Auguste Comte

Development of Sociological Theory

Sociology 1400

UMD

ISIDORE AUGUSTE MARIE FRANCOIS XAVIER COMTE (1798-1857)

A. LIFE AND TIMES

BORN JANUARY 19, 1798
SICK BUT SMART
IN 1814 HE ENTERED THE ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE, 4TH ON LIST
SCHOOL CLOSED IN 1816
SUPPORTED HIMSELF BY TUTORING,
DID NOT REAPPLY WHEN SCHOOL REOPENED
MET HENRI SAINT-SIMON IN 1817
BROKE WITH SAINT-SIMON IN 1824
MARRIED IN 1825
INSTITUTIONALIZED, REMOVED BY WIFE, NOT DEEMED CURED, TRIED TO COMMIT SUICIDE
1838, WOULD READ NO MORE "FOR REASONS OF CEREBRAL HYGIENE"
FROM 1844 ON HE SIGNED HIS WRITINGS "THE FOUNDER OF UNIVERSAL RELIGION, GREAT PRIEST OF HUMANITY"
PREACHED SUBMISSION AND NECESSITY OF ORDER, THIS IS WHAT ALL GREAT LEADERS HAD IN COMMON
DIED ON SEPT. 5, 1857 OF CANCER

B. SCIENTIFIC WORKS

GOAL TO FIND GENERAL LAWS OF SOCIETY
SOCIAL PHYSICS - ONCE FOUND USED FOR SOCIAL ENGINEERING
MOST BASIC OF ALL SOCIAL LAWS

THE LAW OF THREE STAGES
- 1. THEOLOGICAL - MILITARY
  NATURAL PHENOMENA EXPLAINED AS BEING DUE TO THE WILL AND ACTION OF DIVINITIES
- 2. METAPHYSICAL - JUDICIAL
  NATURAL PHENOMENA EXPLAINED AS BEING DUE TO SOME FORCE WITHIN THE OBJECT ITSELF (EG, "MANA")
- 3. POSITIVISTIC - INDUSTRIAL
  SCIENTIFIC METHOD USED TO DESCRIBE AND EXPLAIN EVENTS OF THE PHENOMENAL WORLD
  ALL ARE CHARACTERIZED BY SPIRIT AND STRUCTURAL CONDITIONS
  - 1. SUPERNATURAL - SLAVERY & MILITARY
  - 2. FUNDAMENTAL ESSENCES (STATE OF NATURE) ELABORATE POLITICAL & LEGAL FORMS
  - 3. POSITIVE PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE - INDUSTRIAL PATTERNS
SOCIAL CHANGE
1. IDEAS MOST IMPORTANT LEADING TO
2. CORRESPONDING STRUCTURAL CONDITIONS WHICH MUST BE FULLY DEVELOPED BEFORE NEXT STAGE OF HISTORY
3. ALWAYS A PERIOD OF CRISIS & CONFLICT
4. MOVEMENT IS OSCILLATION
UNEVEN DEVELOPMENT IN THE WORLD OF SCIENCE THROUGH THREE STAGES
- SOCIOLOGY COMES IN WHEN OTHERS HAVE DEVELOPED
- SOCIETY CAN NOW BE REORGANIZED ON SCIENTIFIC & RATIONAL GROUNDS
- (ONE REASON COMTE BROKE WITH S.T. SIMON, SIMON WANTED REFORM NOW, COMTE WANTED THEORY FIRST
HIERARCHY OF THE THEORETICAL SCIENCES: MATHEMATICS - MECHANICS - PHYSICS - CHEMISTRY - BIOLOGY - SOCIOLOGY
ALL HAVE REACHED THE POSITIVE STAGE EXCEPT SOCIOLOGY, LATEST TO DEVELOPE, MOST GENERAL
COMTE'S SOCIOLOGY DIVIDES INTO TWO PARTS: STATICS AND DYNAMICS
- STATICS: THE STUDY OF EXISTENT CONDITIONS (SOCIAL ORDER)
- DYNAMICS: THE STUDY OF THE LAWS OF SUCCESSION OF THE THREE STAGES (PROGRESS)
STATICS
1. BASIC FACT OF SOCIAL ORDER IS, CONSENSUS UNIVERSALIS, THE NECESSARY CORRELATION OR INTERCONNECTION AMONG THE ELEMENTS OF SOCIETY
  - A. CONSENSUS UNIVERSALIS IS THE VERY FOUNDATION FOR SOLIDARITY AS WELL AS THE BASIS FOR THE DIVISION OF SOCIAL LABOR
  - B. DIVISION OF LABOR ENHANCES ORGANISMIC ANALOGY
2. COMTE DISTINGUISHED THREE LEVELS OF SOCIETY;
  - A. THE INDIVIDUAL (BIOLOGICAL)
  - B. FAMILY
  - C. SOCIAL COMBINATIONS
    (CITIES) HUMANITY ITSELF IS THE HIGHEST FORM
  THE BASIC SOCIAL UNIT FOR SOCIOLOGY WAS THE FAMILY
DYNAMICS:
- A. PROGRESS IS OBSERVABLE IN ALL ASPECTS OF SOCIETY, PHYSICAL, MORAL, INTELLECTUAL, POLITICAL
- B. THE INTELLECTUAL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT, HISTORY IS DOMINATED BY THE DEVELOPMENT OF IDEAS LEADING TO CHANGES IN OTHER AREAS
- C. COMTE SAY "CORRELATIONS" BETWEEN BASIC INTELLECTUAL STAGES AND STAGES OF MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT, TYPES OF SOCIAL UNITS, TYPES OF SOCIAL ORDER, AND SENTIMENTS

INTELLECTUAL PHASE	MATERIAL PHASE	TYPE OF SOCIAL UNIT	TYPE OF ORDER	PREVAILING SENTIMENT
THEOLOGICAL	MILITARY	THE FAMILY	DOMESTIC	ATTACHMENT
METAPHYSICAL	LEGALISTIC	THE STATE	COLLECTIVE	VENERATION (AWE OR RESPECT)
POSITIVE	INDUSTRIAL	RACE (HUMANITY)	UNIVERSAL	BENEVOLENCE

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