孔德（Auguste Comte，1798～1857 ）為法國近代實證哲學家，是最早提出「社會學」一詞的學者，爾後又對其研究對象、範疇與方法進行初步的界定，為社會學的科學化奠定基礎。他所建構的實證哲學係以實證原則進行社會研究，並且提供方法論的基礎，影響當代多數的研究者都將能否掌握實證原則視為學科成熟的標誌，而現代西方哲學的許多流派也都深受其影響。 本文除前言外，主要重點先探討孔德的思想淵源及實證哲學產生的背景，接著就歷史分期、方法論，以及學科分類方面論述實證哲學的要點，最後分析實證哲學的時代價值與意義並作簡要的結論。

Auguste Comte (1798~1857), the modern French positivist, is the first sociologist who coined the term “sociology.” He also makes the initial definition about the study objects, categories, and methods, and esablishes the foundation of scientific sociology. He establishes the positivism by using positivism principals to conduct the social researches and provide the foundation of methodology. Many modern schools of thought are influenced by the positivism because the researchers regard the positivism principals as emblems of maturity. Besides the preface, in this article we focus on the original ideas of Comte and the background of the era when the positivism was resulted. Then, we expound the points of positivism according to the periodization, the methodology, and the classification, and analyze the value and meaning of positivism era.