COMTE AUGUSTE: (1798-1857)

COMTE AUGUSTE: (1798-1857) French philosopher, mathematician and writer who formulated the doctrine of positivism and is often regarded as the first philosopher of science in the modern sense of the term. A rare A.L.S., Auguste Comte, one page, 12mo, Rue Monsieur Le Prince (Paris), 7th November 1850, to Monsieur Polonceau, in French. Writing in his meticulous, small hand Comte states that he no longer regrets his correspondent´s involuntary silence of last Sunday ´depuis qu´il m´a valu la noble lettre dont vous m´avez honore hier´ (Translation: ´since it earned me the noble letter you honoured me with yesterday´) and continues to remark ´Elle sera toujours conservee seigneusement parmi les principaux temoignages des precieuses sympathies qui ont, de temps en temps, embelli et soutenu ma vie publique. Une gratitude de aussi profonde et aussi spontanee compenserait des fatigues bien superieures a celles que me suscita le cours qui me l´a procuree´ (Translation: ´It will always be treasured as one of the principal testimonies to the precious sympathies which have, from time to time, embellished and sustained my public life. Such deep and spontaneous gratitude would compensate for far greater fatigue than that caused by the course of study that gave it to me´). Comte further states ´El doit m´offrir d´autant plus de prix que son organe a civiquement suivi toutes les phases anterieures de la grande crise occidentale, de maniere a pouvoir mieux apprecier la doctrine qui seule peut en diriger la terminaison organique. J´ai deja en le bonheur d´obtenir quelques unes de ces suffrages decisifs que recommandent specialement une longue experience et une haute impartialite. Mais aucun ne m´a jamais semble aussi complet et aussi caracteristique. Je dois donc vous remercier, a mon tour, d´une adhesion qui augmente ma confiance dans le prochain ascendant de la vraie religion finale. Cette touchante securite, dont le temps n´a pu alterer l´energie, me fait mieux sentir l´opportunite de nos efforts continus pour inaugurer l´etat normal de l´humanite par l´avenement direct du regime, pleinement rationnel et pacifique qui, comme vous le dites si bien, aneantira la misere, ou, sous un aspect plus general, developpera partout l´existence domestique presque concentree jusqu´ici chez les classes les moins propres a la gouter´ (Translation: ´It must be all the more valuable to me that its organ has civically followed all the earlier phases of the great Western crisis, so as to be better able to appreciate the doctrine which alone can direct its organic conclusion. I have already had the good fortune to obtain some of those decisive votes which long experience and high impartiality especially recommend. But none has ever seemed to me so complete and so characteristic. I must therefore thank you, in my turn, for an endorsement which increases my confidence in the forthcoming ascendancy of the true final religion. This touching security, the energy of which time has not been able to alter, makes me feel better the expediency of our continued efforts to inaugurate the normal state of humanity by the direct advancement of the fully rational and peaceful regime which, as you say so well, will annihilate misery, or, under a more general aspect, will everywhere develop domestic existence almost concentrated hitherto in the classes least fitted to enjoy it´). With blank integral leaf. A letter of fine content. VG