# Auguste Comte — On Liberty character guide

> Auguste Comte in On Liberty by John Stuart Mill.

**Role:** minor

**Also known as:** Comte, M. Auguste Comte, M. Comte

**First appearance:** 0010-iv-of-the-limits-to-the-authority-of-society-over-the-individual

## Who they are

French philosopher and founder of positivism, discussed in relation to social systems.

## Relationships

### [John Stuart Mill](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/on_liberty_se/characters/john_stuart_mill)

_professional_

Mill corresponded with Comte and engaged with his positivist philosophy, though Mill ultimately rejected Comte's authoritarian social system.

## In the story

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/on_liberty_se/chapters/i)

Mill had a friendship and correspondence with Comte, influencing his work during the 1840s.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/on_liberty_se/chapters/ii)

Referenced indirectly through the St. Simonians, whose speculations influenced Mill's view on distribution of wealth.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/on_liberty_se/chapters/iii)

His 'Philosophie Positive' is credited with the view that society is prior to the individual, which Mill's work responds to.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/on_liberty_se/characters/auguste_comte
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- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/on_liberty_se/characters