For most of the twentieth century, Auguste Comte, a controversial but highly influential nineteenth-century figure, and his vast treatises on positive philosophy, politics and religion were disregarded and largely ignored. More recently, however, Comte's life and writings have been reexamined together with the project of social reform to which his intellectual labors were devoted, producing a much more complicated picture of his thought and its significance. The Anthem Companion to Auguste Comte-with ten new critical essays by leading Comte scholars, sociologists, intellectual historians, social theorists and philosophers-aims to further this reexamination while also providing a multifaceted introduction to Comte's thought and to current discussion about him. The essays also examine Comte's relation to a multiplicity of other thinkers, and his place more generally in the formation and legacy of modern Western thought.

Contributions on re-examination of Auguste Comte's oeuvre, his thought and contemporary discussion about him

About the Author

Andrew Wernick is emeritus professor of cultural studies and sociology at Trent University, Canada, and a life member of Clare Hall, Cambridge. A social theorist, intellectual historian, sociologist of culture and sometime jazz musician, he is the author of more than seventy essays on contemporary culture and cultural/social theory. His writings include Promotional Culture: Advertising, Ideology and Symbolic Expression (1991), Auguste Comte and the Religion of Humanity (2001), and the coedited anthologies Shadow of Spirit: Religion and Postmodernism (1992) and Images of Aging: Cultural Representations of Later Life (1995).

Reviews

The Anthem Companions to Sociology offers wide ranging and masterly overviews of the works of major sociologists. The volumes in the series provide authoritative and critical appraisals of key figures in modern social thought. These books, written and edited by leading figures, are essential additional reading on the history of sociology. - Gerard Delanty, Professor of Sociology, University of Sussex, Brighton

This ambitious series provides an intellectually thoughtful introduction to the featured social theorists and offers a comprehensive assessment of their legacy. Each edited collection synthesizes the many dimensions of the respective theorist's contributions and sympathetically ponders the various nuances in and the broader societal context for their body of work. The series will be appreciated by seasoned scholars and students alike. - Michele Dillon, Professor of Sociology and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, University of New Hampshire

The orchestration and emergence of the Anthem Companions to Sociology represent a formidable and invaluable achievement. Each companion explores the scope, ingenuity, and conceptual subtleties of the works of a theorist indispensable to the sociological project. The editors and contributors for each volume are the very best in their fields, and they guide us towards the richest, most creative seams in the writings of their thinker. The results, strikingly consistent from one volume to the next, brush away the years, reanimate what might have been lost, and bring numerous rays of illumination to the most pressing challenges of the present. - Rob Stones, Professor of Sociology, Western Sydney University, Australia

The Anthem Companions, those that have appeared already and those that are to come, will give every sociologist a handy and authoritative guide to all the giants of their discipline. - Stephen Mennell, Professor Emeritus, University College Dublin

Each volume of the Anthem Companions to Sociology examines comprehensively not only a theorist's distinct approach and unique contributions, but also situates each in reference to the major parameters of mainstream theoretical schools and traditions. This remarkable Series in addition throws into high relief the singular features of modern societies. It promises to set the standard for discussions of Sociology's long-term development and belongs on the shelves of every social scientist.- Stephen Kalberg, Professor of Sociology Emeritus, Boston University

This valuable series covers both familiar figures in the history of sociology (such as Max Weber and, prospectively, Marx and Durkheim) and less often treated ones such as Arendt and Troeltsch who are also highly relevant to sociology, broadly conceived. In these books, leading scholars explore important but often neglected aspects of their subjects' work. - William Outhwaite, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Newcastle University, UK

Book Information
ISBN 9780857281852
Author Andrew Wernick
Format Hardback
Page Count 282
Imprint Anthem Press
Publisher Anthem Press
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 153mm * 26mm