Auguste Comte

Known for

Father of sociology and positivism, the law of three stages

Thought

Comte held that human thought, and societies with it, progress through three stages — theological, metaphysical and finally positive (scientific) — and that sociology, which he called the "queen of sciences", should use the same observational, law-seeking methods as physics or biology to understand how society holds together and changes. He viewed society as an organic whole whose institutions function together to maintain order, making him a founding figure of structural functionalism.

Biography

French philosopher who coined the term "sociology" and argued society should be studied with the same scientific rigor as the natural sciences.

CSS Philosophy paper topics

Major works

• The Course in Positive Philosophy
• System of Positive Polity