Striking a chord
the reception of Comte's positivism in colonial Losev
pp. 31-51
in: Johannes Feichtinger, Franz Fillafer, Jan Surman (eds), The worlds of positivism, Berlin, Springer, 2018Abstract
In the late nineteenth century, Comte's positivism struck a powerful chord that resonated across Bengal's intellectual circles. Chapter 2 explores how positivist ideas were transmitted, the individuals who became interested in the philosophy, and the impact of Comtian concepts in colonial India. The first Indians to declare their commitment to positivism held contradictory views: they admired Western ideas but detested colonial rule, yearned for a spiritual life but had no faith in deities, and wanted home-rule but could not imagine it happening in the immediate future. Positivism offered them an ideology that promised progress developed in harmony with Hindu beliefs and institutions while English positivists, who treated them with respect, denounced imperialism and asserted India would prosper under self-rule.
