1. Early Social Thinkers
Auguste Comte
(1798 – 1857)

2. Auguste Comte
French philosopher ( ), considered to the founder of sociology
He coined the term “sociology” to describe a new science – a science that would study society

3. Comte’s influences
He was influenced greatly by his mentor, Count Henri de Saint-Simon
Comte sought to use the methods of the natural sciences by applying them to the study of society
He envisioned a new society where intellectuals (such as himself) would become the new leaders
He believed that the new science of sociology would play an important role in the re-organization of society

4. Comte’s philosophy Comte’s philosophy is known as positivism
Positivism is the belief that the world can best be understood through scientific inquiry
Comte believed that science was the key to attaining knowledge, not religion
His ‘positivism’ had 2 dimensions:
Methodological – the application of scientific knowledge to both physical and social phenomena
Social and political – the use of such knowledge to predict the likely results of different policies so that the best one could be chosen

5. Comte’s philosophy
Comte believed that human thought / knowledge passed through stages as societies became more complex
Theological stage – explanations are based upon religion and the supernatural
Metaphysical stage – explanations are based on abstract philosophical speculation
Scientific (or positive) stage – explanations are based on systematic observation, experimentation, comparison and historical analysis

6. Comte’s legacy
Comte’s philosophy regarding the objective, systematic study of society are deeply embedded in sociology
His theory that societies contain social statics (forces for social order and stability) and social dynamics (forces for conflict and change) are still used in contemporary sociology
He also made insightful connections between the different structures of society (family, government, religion, etc.)

7. Criticisms of Comte
Comte has been criticized for over-emphasizing the use of the science as a means of analyzing society
Some also say that he was in fact neither objective or scientific in his studies, because he focused more on a privileged segment of society
They claim that he excluded people of different class, gender, sex, gender, race, ethnicity and age