Past Paper Questions: Unit 01 - Auguste Comte

5 Marks:

1. Analyze the theological stage of the social development.
2. Explain Auguste Comte's social statics.
3. Explain Comte's classification of sciences.
4. Write a brief note on Comte's social static and dynamic.

10 Marks:

1. Explain the theory of classification of sciences. 
2. Explain Comte's law of three stages. 
3. Explain the religion of humanity.

Social Statics and Social Dynamics

Comte divided Sociology into TWO Theoretical Aspects; 

1. Social Statics and 
2. Social Dynamics 

Social static focuses on how order is maintained in the society and social dynamic focuses on how society changes over time. 

Comte separated social statics from social dynamics. Social statics are concerned with the ways in which the parts of a social system (social structures) interact with one another, as well as the functional relationships between the parts and to the social system as a whole. Comte therefore focused his social statics on the individual, as well as such collective phenomena as the family, religion, language, and the division of labor.

Comte placed greater emphasis on the study of social dynamics, or social change. His theory of social dynamics is founded on the law of the three stages; i.e., the evolution of society is based on the evolution of mind through the theological, metaphysical, and positivist stages. He saw social dynamics as a process of progressive evolution in which people become cumulatively more intelligent and in which altruism eventually triumphs over egoism. This process is one that people can modify or accelerate, but in the end the laws of progressive development dictate the development of society. Comte's research on social evolution focused on Western Europe, which he viewed as the most highly developed part of the world during his times.

Social Statics and Dynamics According to Comte

The study of social statics and dynamics are the twin pillars of Comte’s study of social stability or the organic phase. The study of social statics and dynamics are not two distinct classes of facts but are two aspects of a theory. These studies are not separate but are complementary to each other as static is the study when society is in equilibrium and dynamics is the study of evolution which is a slow and steady process. This slow and steady process can only occur during the phase in which the society is in equilibrium and not disequilibrium or critical phase. Despite the fact that it seemed desirable for methodological and heuristic purposes to separate the study of statics and dynamics, in empirical reality they were correlative.

Auguste Comte refuses to place individuals as the base of the society. It is erroneous to derive man’s social tendencies out of his utilitarian considerations as it makes the existence of social state impossible. He places family at the base of society and allows residing it if necessary to a couple. Family curbs the egoistic nature of a person to make him adaptable to the society this makes it the base of a social feeling causing stability. According to his thought of collective organism he places families at the level of an element, classes and caste of a tissue and cities and towns of an organ. Aware of the limitations of such analogy Comte concluded them by stating language, religion and division of labour as the unifying or binding forces of society.

Religion of Humanity

Positivist Temple in Porto Alegre

Comte's "Theory of Religion of Humanity" though can be considered as one of his contributions to the realm of sociological thought, it has only an insignificant place in the study of sociology or sociological thought. Comte after successfully establishing the intellectual supremacy of positivism in his earlier works, devoted his later writings to moral and religious considerations rather than to scientific and sociological inquiries. 

It is surprising to note that Comte, a great champion of science and positivism, could transform himself into an advocate of a new religion, a religion of humanity. Comte during his younger days used to say that a scientist requires the thirst for knowledge and not the divine grace. He was an atheist. He turned out to be a champion of a religion because of several upsets that he had to undergo in his personal life: His own wife deserted him; his lady love Clotilde de Vaux died; he had no friends worth calling in that name, to share his thoughts; the lonely life that he was leading became unbearable; he stopped reading the works of others, he alienated himself from other intellectuals of the day. These biographical accidents did play an important role in this transformation in his thinking.

In theological stage, the super natural force was the object of worship and God is considered as everything. However, in scientific religion, God is replaced by Humanity and Humanity is worshiped.

Major Contributions of Auguste Comte to Sociology

Auguste Comte, a volatile Frenchman, philosopher, moralist and sociologist, traditionally regarded as the father of sociology. He coined the term sociology and bee father of sociology. He tried to create a new science of society, which would not only explain the past of mankind but also predict its future course. Auguste Comate was born in France the year 1798. He invented a new discipline which he called at first social physics and changed it to sociology thereafter. "Auguste Comte may be considered as first and foremost, sociologist of human and social unity" so writes the French sociologist Raymond Aron. 

Important works are:

(1) Positive Philosophy (1830-42).

(2) Systems of positive polity (1851 -54)

(3) Religion of Humanity (1856).

Positive Stage

• The Positive stage, also known as the scientific stage, refers to scientific explanation based on observation, experiment, and comparison. 

• This stage represents the scientific way of thinking. 

The Metaphysical Stage

• The Metaphysical stage is the extension of theological stage. 

• Metaphysical stage refers to explanation by impersonal abstract explanation, often people tried to believe that God is an abstract being.

Law of Three Stages

The "Law of Three Stages" is an idea developed by Auguste Comte.  It constitutes one of the main contributions of Comte to the field of sociological thought. 

According to Comte, each branch of our knowledge passes successively through the different theoretical conditions. It is known as law of three stages. The main aim of this principle is that it provides the basis of sociological thinking.

It states that society as a whole, and each particular science, develops through three mentally conceived stages. 

They are: 

1. The Theological or Fictitious Stage 
2. The Metaphysical or Abstract Stage
3. The Positive or Scientific Stage

Related Article: Major Contributions of Auguste Comte to Sociology

The Theological Stage

Theology means discourse or study of religion. This is the first stage in the Law of Three Stages. During the this stage, man believed that all the phenomena of nature are the creation of the divine or supernatural powers. Man failed to discover the natural causes of various phenomena and hence attributed them to supernatural or divine power. This stage is dominated by priests and ruled by military men.

The Theological Stage is divided into 3 sub stages. They are;

1. Fetishism (animism)
2. Polytheism
3. Monotheism

1. Fetishism:

• Fetishism is the primary stage of the theological stage of thinking.
• It is also known as animism.
• "Fetish" means inanimate and "ism" means philosophy.  
• Throughout this stage, the primitive people had a belief that inanimate object had living spirit in it, also known as animism. 
• People worshipped inanimate objects like trees, stones, a piece of wood, volcanic eruptions, etc.
• It did not admit priesthood.

Auguste Comte

Auguste Comte

Auguste Comte (1798-1857) was a great thinker, a famous social philosopher and the first sociologist. His real name was Isidore Auguste Marie François Xavier Comte. He was born at Montpellier, France, on January 19,1798, a decade after French Revolution. 

It was Comte who laid the foundations of sociology and is acclaimed as the "father of sociology". Comte was also the founder of French positivism and he was the one who coined the term sociology. 

Comte was born a Catholic, but somewhere around the age of fourteen, he apparently stopped believing in God. At the same time, he left the ideals of his royalist family behind and became a republican. From the very beginning Comte exhibited extra-ordinary mental ability, a strong character and a tendency to go against authority. He is often described as "brilliant and recalcitrant".