Religion / idea · concept

Positivism

Also known as positivist

Positivism is a philosophy developed by Auguste Comte that holds that society should be organised on the basis of scientific knowledge. It was influential in Brazil's military schools in the nineteenth century. Positivist officers came to see the monarchy as an obstacle to modern governance, contributing to the fall of the Brazilian Empire in 1889.

Positivism
Image: Johan Hendrik Hoffmeister · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

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Brazilian EmpireMilitary, Decline

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Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Positivism. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/positivism
MLA
“Positivism.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/positivism. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Positivism.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/positivism.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Positivism’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/positivism (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻