- Raimundo Teixeira Mendes
Raimundo Teixeira Mendes (
Caxias ,5 January 1855 –Rio De Janeiro , 1927) was a Brazilianphilosopher andmathematician . He is credited with creating the nationalmotto , "Order and Progress", as well as the national flag on which it appears.Comtean Positivism
Teixeira Mendes was heavily influenced by
Comtism and is classed as a "Humanity Apostle" by Brazil'sReligion of Humanity , which is called "Igreja Positivista do Brasil" or in English "Positivist Church of Brazil." [ [http://www.igrejapositivistabrasil.org.br/english/igreja.html Positivist Church of Brazil] ] In life he led the Positivist Church after 1903. For him the Positivist viewpoint meant he opposed most wars and believed in the eventual disappearance of nations. He also opposed Christian missionary work toward the indigenous Brazilians and instead favored a policy based on protection and gradual assimilation. He deemed their societies "fetishistic", but believed a gradual non-coercive assimilation was the way to turn them into Positivists. [cite book
title=Stringing Together a Nation
author=Todd A. Diacon
year=2004
publisher=Duke University Press
isbn=0822332493
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=vDHZJ433ficC&pg=PA90&lpg=PA90&dq=%22Teixeira+Mendes%22+abolitionism&source=web&ots=hQ8nnyspfX&sig=QToPEWi40LE-iDpI0HqsvG9cXWE&hl=en,M1]References
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