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Agustín Aragón and Mexico's Religion of Humanity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

William D. Raat
William D. Raat*
Affiliation:
Department of History, Moorhead State College, Minnesota
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Extract

In 1817, Henri de Saint-Simon won the nineteen-year-old Auguste Comte over to his views concerning the lamentable condition of post-revolutionary French society and the necessity for a radical scheme of reform, and it was during the political turmoil of the second quarter of the nineteenth century that Comte, intending to reorder society through the application of scientific knowledge to social ills, presented his philosophy of positivism. Comte's project was nothing less than a blueprint for universal reform that would not only save France from ruin but would also, hopefully, rescue all of humanity. In its entirety the Comtean doctrine included a philosophy of history, a theory of knowledge and pedagogy, a method or logic of science, a positivist ethic (the so-called "subjective synthesis"), a socioeconomic plan, a theory of government, and a type of secular faith which he called the Religion of Humanity.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Inter-American Studies , Volume 11 , Issue 3 , July 1969 , pp. 441 - 457
Copyright
Copyright © University of Miami 1969

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References

1 Between 1830 and 1842 Comte published a series of public lectures that were designed to acquaint men of science with the “positive philosophy.” These lectures, representing Comte's philosophy of science, were collectively entitled Course in Positive Philosophy and appeared in six volumes. His Religion of Humanity can be found in several works including the four-volume Positive Polity (1851-1854), the Positive Catechism (1854), and the Subjective Synthesis or Universal System of , ‘ Ideas Concerning the Normal State of Humanity (1856). An informative and critical account of the Religion of Humanity can be found in Mill, John Stuart, Auguste \ Comte and Positivism (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1961), pp. 125–200 Google Scholar. For a brief treatment of Comte's general philosophy see Kolakowski, Leszek, The Alienation of Reason: A History of Positivist Thought (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Co., 1968), pp. 47–72 Google Scholar.

2 See both Simon, Walter M., European Positivism in the Nineteenth Century (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1963)Google Scholar and Costa, Joáo Cruz, A History of Ideas in Brazil, trans, by Suzette Macedo (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1964), pp. 82–175 Google Scholar. For reproductions of letters written by Brazilian positivists see Lins, Ivan, “Primeiros contactos brasileiros com Augusto Comte,” Revista Brasileira de Filosofía, II (January-March, 1952), 77–83 Google Scholar.

3 This does not imply that Barreda was formally a member of any corporate group of Littréists, or that he was unaware of or unsympathetic to Laffitte. It only means that his own temperament and interests were more akin to those of Littré than of Laffitte. Moisés González Navarro has demonstrated that Barreda only met Comte through the good offices of Laffitte's companion and friend, Pedro Contreras Elizalde. González Navarro also notes that Barreda planned a series of conferences aimed especially at Mexican women in order to teach them the lessons of Humanity. In this role Barreda would be acting in a manner consistent with Comte's teachings concerning the duties of positivist priests. See Navarro, González, “Los positivistas mexicanos en Francia,” Historia mexicana, LX (July-September, 1959), pp. 119—129 Google Scholar.

4 For biographical data on Aragón see Peral, Miguel Angel, Diccionario biográfico mexicano (Mexico, n.d.), p. 59 Google Scholar. Pierre Laffitte tells of Aragón's conversion in an introduction to Aragón's history of positivism entitled Essai sur l'histoire du positivisme au Mexique (México and Paris, 1898), pp. vii-xii.

5 The two most important works by Zea on positivism in Mexico are: El positivismo en México (México: El Colegio de México, 1943) and Apogeo y decadencia del positivismo en México (México: El Colegio de México, 1944). For my own critique of Zea's thought and writings see Raat, William, “Leopoldo Zea and Mexican Positivism: A Reappraisal,” Hispanic American Historical Review, XLVIII (February, 1968), 1–18 CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

6 Aragón, , Essai…, p. 46 Google Scholar.

7 González Navarro, “Los positivistas mexicanos en Francia,” 123ff.

8 The Revista Positiva is not only a primary source for the ideology of orthodox Mexican positivism, but is an important guide to the activities of the Positivist Society of Mexico as well. The original magazine can be found at the University of Texas Library, Latin American Collection. See Revista Positiva; filosófica, literaria, social y política, I-XIV (México, 1901-1914). Hereafter Revista positiva will be cited as RP.

9 E. S. Beesly, “Lo esencial en el positivismo,” RP, I (December, 1901), 502- 506. Beesly's outline has also been reproduced by Eli de Gortari, La ciencia en la historia de México (México & Buenos Aires, 1963), p. 307.

10 Aragón, “El positivismo,” RP, V (January, 1905), 90-92.

11 Aragón, “El Sr. Dr. Don Gabino Barreda,” RP, VI (April, 1906), 240ff.

12 See both Lagarrigue, “La Religión de la Humanidad,” RP, II (July, 1902), 209-302, and Lagarrigue, “Lo sobrenatural ante el positivismo,” RP, VII (October, 1907), 617-647.

13 Lagarrigue, , “La Religión de la Humanidad,” p. 222 Google Scholar.

14 Ibid., pp. 217-224.

15 Ibid., p. 252ff.

16 Parra, “Oración leída en conmemoración de Augusto Comte,” RP, II (October, 1902), 424-434.

17 The Spanish translation of the positivist Calendar has been fully reproduced in RP.II (July 1,1902), 303-315.

18 For a discussion of the positivist Calendar see both Frederic Harrison, “Nuevo calendario de los grandes hombres,” RP, III (January 1, 1903), 7-12, and Aragón, “El calendario positivista,” RP, XIV (January, 1914), 26-30.

19 Aragón, “El centenario de John Stuart Mill en México,” RP, VI (May, 1906), 315-317.

20 Horacio Barreda, “Oración en honor de Augusto Comte.” RP, VIII (October, 1908), 581-598.

21 Aragón, “Párrafos,” RP, VII (April, 1907), 344.

22 Aragón, “Inauguración de la estatua de Augusto Comte en París,” RP, II (August, 1902), 352-355; Aragón, “Discurso … celebrado en París, en representación de los positivistas mexicanos,” RP, VII (November, 1907), 711-716.

23 Reproductions of the legislation of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate concerning the authorization of Barreda's statute can be found in López de Llergo, “Monumento al Dr. D. Gabino Barreda,” RP, VII (June, 1907), 469-476.

24 Aragón, “La Sociedad Positivista de Centro-América,” RP, II (December, 1902), 522-524.

25 See both William G. Sumner, “La conquista de los Estados Unidos por España,” RP, n (January 1, 1902), 1-29, and Aragón, “Párrafos,” RP, III (May, 1903), 278.

26 Aragón, “El positivismo en Zacatecas,” RP, III (November, 1903), 515-519.

27 Aragón, “Párrafos,” RP, II (August, 1902), 376.

28 Aragón, “Párrafos,” RP, Vil (January 29, 1907), 133f.

29 Aragón, “Párrafos,” RP, VIII (January 1, 1908), 21f.

30 Aragón, “El estudio de la lógica,” RP, VI (January 29, 1906), 80-82.

31 Aragón, “El Dr. Alejando Bain,” RP, III (November, 1903), 481-487.

32 See both articles by Aragón: “Nuevo sistema de lógica,” RP, II (December, 1902), 514-516; “El Sr. Dr. D. Porfirio Parra,” RP, XII (September, 1912), 433-446.

33 Aragón, “Una grande obra mexicana de filosofía,” RP, IV (March, 1904), 271-294.

34 Aragón, “Párrafos,” RP, II (August, 1902), 375f.

35 Eli de Gortari, La ciencia …. 31 Iff.

38 An excellent study of the continuity of nineteenth-century liberalism can be found in Charles A. Hale, “José María Luis Mora and the Structure of Mexican Liberalism,” Hispanic American Historical Review, XLV (May, 1965), 196-227.

37 For the relationship of positivism to Juárez see the following: Parra, “Juárez,” RP, I (August, 1901), 341-349; Aragón, “Juárez,” RP, II (August, 1902), 342-352; Aragón, “Juárez,” RP, VI (March, 1906), 191-199; Aragón, “Juárez: su obra y su tiempo,” RP, VI (March, 1906), 187-191.

38 Aragón, “Discurso … celebrado en París,” RP, VII (November, 1907), 711.

39 Sabino M. Olea, “La constitución mexicana,” RP, VII (February, 1907), 221-226.

40 Horacio Barreda, “La Escuela Nacional Preparatoria,” RP, VIII (April, May, June, and July, 1908), 232-286; 305-381; 385-437; 449-506.

41 González, Pedro, El desarrollo de las ideas científicas y su influencia social y política in Concurso Científico y Artístico del Centenario (México, 1911), pp. 10–13 Google Scholar.

42 Aragón, “Párrafos,” RP, VIII (January 1, 1908), 22.

43 Aragón, La obra civilizadora de México y de las demos naciones de la América Latina in Concurso Científico y Artístico del Centenario (México, 1911), 31f.

44 Aragón, “Notaspolíticas,” RP, XI (December, 1911), 637ff.

45 “Notas políticas,” RP, XI (September, 1911), 540-543.

46 “La Revista positiva,” RP, XII (January 1, 1912), 44-47.

47 “La Revista positiva,” RP, XIII (January 1, 1913), 41-45.

48 “Notas políticas,” RP, XIV (March, 1914), 140-143.

49 “Notas políticas,” RP, XIV (August, 1914), 408-413.

50 “Notas políticas,” RP, XIV (January, 1914), 17-24.

51 “A los lectores de la Revista positiva,” RP, XIV (December, 1914), 547-522.

52 Gortari, Eli de, La ciencia en la historia de México (Mexico and Buenos Aires, 1963), p. 338 Google Scholar.