From auguste comte'S positivism to gustav shpet'S "Positive" Philosophy: the problem of empirical history

The article compares the ideas of Gustav Shpet and Auguste Comte in relation to the concept of «empirical history». Comte's positivist thought has had an impact on the formation of social sciences at the turn of the XXth century; yet already then Gustav Shpet questioned its philosophical reflexivity and consistency. Russian philosopher pointed out such shortcomings of positivism as the presence of metaphysical assumptions, inability to work with historical material, the adherence to the abstract scheme of the historical process. From his point of view, positivism was a philosophical doctrine of the philosophy of history, but not a productive methodology of science. The author presents a critique by Gustav Shpet and summarizes his ideas on real history, which can serve as a methodological basis for overcoming the crisis of modern social theory.