Auguste Comte (1798 - 1857)

French philosopher & mathematician
raised the question of how social order was created and maintained.
argued case for a scientific method (positivism) through which the "laws of social development" could be discovered.
argued that all human societies passed through 3 stages.
1. the theological
  Annotations:
  - order based on religious controls & beliefs
2. the metaphysical
  Annotations:
  - transition phase. -- characterised by upheaval & disorder (religious order challenged by emergence of science)
3. the positive
  Annotations:
  - science and reason revealed the true nature of the social world and replaced religion as the basis of the social order.
adopted a "consensus" perspective which stressed that social order was created & maintained through co-operation.

Resource summary

	Created by J T over 7 years ago