Auguste Comte (1798 - 1857)

Born in in southern France 1798 Comte went on to become  the founder of the discipline of sociology and of the doctrine of positivism. He may be regarded as the first philosopher of science in the modern sense of the term.

 Strongly influenced by the Utopian socialist Henri Saint Simon calling for a new social doctrine based on the  sciences aimed at eliminating social inequality in ownership, power and  possessions centered in in freeing the workers. Comte developed his theory of positive philosophy in an attempted to remedy the social malaise of the French revolution.

Basing  this idea on the Christian ethic of love for the poor and powerless  Comte worked independently dedicating his life to what emerged as a new discipline called sociology

Comte's social theories culminated in the 'religion of humanity, which was influential to the development of religious humanist  and secular humanist organizations in the 19th century. 

His injunction to "vivre pour autrui" ("live for others"), is where the word  "altruism" is derived from.

Comte died in Paris on 5 September 1857 from stomach cancer.