What were the contributions of Auguste Comte to the development sociology?
Introduction!
Comte had an enormous contribution to the development of sociology. Through this, he aimed at explaining the past and so predict the future. His contributions range from the word sociology itself to its functionalism. In the next few pages, I will try to site some of his contributions to the development of this science of society.
1. Sociology: He is credited with the coiling of the term sociology from Greek words ‘soci’ and ‘ology,’ meaning society and study respectively. Hence, sociology is the study of society. Not only did he coil the word but also said that this new science should be base on reasoning and observation.
2. On theories: Putting the idea of reasoning and observation in mind, he noted that a simple collection of facts is not enough hence; he said that facts cannot be observed without the guidance of theory. Therefore, his mode of society analysis involved not only the use of facts but with the help of theory. He said “No social fact can have any scientific meaning till it is connected with other social facts.” And continued, “if it is true that every theory must be base upon observed facts, it is equally true that facts cannot be observed without the guidance of theory.” He therefore concluded that “no real observation of any phenomena is possible except in so far as it is first directed and finally interpreted by some theory.”
3. He suggested three methods of inquiry to be employed in the study of sociology which are quite the same as in the natural law. This are: observation, experimentation and comparison. By observation means the direct observation of human behaviour, guided by a preliminary theory of what you expect to observe, and that “experimentation takes place whenever the regular course of phenomena is interfered within any determined manner….” ( ii pg 245) and that comparing the past and the present, the different stages of evolution may be observed at once (ii pg 249) Indeed he says that sociology is nothing if not informed by senses of historical evolution. (ii pg 251) He believed that different parts of the world were at different stages of development, and that a comparison of these different social systems would enable us to better understand social and social change.
4. Law of three stages (He proposed related the development of society to human development) Individuals he maintained passed through three stages; childhood, adolescence and adulthood and therefore stated that “each of our leading conceptions passes through theoretical conditions: he applied the same to the society. The three stages are
(a) theological l(gods, demons and mythological beings)
He said that the social activities of humans are checked in a way by some sort of spirituality.
(b) Metaphysical stage (this he believed was in four levels: essence, existence, substance and accident.)
He said, “… the mind supposes.., abstracts forces capable of producing all phenomena.” Therefore he believed in a society being organized basing on the four levels above. This stage paved way for …
(c) Positive stage.
Here, explanations are based on scientific laws discovered through experimentation, observation and logic. He concluded by saying that each stage grew out of a preceding one. “..The constitution of a new system cannot take place before the destruction of the old.” He said.
5. Societal stages: Comte in his opinion believed that the society develops through different stages. These are;
(a) Theological: this he said was in the ancient world dominated by military man and the basic societal unity here is family.
(b) Metaphysics: the state rises to social prominence here.
(c) Positive: This he believed will be guided by industrial administrators and scientific moral guide and that the whole human being will become the main social unit. (The modern world)
6. Social bonds: He stated and explained that three things; language, religion and division of labour held the society together.
(a) Language; he said that language ties us together to past generation, tie us into a community of our fellow with similar concepts, values and outlook. That without common language we cannot attain solidarity and consensus, that without common language, no social order is possible.
(b) Religion: he said that this is a bond that encourages individuals to subordinate their own interests to the interest of their fellows and hold society together in a system of common belief. It also serves to legitimate a society’s institutions, giving them spiritual support and approval, strengthening the status quo, making it seems right and ordained by God.
(c) Division of labour: He believed that “men and women are bound together by the distribution of their occupation and it is this distribution which causes the extent and growing complexity of social organism.” (ii pg 292), that it makes individuals to develop their talents, and that it contributes to social bond by making each individual dependent on others e.g. the backer, butcher, retailer….each cannot survive without the other.
He however did not hesitate to point out some negative aspects in this system like the ‘extinguishing/restrict the aggregate of general spirit due to separation from social function. (ii pg 293)
He did not hesitate to suggest some remedy. He suggested government intervention and if it fails stated temporal and spiritual powers as the only refuge.
7. He also related division of labour to population increase by stating that population increase brings about division of labour and that this could not take place among smaller numbers.
8. The importance of the whole: He said that each element of the society should be studied in the light of the whole society and he said, “There can be no scientific study of society, either in its conditions, or in its movements if it is separated into portions, and its divisions studied apart.”
Society as an organism: he was one of the first people to insist that society must be viewed as an organism, drawing several parallels between biological organisms and social body, that each part is dependent on the other, hence stating the importance of individual to the society and vise versa, and the interconnectedness that should exist.
9. Functionalism:
Basing on the idea of the society as an organism, he says “There must be a spontaneous harmony between the part and the whole of the social system..... it is evident that not only must political institutions and social manners , on the other hand and ideas and manners on the other, be always naturally interconnected,: but further that this consolidated whole must always be connected by its nature, with the corresponding state of the integral development of humanity.” (ii pg 222)
10. Scientific stages:
Comte related the new science of society to other natural sciences. He believed that sociology developed from other sciences and that it was the highest in the hyrachy. He put them into ascending order as; astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology and finally sociology. That each science developed from one preceding it, and that social sciences are the most complex of all. He also argued that sociology offers a completion of the positive method and that all other sciences are preparatory to it.
11. Positivism
The whole idea behind his work was come up with ideals that will help to groom a better society. Only sociology, he believed, discovers the laws governing social evolution, and that we can use this knowledge to make a better world. In order to make a better society, he said that we must first know how the various parts of the society fit together and how they change.
Because society imposes limits to human behaviour, he argued that sociology will help discover what these limits are so that we will know what is possible and what is not. And that personal opinion without discipline of study and science are as invalid in understanding society as they are in understanding the natural law.
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