Auguste Comte

Sociological Theory
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
UMD

Comte, founder of sociology

ISIDORE AUGUSTE MARIE FRANCOIS XAVIER COMTE (1798-1857)


A. LIFE AND TIMES


B. SCIENTIFIC WORKS

  1. GOAL TO FIND GENERAL LAWS OF SOCIETY

  2. SOCIAL PHYSICS - ONCE FOUND USED FOR SOCIAL ENGINEERING

  3. MOST BASIC OF ALL SOCIAL LAWS

    THE LAW OF THREE STAGES
    • 1. THEOLOGICAL - MILITARY
      NATURAL PHENOMENA EXPLAINED AS BEING DUE TO THE WILL AND ACTION OF DIVINITIES
    • 2. METAPHYSICAL - JUDICIAL
      NATURAL PHENOMENA EXPLAINED AS BEING DUE TO SOME FORCE WITHIN THE OBJECT ITSELF (EG, "MANA")
    • 3. POSITIVISTIC - INDUSTRIAL
      SCIENTIFIC METHOD USED TO DESCRIBE AND EXPLAIN EVENTS OF THE PHENOMENAL WORLD
      ALL ARE CHARACTERIZED BY SPIRIT AND STRUCTURAL CONDITIONS
      • 1. SUPERNATURAL - SLAVERY & MILITARY
      • 2. FUNDAMENTAL ESSENCES (STATE OF NATURE) ELABORATE POLITICAL & LEGAL FORMS
      • 3. POSITIVE PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE - INDUSTRIAL PATTERNS


  4. SOCIAL CHANGE
    1. IDEAS MOST IMPORTANT LEADING TO
    2. CORRESPONDING STRUCTURAL CONDITIONS WHICH MUST BE FULLY DEVELOPED BEFORE NEXT STAGE OF HISTORY
    3. ALWAYS A PERIOD OF CRISIS & CONFLICT
    4. MOVEMENT IS OSCILLATION

  5. UNEVEN DEVELOPMENT IN THE WORLD OF SCIENCE THROUGH THREE STAGES
    • SOCIOLOGY COMES IN WHEN OTHERS HAVE DEVELOPED
    • SOCIETY CAN NOW BE REORGANIZED ON SCIENTIFIC & RATIONAL GROUNDS
    • (ONE REASON COMTE BROKE WITH ST. SIMON, SIMON WANTED REFORM NOW, COMTE WANTED THEORY FIRST

  6. HIERARCHY OF THE THEORETICAL SCIENCES: MATHEMATICS - MECHANICS - PHYSICS - CHEMISTRY - BIOLOGY - SOCIOLOGY
    ALL HAVE REACHED THE POSITIVE STAGE EXCEPT SOCIOLOGY, LATEST TO DEVELOP, MOST GENERAL

  7. COMTE'S SOCIOLOGY DIVIDES INTO TWO PARTS: STATICS AND DYNAMICS
    • STATICS: THE STUDY OF EXISTENT CONDITIONS (SOCIAL ORDER)
    • DYNAMICS: THE STUDY OF THE LAWS OF SUCCESSION OF THE THREE STAGES (PROGRESS)

  8. STATICS
    1. BASIC FACT OF SOCIAL ORDER IS, CONSENSUS UNIVERSALIS, THE NECESSARY CORRELATION OR INTERCONNECTION AMONG THE ELEMENTS OF SOCIETY
      • A. CONSENSUS UNIVERSALIS IS THE VERY FOUNDATION FOR SOLIDARITY AS WELL AS THE BASIS FOR THE DIVISION OF SOCIAL LABOR
      • B. DIVISION OF LABOR ENHANCES ORGANISMIC ANALOGY
    2. COMTE DISTINGUISHED THREE LEVELS OF SOCIETY;
      • A. THE INDIVIDUAL (BIOLOGICAL)
      • B. FAMILY
      • C. SOCIAL COMBINATIONS
        (CITIES) HUMANITY ITSELF IS THE HIGHEST FORM

      THE BASIC SOCIAL UNIT FOR SOCIOLOGY WAS THE FAMILY

  9. DYNAMICS:
    • A. PROGRESS IS OBSERVABLE IN ALL ASPECTS OF SOCIETY, PHYSICAL, MORAL, INTELLECTUAL, POLITICAL
    • B. THE INTELLECTUAL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT, HISTORY IS DOMINATED BY THE DEVELOPMENT OF IDEAS LEADING TO CHANGES IN OTHER AREAS
    • C. COMTE SAY "CORRELATIONS" BETWEEN BASIC INTELLECTUAL STAGES AND STAGES OF MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT, TYPES OF SOCIAL UNITS, TYPES OF SOCIAL ORDER, AND SENTIMENTS


INTELLECTUAL PHASE MATERIAL PHASE TYPE OF SOCIAL UNIT TYPE OF ORDERPREVAILING SENTIMENT
THEOLOGICAL MILITARYTHE FAMILY DOMESTICATTACHMENT
METAPHYSICALLEGALISTICTHE STATECOLLECTIVE VENERATION (AWE OR RESPECT)
POSITIVE INDUSTRIAL RACE (HUMANITY) UNIVERSAL BENEVOLENCE

Comte's grave in Paris


Picture of Bulldog

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