- Lived:
- 1798–1857 · Montpellier and Paris, France
- Tradition:
- Positivism — the founder; coined the word "sociology"
- The Big Idea:
- Humanity outgrows explanations built on gods and hidden essences; real knowledge is limited to what observation and science can establish, and the final science to reach maturity will be the science of society itself.
- In their words:
- "Savoir pour prévoir, prévoir pour pouvoir" — "Know in order to predict, predict in order to be able."
- If you remember one thing:
- He gave us the words "sociology" and "altruism," declared that science should replace theology and metaphysics — and then founded a full-blown religion, with himself as high priest.