Q0115
“To know, in order to foresee, so as to be able to…” — Auguste Comte (Cours de philosophie positive (formula))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Cours de philosophie positive (formula). Theme: knowledge.
English
To know, in order to foresee, so as to be able to act.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Cours de philosophie positive (formula) and files it under Positivism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Auguste Comte
Auguste Comte (1798–1857) was the French founder of positivism and an early systematizer of sociology. Once secretary to Saint-Simon, he later built an independent course of positive philosophy.
How to read this passage
Epistemology asks whether knowledge is justified true belief, reliable tracking of the world, or something else; it also asks how perception, testimony, memory, and reason contribute. This passage enters that discussion through knowledge, action.
Concepts in this quote
- Knowledge
- Knowledge is the philosophical study of what we can justifiably claim to know—and where certainty ends.
- Action
- Action concerns agency: what it is to do something intentionally, and how thought becomes practice.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Auguste Comte. (n.d.). To know, in order to foresee, so as to be able to act. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0115
MLA: Auguste Comte. “To know, in order to foresee, so as….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0115.
Chicago: Auguste Comte. “To know, in order to foresee, so as….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0115.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “To know, in order to foresee, so as…”?
The passage is attributed to Auguste Comte, Cours de philosophie positive (formula). The archive attributes this English wording to Cours de philosophie positive (formula) and files it under Positivism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Auguste Comte mean by knowledge?
Epistemology asks whether knowledge is justified true belief, reliable tracking of the world, or something else; it also asks how perception, testimony, memory, and reason contribute. This passage enters that discussion through knowledge, action.