Comte, Altruism and the Critique of Political Economy Philippe Steiner To cite this version: Philippe Steiner. Comte, Altruism and the Critique of Political Economy. 2015. halshs-01168341 HAL Id: halshs-01168341 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-01168341 Preprint submitted on 25 Jun 2015 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. GeWoPs Working papers du GEMASS Groupe d’étude des méthodes de l’Analyse sociologique de la Sorbonne Comte, Altruism and the Critique of Political Economy Philippe Steiner N°99 | june 2015 This paper is about Comte’s conception of altruism, and the role played by this new concept in his critique to political economy. In the first section, the paper consi- ders how selfish behaviour, or egoism, became treated as a major threat endangering the creation of indus- trial society by those concerned about the diffusion of political economy. Then, the paper summarizes the methodological critique set forth in the Cours, before connecting this critique to the economic content of the Système and the concept of altruism. In the final sec- tion, the paper contrasts Spencer’s view of altruism to that held by Comte, and then considers the reaction of French political economists, defending the moral value of their science. Working Papers Series Fondation Maison des sciences de l’homme - 190 avenue de France - 75013 Paris - France http://www.fmsh.fr - FMSH-WP-2015-99 Comte, Altruism and the Critique of Political Economy 2/20 Comte, Altruism and the Critique of Political Economy Philippe Steiner June 2015 The author Philippe Steiner est professeur de sociologie à l’université Paris-Sorbonne et membre de l’Institut uni- versitaire de France. Chercheur au GEMASS, il conduit ses recherches sur la sociologie économique et l’histoire des sciences sociales. Il a récemment publié en collaboration avec Caroline Oudin-Bastide, Calcul et morale. Le coût de l’esclavage et la valeur de l’émancipation (Albin Michel, 2015) et a co-dirigé avec Marie Trespeuch Marchés contestés. Quand le marché rencontre la morale (Presses universitaires du Mirail, 2015). The text This text was written in the frame of the GEMASS (Groupe d’étude des méthodes de l’Analyse socio- logique de la Sorbonne) and was submitted to History of Political Economy. Citing this document Philippe Steiner, Comte, Altruism and the Critique of Political Economy, FMSH-WP-2015-99, GeWoP-8, june 2015. 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Working Papers may also Fondation Maison des sciences de l’homme Séminaires et Centres associés, Directeurs be produced in partnership with affiliated 190-196 avenue de France d’études associés... institutions. 75013 Paris - France Les opinions exprimées dans cet article n’en- The views expressed in this paper are the http://www.fmsh.fr gagent que leur auteur et ne reflètent pas author’s own and do not necessarily reflect http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/FMSH-WP nécessairement les positions institutionnelles institutional positions from the Foundation http://wpfmsh.hypotheses.org de la Fondation MSH. MSH. Fondation Maison des sciences de l’homme - 190 avenue de France - 75013 Paris - France http://www.fmsh.fr - FMSH-WP-2015-99 Comte, Altruism and the Critique of Political Economy 3/20 Abstract This paper is about Comte’s conception of altruism, and the role played by this new concept in his cri- tique to political economy. In the first section, the paper considers how selfish behaviour, or egoism, became treated as a major threat endangering the creation of industrial society by those concerned about the diffusion of political economy. Then, the paper summarizes the methodological critique set forth in the Cours, before connecting this critique to the economic content of the Système and the concept of altruism. In the final section, the paper contrasts Spencer’s view of altruism to that held by Comte, and then considers the reaction of French political economists, defending the moral value of their science. Keywords altruism, Comte, egoism, political economy, Spencer Comte, l’altruisme et la critique de l’économie politique Résumé Cet article examine la manière dont Auguste Comte introduit la notion d’altruisme dans sa critique sociologique de l’économie politique. La première partie de l’article explique pourquoi l’égoïsme et la dif- fusion de l’économie politique étaient considérés par lui comme de graves menaces pesant sur la mise en place de la société industrielle. Dans la deuxième partie, l’article rappelle la critique méthodologique que Comte expose dans son Cours de philosophie positive, puis montre le lien avec les considérations qu’il développe à propos de l’altruisme dans son Système de politique positive. La dernière partie contraste les conceptions de l’altruisme proposées par Comte puis par Herbert Spencer, et rappelle comment les économistes ont taché de répondre à Comte. Mots-clefs altruisme, Comte, économie politique, égoïsme, Spencer Sommaire Egoism, benevolence and justice 5 From the methodological critique of Political Economy to Altruism as a counterforce to egoism 7 The methodological critique 7 Herbert Spencer, French Economists and Altruism 13 Spencer and the conciliation approach 13 Altruism, self-interest and French economic liberalism 16 Concluding remarks 18 References 18 Fondation Maison des sciences de l’homme - 190 avenue de France - 75013 Paris - France http://www.fmsh.fr - FMSH-WP-2015-99 Comte, Altruism and the Critique of Political Economy 4/20 uguste Comte’s work is not thought Comte’s religious views as a key his post-theis- to form a significant contribution tic social theory, to use Andrew Wernick’s words, to political economy, although his and to the economic organization that should be methodological critique of political brought into being by the “sociocracy”, a new reli- economy had some influence during the second gious elite spreading the credo of the religion of Ahalf of the nineteenth century, when the histori- Humanity. Secondly, Comte’s later works repay cal school challenged the more abstract concep- attention, since this is where altruism, a new word tion of political economy then gaining momen- in the French language, was established. Altruism tum.1 If Comte’s critique is considered to be of is now a concept commonly used by economists. minor interest, then the second part of Comte’s However, this was not Comte’s intention when he intellectual career, dominated by the develop- coined the word in the mid-nineteenth century to ment of his religion of humanity, is entirely over- counter the idea that human action had a selfish looked. For example, John Stuart Mill considered foundation, an idea which he and many other Comte’s Cours de philosophie positive to be a signi- social observers saw as pervasive in an industrial ficant contribution to the philosophy of science, society. By focussing his attention on the opposi- whereas he considered his later work, dominated tion between egoism and altruism, an opposition by the Système de politique positive, to be a point- deemed to be the “great human issue”, Comte was less enterprise, tainted by a regulatory mania not merely elaborating his own system of thought emanating from the pen of “a morally-intoxicated in terms of a so-called “subjective approach”, and man” (Mill 1865: 336). As scientist-philosopher, by developing the religion of humanity at the heart Comte is therefore considered to be of limited of his Catéchisme positiviste (Comte 1852) and his interest to historians of economic thought;2 and Système de politique positive (Comte 1851-54). He as a religious thinker, he is of no interest to them also extended his critique to political economy, at all. Conversely, historians of the social sciences exposed in the 47th lecture of his Cours de philo- take no interest in the economic content of his sophie positive (1830-42). I would like to demons- social and religious thought.3 trate in this article that there is a strong connec- tion between the first and second parts of Comte’s There are two reasons for challenging this situa- works, where the critique of political economy is tion. Firstly, there is now a growing interest in at issue. Comte’s theory of altruism is certainly a the religious underpinnings of political economy, key point of his religious credo, but it is also a spe- treating it as a political discourse whose scope cific response to a matter of common concern for extended far beyond the strictly economic domain. French social scientists, for whom the new social This is especially evident in France (Faccarello and order, or industrial society, lacked adequate cultu- Steiner 2008), given the political and social role ral foundations.