Auguste Comte, a pioneer in sociology, proposed the law of three stages of societal development: theological, metaphysical, and scientific, emphasizing the evolution of human thought. He introduced the hierarchy of sciences, positioning sociology at its apex, and distinguished between social statics (the study of societal structure) and social dynamics (the study of societal progress). Comte also advocated for a 'religion of humanity' to guide moral unity, rejecting traditional religious concepts in favor of a positivist worldview focused on empirical knowledge.

1. { AUGUSTE
COMTE }
In the revolution of early social
scientists, August Comte lead the list.

2. Life and Times(1798-1857)
 Sociology is a science of human behavior which emerged in the minds of men
living through a wonderful social and political revolution.
 Full name: Isidore Auguste Marie Francois Xavier Comte;
 born in Montpellier of Southern France on 1st January, 1798;
 Belonged in a religious and aristocratic home tradition;

3. Major Theories
Law of three stages;
Hierarchy of sciences;
Social statics and dynamics;
Positivism;
Religion of humanity;

4. Law of Three Stages
 Comte considered his law of three stages based upon belief in social evolution.
 Comte said in his book Politique Positive, “each branch of our knowledge, passes
successively through three theoretical condition; theological, metaphysical and
scientific.”
 Theological/ Fictitious stage:
 Dominated by priest or military;
 man seeks essential nature of wellbeing's, first and final causes, origins and purposes of all effects;
 there is a overriding belief that all things are caused by supernatural beings;
 In this stage, all theoretical conceptions, whether general special, bears a supernatural impress;

5. Theological stage went through three phases-
• Fetishism: spirit and souls in object;
• Polytheism: god is in specific things;
• Monotheism: one powerful god rule over;
 metaphysical/ abstract stage:
 Dominated by churchmen and lawyers;
 In this stage, mind presupposes abstract forces;
 It forms a link and is mongrel and traditional;
 Scientific/ Positive stage:
 In this stage, Observation predominates over imagination;
 dominated by industrial administrators and scientists;
 Human mind seeks to establish scientific principles governing phenomena.

6.  Criticism:
 Comte law of three stage involved the development of
human race to single design: the cultivation of human
mind, individual mind and the human society in an
ultimate state of positivism.

7. Hierarchy of the Sciences
 Comte argue in his positive philosophy, “human or divine, no scientific
prevision of them is possible”. “as long as men believe that social events were
always exposed to disturbances by the accidental intervention of the
legislation”.
 the hierarchy is based on the order in which positive method comes to adopted
in the disciplines;
 The hierarchy is determined by the natural law of mental progress;
 The social sciences are the apex of the hierarchy;

8. Sociology
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Astronomy
Mathematics
Increasing
complexity
Decreasing
generality
Hierarchy of science

9. – The sciences like mathematics, physics, chemistry have reached positive stages
than other science;
– Comte defined the progress depends on simplicity, generality;
– In the words of comte, “ there can be no scientific study of society either in its
conditions or movements, if it is separated into portions and its divisions are
studied apart”.

10. Social statics and Social
dynamics
 In the study of social progress, Comte saw two components at work-
 Social statics:
 It is the study of the conditions of society’s existence at any given moment which is
analyzed by means of a theory of social order.
 It consisted of the analysis of the society’s structure at a given moment.
 The concept of statics can be divided into two parts-
1. The study of the structure of human nature;
2. The study of the structure of social nature;

11.  Social dynamics:
 It is the study of continuous movements in social phenomena through times by means of
theory of social progress.
 Comte believed that the study of social dynamics must rightfully begin with the human
development and social progress.
 The concept of social dynamics involves-
i. The theory of progress;
ii. The law of three stages;
iii. The inevitable evolutionary development of order;
– In short, social dynamics studies the laws of successions. While, social statics
enquires into those of coexistence.

12. Religion of Humanity
– In Comte’s view, religion of humanity means a radical change in the
development of rational thinking.
– Comte wanted to create a new social order based on moral unity and a new
religion of humanity based on the scientific synthesis of human intellect, action
and feelings.
– Comte refer religion as the moral guide. A religion without god.
– He consider a society guided by spiritual power of priests.
– His religion of humanity concept is basically a social religion based upon
morality. As he did not agree with the traditional Christianity.

13. Positivism
– Comte was a positivist;
– He believed in natural things rather than supernatural;
– In1800s comte claimed that he was in a positive stage and in this this stage
there was hierarchy of science;
– Comte used positivism against negative philosophy;
– Two basic affirmation of positivism-
– Knowledge based on positive data of experience;
– Beyond the realm of fact is that pure logic and mathematics;

14. positivism
– The root of positivism lie in the French enlightenment where Comte was
especially influenced by the enlightenment encyclopaedists;
– Comte’s positivism also known as social positivism as he explained positivism
with a social view.
– Comte’s positivism was posited on law of three stages of intellectual
development-
1) Theological stage;
2) Metaphysical stage;
3) Scientific stage;

15. Characteristic of positivism
 Science is the only valid knowledge;
 Fact is the object of knowledge;
 Positivism denies intuition, theological and metaphysical knowledge;
 Philosophy does not posses a different method from science;
 The task of philosophy is to find general principles common to all sciences;

16. – In comet's view, “positivism is not fatalistic or optimistic or materialistic. It is
concerned with the real rather than fanciful, useful rather than all knowledge”.

17. The End