Neste ensaio abordamos algumas pesquisas que, nos últimos dez anos ou mais, têm recuperado a obra do fundador do Positivismo, Augusto Comte. Essa recuperação consiste em perceber os trabalhos de Comte em sua inteireza e a partir de sua lógica interna, enfatizando em particular a sua segunda grande obra, o Système de politique positive (1851-1854), e as suas contribuições para a reflexão social e política contemporânea. A fim de tornar inteligível a novidade dessas novas pesquisas, apresentamos uma das narrativas-padrão a respeito de Comte e do Positivismo - no caso, a partir dos escritos de Anthony Giddens -; além disso, fazemos uma discussão sobre o significado da palavra "Positivismo" e as várias correntes teóricas subsumidas em tal expressão.

In this essay we look at some research that has, within the last ten years, revisited the work of Positivism's founder, Augusto Comte. This return to his work has consisted of perceiving his work in its entirety and through its own internal logic, placing particular emphasis on his second great work, Système de politique positive (1851-1854), and its contributions for contemporary political and social thought. In order to make the novelty of this new research clearer, we present one of the standard narratives on Comte and Positivism - in this case, through the work of Anthony Giddens- ; we also go on to discuss the meaning of the term "Positivism" and the various theoretical currents that come together under this rubric.

Dans cet essai nous abordons les recherches qui au cours des dix dernières années environ se sont penchées sur l'oeuvre du fondateur du Positivisme, Auguste Comte. Ce retour consiste à comprendre les travaux de Comte dans leur ampleur et à partir de leur logique interne, surtout en ce qui concerne son second ouvrage, le Système de politique positive (1851-1854), et ses contributions pour une réflexion sociale et politique contemporaine. Afin de rendre intelligible la réflexion des nouvelles recherches, nous présentons un des récits-standards concernant Comte et le Positivisme - en l'ocurrence, à partir des écrits d'Anthony Giddens - ; en outre, nous discutons du sens du mot« Positivisme » et des plusieurs courants théoriques sousjacents à cette expression.

The article presents a comparison between some aspects of the socio-political theories of Auguste Comte and John Rawls. Its aim is to highlight certain elements that approximate and distance the two authors from one another in terms of political objectives and theoretical-methodological procedures, particularly on the basis of the Comtean perspective. The result is surprising: applying the mutatis mutandis methodological clause, i.e., considering the different socio-political contexts, there are more elements that approximate Rawls to Comte than elements that distance them from one another. After the introduction, an argument in favour of comparison as an analytic resource is presented; next, some aspects of Rawls's thought, then of Comte's, are set out. I conclude with a comparative assessment of the two.