-York tribune., 1905-08-02
EAINT-SIMON AND COMTE.
Thrir Places in The History Of
POsitisTsm
PsycHoLoGIE DE pEry NEssIEs PosIII-
v1STFS SaINT-SIMON EFT AUGISTE
CoNTE Par Georges Dumas Syo, pp Sls
Felix Alczn Paris. leG


NJ Dumas who holds chair of experimental
Psychology in the. University Of Paris. has dis
engaged from the memoirs and other literary re-
mains az Sant-Simon and his associates The
materials for a pathological rather than
psychological study. For If ever grea; Tits were
allied with madness. II was in the pt'idde d'S
sa;Rt-SinoNieES Possibly there was this psychic
pathic diathesis in su the earlier French socioi-
ocists Their forerunner. Jean Jacques has a.
readv been summoned. il were. before com
,nission 6c 7uRdfioo. in a monograph by = Ger
snan alienist. The morbid phenomena of his NE
ard the any sterious circumstances Of his deatn
have led The belief that he was insane but
Rousseau WAS sober and well balanced COM
pared with the social philosophers who, IN the
early days Of The last century. sought to recon
struct what the Revolution had marred or de-
stroyed-
The eocentrcities OF Saint-simon and of Comte
were not simply the extrsVagsnces of genius and
enthusiasm; they the stigmata- of path
olosical state. Saint Simon, the precursor Of
socialism. belonged notwithstanding. to the old
French arlstocracy. After wasting his sub
stance in liotous living. he came to America TO
fight for the OF independence Upon his
return he began his wild attempt 20 realize
Utopia He claimed 10 be the vicar OF God on
earth. The scientific pope OF humanity the in
seIlectusl heir OF Moses and Socrates and Jesus
1t wss his wish that he should at length be in
serred IN the tomb of Newton. His voice was TO
ne the voice Of God. his mission TO rule Europe
Ivy virtue OF his authority a man OF science
His disciple, Fourier believed that for himself
The task was ordained Of rescuing the race from
The false doctrines of former ages. and that he
alone had discovered the secret of happiness
Enfantin. who may be called the beloved dis
oiple Of Saint-Simon. proclaimed himself % be
the new Isaac Ohs master was doubtless tie new
10 .1,e
Both he and Bazard, inspired by the earlier
positive spirit, believed that they had su-
periors in intellect or in morals; that they were
10 be the leaders Of the race, and were destined
10 play the role Of God earth. In the chaotic
period after the Revolution. these ambitious
oreamers proposed visible well as spiritual
kingdom. which to have universal domin-
5on-a pagan papacy with a scientific creed, a
calendar OF saints in which Greek philosophers
and French sayans were to take the place Of
she confessors and martyrs of the Catholic
Church The final result Of all this visionary
zeal was Conlte's religion OF humanity, with its
sentimental fetichism. its superstition, its mon
grel ritual and its Utopian dreams
There is a very considerable literature dealing
with the lives OF Saint-Simon and Comte, and
The positive philosophy has been sufficiently ex-
pounded and explained We may notice here.
however, two rather important questions which
nave DeeQ OIlen discussed, 10 WHICH NJ DUNES
has given answers which may invite even fur
ther discussion The first OF these is How far
may Saint-Simon be regarded the founder of
Positivism? and the second is, What conclusion
should be drawn TO the sanity of the two
philosophers We think that NJ. Dumas has
given satisfactory answer TO the first of these
questions but that his answer 10 the second is
strangely misleading.
The more faithful disciples of Comte have not
been reluctant 10 claim for him the honor Of
being the real originator of this philosophical
movement. But NJ. Dumas shows as ". Well
had already made evident I'm his critical mono
graph that Saint-Simon was the real founder Of
Positvisnl, and that Comte merely developed
and systematized the conceptions Of his prede-
oessor. The parallelism in their opinions as well
as their personal relations to each other, demon
strates the great debt which Comte owed to his
.rratic master. The facts are as follows: In
the year 1917. when but nineteen years Of age,
Coute came under the influence Of Saint Simon.
He was fresh from the Ecole Polytechnique. and
had far better acquaintance with the natural
sciences than Saint-Smon could boast Of He
had studied chemistry physics, astronomy and,
especially, mathematics. At Montpelier he had
1aken q course in medicine: at Paris ''he was
reading Eonge and Laplsce ne was meditating
ipon Condorcet and Montesquieu" But in poll
!. sics he belonged 10 the old metaphysical school
~ eeau. He was also admirer of Napoleon and
hated the legitimlsts. Saint-Smon the or
.posite of all that. His knowledge OF science was
moderate, and he had absurd idea that
e -he principle OF grsyitation a law Of society
4 well as OF the mechanical world. In politics
3 .he had passed through many phases OF opinion:
suecesstvely Republican, Bonapsrtist. Royalist
4 Toleon and Louis XVIII. and he prepar-
Sor his attacks the Bourbons But amid al the
s1cissiuudes OF his thought and life. he had beer
Teolutionary PERIOD 70 put an elld 10 the Crisis ~
: establishing the moral power Of science IN Ilacf
~ the philosophers had heen advantageous while
81 was necessary 10 destroy, but it was n danger
rranity" said ne lis not made TO dwell in ruins
~ needs moral authority 70 ADVISE and direct H.
But II ssint-Simon was continually disap-
poirted by the failure Of his plans. In spite ot
this he was always sanguine His ambition was
20 set forth a theoretical and practical phi
soeophy OF q society which should have for its
sole object the production Of wealth. He was
The apostle Of industrialism. In this propaganda
Cou1te was OF great assistance From the be-
ginning OF his association with Saint Simon
until the rupture Of their relations. he
dependent and enthusiastic disciple. his sec
retary, collaboration and intimate friend. In this
NAY he became gradually ensncipsted from the
older raticnalistic and metaphysical doctrines
rnd his work was practically only the expression
of Saint -Simon's opinions What he wrote for
the Journal "L'Industrier he seems to have re-
Esrded not his own, but as an echo of his
masters teaching This teaching contained all
rhe fundamental ideas of positvism In IS2.
there was a rupture in the relations Of the two
men. and subsequently, Comte asserts his entire