Henry Edger (22 January 1820, Chelwood Gate – April 1888,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) was an English positivist active in the nineteenth century. He was one of

Auguste Comte Isidore Auguste Marie François Xavier Comte (; ; 19 January 1798 – 5 September 1857) was a French philosopher, mathematician and writer who formulated the doctrine of positivism. He is often regarded as the first philosopher of science in the ...

's ten disciples. After studying Law in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Edger married Millicent Hobson. Although originally a

protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, he abandoned Christianity in favour of

communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

. He moved with his family to

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in 1851. Over the next three years two things caught his interest,

Positivism Positivism is a philosophical school that holds that all genuine knowledge is either true by definition or positivemeaning '' a posteriori'' facts derived by reason and logic from sensory experience.John J. Macionis, Linda M. Gerber, ''Soci ...

and the Socialist Community of Modern Times an

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

intentional community An intentional community is a voluntary residential community designed to foster a high degree of group cohesiveness, social cohesion and teamwork. Such communities typically promote shared values or beliefs, or pursue a common vision, wh ...

based on

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. On 9 April 1854 he decided to commit his life to the propagation of the "positivist faith" consecrating his life to "laying the foundation stone" to the Comtean edifice in the New World. Although originally attracted to the Fourierist community in

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, he stayed there for only a few months. He eventually moved to Modern Times in 1854 for the purposes of spreading positivism. He built an oratory with a steeple attached to his log cabin, and conducted the Comtean religious rites. He further organised a

glee club A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it was very popular in ...

and an orchestra. However aside from his friends John Metcalf and Charles Codman, his efforts to spread positivism had little impact outside his family. He also started a long series of correspondence with Comte which continued until the latter's death in 1857. Although his attempts to spread positivism amongst the inhabitants of Modern Times met with little success, and indeed encountered the hostility of its founder

Josiah Warren Josiah Warren (; June 26, 1798 – April 14, 1874) was an American Reformism (historical), social reformer, inventor, musician, businessman, and philosopher. He is regarded as the first American Philosophical anarchism, philosophical anarchist ...

, it nevertheless provided a base from which Edger could promote Positivism further afield. With his convert, John Metcalf, he provided a range of Positivist reading material available by mail including ''Modern Times, the Labor question, and the Family'' which he written himself. In 1880 Edger left Modern Times and moved to Paris, where he died in 1888.

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edger, Henry Comtism Fourierists Positivists 1820 births 1888 deaths