Lesson 2Auguste Comte

Robert Wonser

SOC 368 – Classical Sociological Theory

Spring 2014

Classical Sociological Theory 2

August Comte’s Life

(Isidore) Auguste Marie Marie Francois-Xavier Comte (1798-1857)

Brilliant but mischievous student. Was expelled for leading a rebellion against a

teacher. 1817: Comte began his association with Claude-

Henri de Saint-Simon. 1825: Comte married Caroline Massin, a

registered prostitute in Paris (they separate in 1841).

Classical Sociological Theory 3

Comte’s Life

1826: Comte has a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide twice.

Wrote the six volumes of the Course of Positive Philosophy (1830, 1835, 1838, 1839, 1841, 1842).

1838: Began practicing “cerebral hygiene”1844: Comte married again to Clotilde de

Vaux (she dies in 1846)

Classical Sociological Theory 4

Comte’s Life

Wrote the System of Positive Polity (1851-1854).

Created a religious cult based on his ideas. He called himself the “high priest of humanity.”

1857: Comte dies after looking at some shriveled flowers given to him years earlier by Clothilde.

Classical Sociological Theory 5

Comte’s Key Intellectual Influences

Charles Montesquieu (1689-1755) The Spirit of Laws – society is a “thing.” Social Laws Hierarchies of Laws – less to more deterministic Development of Sequence of Socio-Political

Structures (republic – monarchy – despotism)

Classical Sociological Theory 6

Comte’s Key Intellectual Influences

Jacques Turgot (1727-1781) “The Advantages which the Establishment of

Christianity Has Procured for the Human Race.” (each stage of human history creates the conditions for

the next stage) “Philosophical Review of the Successive Advances of

the Human Mind.” (movement towards a perfect individual and society) Development through three universal stages (hunters,

shepherds, and husbandmen) occurs because of economic transformations.

Classical Sociological Theory 7

Comte’s Key Intellectual Influences

Jean Condorcet (1743-1794) Emphasized the importance of science in the

perfection of the human race. Societies develop through ten stages. The history of human progress can be mapped

through science.

Classical Sociological Theory 8

Comte’s Key Intellectual Influences

Claude-Henri de Saint-Simon (1760-1825) During the years 1817-1824 his ideas overlapped with

Comte’s to a great extent. Focus on a “positive” science. Observations to Laws to Improved Social Organization. Hierarchy of sciences:

Astronomy Physics Chemistry Biology

“Terrestrial Morality” Work eventually became overly moralistic and was

rejected by Comte.

Classical Sociological Theory 9

The Sociological Theory of Auguste Comte

1822: “Plan of the Scientific Operations Necessary for Reorganizing Society.” Positive science – positivism.

the search for invariant laws of the universe in both the natural and social world.

In his version, laws can be derived from doing research on the social world and/or from theorizing about that world.

Also meant it as 'the opposite of negativism'.

Classical Sociological Theory 10

Comte’s Take on Science

Comte was a realist, there is a real world out there and that the task of the scientist is to discover it and report on it (it’s ‘natural laws’)

Discovered sociology in 1839.Two ways to do this: doing research and

theorizingWhich was he more a fan of?

Classical Sociological Theory 11

Comte’s Take on Science

Explicitly identified three basics methods for sociology:

Observation – should be directed to some theory

Experiment – better suited to other sciences than sociology

Comparison – 3 subtypes: Us to other animals, compare societies in different parts of the world, compare different stages of different societies at

different points in time (Comte’s favorite), historical research

Classical Sociological Theory 12

1822: “Plan of the Scientific Operations Necessary for Reorganizing Society.”

Social Physics – sociology was a science on par with, physics.

Law of Three Stages – 3 basic stages that the human mind, people through maturation process, all branches of knowledge and the history of the world, his own mental illness all pass successively through these stages. In all, humans search for explanations of the world around us.

Classical Sociological Theory 13

Law of Three Stages

The Theological Stage – first and necessary stage for the rest. Mind is searching for essential nature of things (origin and purpose), concludes supernatural forces (gods) are at work. Fetishism – worship of an object, like a tree Polytheism – many gods Monotheism – one god to explain everything

Classical Sociological Theory 14

Law of Three stages

The Metaphysical Stage – least important stage as it serves as a transitional stage.

Basically, we look to nature to explain everything, as in ‘it was an act of nature’

Classical Sociological Theory 15

The Law of Three Stages

The Positivistic Stage – final and most important stage for Comte. All we can know are phenomena and relations among them, not their essential nature and purpose. We drop nonscientific explanations and instead look for invariable laws that govern everything.

Concrete laws come inductively from empirical research, abstract laws derived deductively from theory.

Classical Sociological Theory 16

Positivism

Comte meant this in a couple of ways: Positivism as a science committed to the

search for invariant laws (through sense perceptions, empiricism) and …

The opposite of negativism, the chaos and disorder that characterized much of Europe at the time (French Revolution, intellectual anarchy, political corruption, etc.). Why did intellectual anarchy exist then? Coexistence of “incompatible” philosophies—

theological, metaphysical and positivistic.

Classical Sociological Theory 17

Who Will Support Positivism?

Despite not believing humans have much control over the outcome of progress, he planned much for the emergence of positivism. Upper classes were too self involved The working class – work frees them up to think

during the day Women – best representation of key positivistic

idea, “victory over selfish affections.”

Classical Sociological Theory 18

The Sociological Theory of Auguste Comte

The Course of Positive Philosophy Theory should be more axiomatic (rules accepted as

true) than causal (x causes y). Search for a small number of fundamental properties of

the social world. Empirical observations should be guided by theory and

not the other way around. Comte’s Sociological Methodology:

Observations Experimentations Comparisons Historical Analysis

Classical Sociological Theory 19

The Sociological Theory of Auguste Comte

The study of society as an organic whole, as a social organism.

Social Statics (social structure and social pathology) 1) Interdependence of parts. 2) Centralization of authority. 3) Development of a common morality (culture).

Classical Sociological Theory 20

The Sociological Theory of Auguste Comte

Social Dynamics (social change) – study of how societies change and evolve.

“theory of the natural progress of human society” Little humans can do here since natural laws

govern the process. Law of Three Stages:

Theological Metaphysical Positivistic

Classical Sociological Theory 21

The Sociological Theory of Auguste Comte

Sociology was to be the “queen science” in a hierarchy of sciences.

It would be the most complex science to reach the positivistic stage.

Comte felt Western European societies were on the verge of getting here but weren’t in his lifetime.

Classical Sociological Theory 22

The Sociological Theory of Auguste Comte

Comte’s Hierarchy of Sciences: Mathematics Astronomy Physics Biology (physiology) Chemistry And the pinnacle… Sociology

Classical Sociological Theory 23

Role of the Individual in Comte’s Theory

Individuals as imperfect, dominated by the “lower” forms of egoism rather than “higher” more social forms of altruism.

Like Durkheim after him, he believed society was needed to restrain our selfish impulses and orient us to the social group.

Classical Sociological Theory 24

Family according to Comte

Family is the “fundamental institution”The family, not the individual is the

building block of Comte’s sociology.Families are “nothing but our smallest

society”Acts as the school of society.

Classical Sociological Theory 25

Religion According to Comte

Family is most pivotal but religion is the most important according to Comte.

“the universal basis of all society”Two major functions it serves:

1) regulate individual life by subduing egoism and elevating altruism

2) fostering social relationships among people, providing for the emergence of other large scale social structures.

Classical Sociological Theory 26

Major Contributions and What he is remembered for today:

August Comte: coined the term “sociology” Defined sociology as a positivistic science helped to establish sociology as an intellectual

tradition in France Articulated methods for sociological study “law of three stages” – theological, metaphysical,

positivistic sociology as a “social physics”

Classical Sociological Theory 27

Major Contributions and What he is remembered for today:

Differentiated between social statics and social dynamics, or social structure and social change

Focus on macrosociology and the study of collective phenomena.

Clearly stated his beliefs about unchecked human nature (egoistic).

Dialectical view of macro structures Interested in integrating theory and practice.

Classical Sociological Theory 28

Comte’s weaknesses

Theory was overly influenced by his own life.

Comte fell increasingly pout of touch with the real world.

Fell out of touch with the intellectual world.Failed as a positivist, both in empirical and

theoretical work.Very little actual sociology in his work.Made no original contributions.

Classical Sociological Theory 29

Comte’s Weaknesses

Whatever sociology he contributed was distorted by a primitive organicism in which he saw strong similarities between the workings of the human and social body. positivism was the cure for the social diseases

Developed theoretical tools then imposed them onto whatever he was studying. Like his own mental illness…

Classical Sociological Theory 30

Last of Comte’s Weaknesses

His “outrageous” and “colossal” self-conceit led him to make ridiculous blunders. His romanticized view of the working class and

women as agents of a positivist revolution, cerebral hygiene.

Sacrificed what he stood for with his turn to a positivist religion.