Biography of Comte

Birth

Isidore Auguste Marie Francois Xavier Comte, better known as Auguste Comte, was born in 1798 in Montpellier, France.

Early Life

From an early age, Comte displayed extraordinary mental skills and a rebellious personality. He was a standout student at the imperial Lycee, where he enrolled when he was nine years old.

Education

At 16, he enrolled at the École Polytechnique in Paris. The majority of the professors there were experts in math and physics. However, Comte had a strong interest in society and human concerns. Later,  Comte was dismissed from the Ecole Polytechnique after participating in a student protest.

Partnership with Saint Simon

Auguste Comte met Henri de Saint-Simon in August 1817. Henri de Saint-Simon chose Auguste Comte to replace Augustin Thierry as his secretary. However, he severed ties with Saint-Simon in April 1824.

Marriage with Caroline Massin

Comte wed Caroline Massin, with whom he had been living for a while, in a civil ceremony in 1825.

Career Life

Comte served as an instructor and subsequently an examiner at the restored École Polytechnique institution from 1832 until 1842.

Clotilde de Vaux and Religion of Humanity

Comte divorced his wife in 1842, and in 1845 he started seeing Clotilde de Vaux, whom he greatly admired. He drew inspiration from her for his Religion of Humanity. It is a secular religion that honours humanity, or what Comte termed the New Supreme Being, rather than God.

Death

Auguste Comte died of stomach cancer in Paris on September 5, 1857. He is buried with his mother and Clotilde de Vaux in the famous Pere Lachaise Cemetery.