The Philosophy of Mathematics; Translated from the Cours de Philosophie Positive

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1851. First Edition. Hard Cover. Good/No Jacket. 0x0x0. First English translation. Boards rubbed, corners exposed, minor loss from spine head and foot, moderately foxed throughout. 1851 Hard Cover. xi, 687 pp. Translated from the original French by W.M. Gillespie. Possibly the first appearance of Comte's writings in English. Cours de Philosophie Positive and Discours sur l'Ensemble du Positivisme were not fully translated until 1853 and 1865, respectively. This work is a portion of the former, which in its original form comprised six volumes. Comte formulated the doctrine of positivism, and is regarded as the first modern philosopher of science, and a founder of academic sociology (he coined the word 'sociology' and systematically established it as a subject of study). Many of his ideas were distilled from his readings of David Hume and Immanuel Kant. Through the exploration of these concepts and his employment of the scientific method, Comte sought to establish a system of thought that would meet the demands of industrialization, and provide a path forward from the political despotism of the past.