Understanding the place of pedology amongst scientific disciplines to better understand what pedology is

In this contribution to the Sixth International Seminar on Vygotsky in Geneva, we look at the place of pedology in a constellation of sciences of a natural whole, as well as its more distant relation to the kind of "elementary" sciences led Auguste Comte to divide natural and social sciences. We argue that with the pedology, Vygotsky offered a way out of Comte's impasse, but that fully understanding its place in the sciences requires understanding the historical logic that underlies it. This task was beyond the grasp of the Piaget school, but it is firmly in reach of pedology.