Comte (1798-1857)

download Comte (1798-1857)

of 23

Transcript of Comte (1798-1857)

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    1/23

    Comte (1798-1857)

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    2/23

    Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

    In The Positive Philosophy (1853) Comteput forth the view that all phenomena aresubjected to invariable natural laws

    Sociology would discover these laws andbe at the pinnacle of these sciences

    Comte saw social physics as the Queen

    of the Sciences

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    3/23

    Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

    The name social physics, was renamed

    sociology when Comte realized that oneof his adversaries (Adolphe Quetlet-

    mathematician) has used the term before

    Sociology is a hybrid from Greek (socioor society) and Latin (logus, study on a

    high level)

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    4/23

    For Comte, each science builds on theone that precedes it. Sociology is theculmination of all the sciences that went

    before it. Given its place in the evolutionof the sciences, sociology could look atsocial laws, just as the natural and

    physical sciences looked at natural andphysical laws

    Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    5/23

    Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

    Sociology, for Comte, was first andforemost a science, and its methods ofanalysis were thus based on the

    scientific methods of discovery that wereused at the time

    The key to Comtes new science of

    sociology was the idea that society had areality of its own, one that could not bereduced to the existence of individuals

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    6/23

    Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

    This notion of society having a reality ofits own (society as sui generis) wouldalso become a staple of functionalism.

    Individuals are not very important,perhaps not very important at all, inComtes sociology; his major concern

    was society and its laws

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    7/23

    Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

    Comtes Law of Human

    Progress

    Knowledge passes through 3stages

    Theological or fictitious;metaphysical or abstract andpositive or scientific

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    8/23

    Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

    Theological stage up until about A.D1300

    Focus of explaining all events by the willof the supernatural

    The theological stage evolved throughthree phases: fetishism, polytheism andmonotheism and its social form wasdistinguished by military conquest andslavery

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    9/23

    Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

    The metaphysical stage existed until1800 was characterized by ascribingevents to nature

    Two phases: destructive andconstructive

    Positive stage- the ascendancy ofscience and the major social form wasindustrialism

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    10/23

    Q1 Comtes source of

    order/solidarity/conflict:

    The negative aftermath of the FrenchRevolution proved to be the focus ofComtes work to establish order

    The underlying basis of social order wasthe distribution of function and thecombination of effort

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    11/23

    Q1 Comtes source of

    order/solidarity/conflict:

    By Distribution of function,Comte meantthe division of labour and the attendantincreasing labour specialization

    By combination of effort Comte meant

    combining the actions of the wholesociety towards a common goal, all of

    which would be coordinated through theefforts of some kind of institution ofpower and authority

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    12/23

    Q1 Comtes source of

    order/solidarity/conflict:

    For Comte, society was like a livingorganism and conflict was to be avoidedas much as possible

    For Comte as society evolves to thepositivistic stage, conflict would becomea dim memory as harmony began its

    reign

    Sociology would ensure order that didnot exist the previous stages

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    13/23

    2. Relationship betweenconsciousness and society

    Comte believed that the external worldshaped and influenced the minds ofindividuals

    According to Comte, progress to thePositive Stage egoism will be subjugatedto altruism, enabling the human speciesto progress toward a harmoniousexistence

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    14/23

    3. Methodological Issues

    Introduce the concept of positivism- amethod of inquiry based on empiricismand that is geared to the discovery of

    general laws 4 appropriate methods of empiricism:

    Observation; experiment; comparison

    and historical analysis

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    15/23

    3. Methodological Issues

    Observations- conclusions must be baseon observations. Observations should belinked to theory.

    Related to this view of observation wasComtes approach to how social scientist

    should use the concept of hypothesis in

    his or her observations.

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    16/23

    3. Methodological Issues

    Hypotheses needed to be verified byboth induction (the building of atheoretical framework through the

    accumulation of data) and deduction(the use of a theory to test propositions)

    By emphasizing predictions, the positive

    philosopher could go beyond merelyusing predominantly scientific criterion ofinduction. Scientists could also use both

    deduction and induction

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    17/23

    3. Methodological Issues

    Experiment- Comte argued thatsociologists can employ experiments viaindirect experiments.

    With indirect experiments thesociologists can look at where naturallaws are disturbed and draw inferences

    Today, with some modifications, we callthis methodological approach deviantcase analysis

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    18/23

    3. Methodological Issues

    Comparison- the comparative methodwas extremely important to Comte.Three types of comparisons were

    advocated: comparisons of humans toanimals, comparison of existing societiesand comparison of societies at different

    stages of their development

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    19/23

    3. Methodological Issues

    The first two methods of comparisonwere to be used in looking at socialstatics and the third when the focus of

    inquiry was on social dynamics. All threetypes would help the sociologist discoverthe immutable laws that governed

    human societies

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    20/23

    3. Methodological Issues

    Historical- the historical method was themost useful one for the sociologist. Itdifferentiated biology from sociology and

    enabled the sociologist to see thedirection of laws as they developedovertime.

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    21/23

    4.Does Comtes sociology lead

    to freedom?

    The simple answer is NO becauseComte was a determinist and had littleinterest in freedom

    Comte saw people as coming to live inharmony with the immutable lawsdiscovered by sociology in the

    Positivistic stage of human development

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    22/23

    4.Does Comtes sociology lead

    to freedom?

    He envisioned a new existence forhumankind, one based on conformity tothe laws emanating from the Religion of

    Humanity.

  • 8/3/2019 Comte (1798-1857)

    23/23

    Comte: An Assessment

    Critique-

    1. His personal life affected his work

    2. Comte did no real empirical work. 3. He practiced cerebral hygiene

    His basic methods of social research-

    observation, experimentation,comparison and historical research-remain major methods of social research