AGUSTE COMTE (1798 – 1857)

THE FOUNDER OF SOCIOLOGY

HIS MAIN PROPOSITIONS &

CONTRIBUTION TO THE DISCIPLINE
 Auguste Comte
Comte was
Comte is major goal
born in
best known was to
France
for coining integrate
shortly after
the term theory and
the French
“Sociology. practice.
Revolution.
"
In response to the social upheaval
and alienation of the period, he
devoted himself to the study of
Society, which he called Sociology.
MAJOR WRITING: AGUSTE COMTE
 HIERARCHY OF SCIENCE
AGUSTE COMTE ONCE SAID
“SOCIOLOGY IS THE
_________ OF ALL
SCIENCES.”

A. MASTER
B. QUEEN
C. CHAMPION
•"The first characteristic of Positive Philosophy
is that it regards all phenomena as subject to
invariable natural laws. . . . Our real business is
to analyze accurately the circumstances of
phenomena, and to connect them by the
natural relations of succession and
resemblance" (Comte, 1830, 5-6).
 Positivism is the
application of Scientific
Method to study society.
Comte's observations and analyses were
based on scientific principles.

He believed that because society operates

according to its own set of laws, similar to the
way the physical world operates according to
laws, it should be studied as a social science. He
called this approach positivism
The Methodology of sociology is the same as it is for the Natural
Sciences:

Observation Experimentation Comparison

 TWO MAIN BRANCHES OF SOCIOLOGY

Social Statics Social

Studies the Dynamics
forces holding Studies forces
society causing social
together change

Renamed Social Structure Renamed Social Change

THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIOLOGICAL THOUGHT

Comte analyzed the evaluation of

thought and stated “the mind has
evolved a lot over a couple of
centuries”.
 The Law of Three Stages

Theological
(Fictitious) Metaphysical Positive
• Fetishism (Abstract) (Scientific)
• Polytheism
• Monotheism
 UNIFYING FACTORS OF SOCIETY

DIVISION
LANGUAGE RELIGION OF
LABOUR
 REFERENCE

• AUGUST COMTE 1798 - 1857 (PP. 2-61). CLAREMORE, OKLAHOMA,USA.

• AUGUST COMTE 1798 - 1857. (2018). [EBOOK], DIOBU AREA OF PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA:
RIVER STATE UNIVERSITY, PP.5-10. AVAILABLE AT:
HTTP://WWW.FACULTY.RSU.EDU/USERS/F/FELWELL/WWW/THEORISTS/COMTE/PRESENTATION/COMTE.PDF
[ACCESSED 7 FEB. 2018].