马修•阿诺德是维多利亚时期的先锋批评家，其批评观是在对同代人的批评中逐步形成的。法国的实证主义哲学家孔德便是阿诺德的批评对象之一。本文旨在分析阿诺德如何在批判吸收孔德实证主义观点的基础上发展了自己的批评观。 孔德的实证主义观点分为前后两期，早期强调科学观察的方法，后期则主张知识的实用性比精神性更重要。阿诺德在其批评观中展示了对于这两种实证主义观点的取舍。 一方面，阿诺德同意孔德注重实验的做法，并创造性地将实验的方法引用到文学批评中，认为批评家需要将注意力集中到具体的批评对象上，并将彰显了伟大人性的作品作为评价文学的试金石。 另一方面，阿诺德不赞成将实用性作为评价知识的最高标准。在大多数人都追求人口和财富的维多利亚时期，批评家应当通过冷静地揭示真正伟大的人性来消除人们对于物质的狂热。

As a pioneering critic in the Victorian Age, Matthew Arnold forms his criticism in criticizing his contemporaries, including Auguste Comte, the French philosopher who completed positivism in the 19th century. Accordingly, this paper aims to analyze the borrowing of Comte’s positivism in the development of Arnold’s criticism. Generally, there are two kinds of positive principals of Comte, one insists on scientific observation, and the other prefers the practical to spiritual capability of knowledge. Arnold, in his criticism, displays his approval and disapproval of them. On the one hand, he agrees with Comte’s insistence on objects and experimental method, and creatively lends this method to criticism. He advances that a critic needs to focus on his objects, not profits, and to set masterpieces performing great humanity as the touchstone of literature. On the other hand, Arnold opposes Comte’s later positive ideas, which assert that the practical consideration is the final purpose of knowledge. In Arnold’s eyes, Victorian people fall into an ardent zeal of population and wealth. Critics, then, should function as disinterested instructors who can lead people away from this passion and reveal the great humanity to them.