« Auguste Comte toi-même ! » Michel Houellebecq et le positivisme

This article seeks to examine several elements linking the works of Michel Houellebecq and the positivist philosophy of Auguste Comte. The element of presence, the element of influence, the element of supersedure : through the implementation of fundamental procedures of the positive spirit (observation, experimentation and prevision), the doctrine of the positivist text (his letter) is superseded by the positive spirit itself. Thereafter, the novel becomes a form of “roman-laboratoire”.