Introduction

On November 8, 1841, when John Stuart Mill (1806–1872) first wrote to Auguste Comte (1798–1857), he introduced himself as a devoted disciple with such humility, that Comte replied: “Your scrupulous modesty had led you, Sir, to overemphasize the influence of my work on your philosophical development.” ¹ A close friendship and sincere affection rapidly grew between the two. Then issues arose that affected their relations, and in 1847 they terminated their correspondence. But evidence of how close their relations had been is apparent when Comte laments in 1857, the year of his death, that he had been unable to win John Stuart Mill’s approval of his “Religion of Humanity.”