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Study Guide 1

1. Auguste Comte developed the "law of three stages" which described the progression of human thought from the theological stage, where supernatural explanations were used, to the metaphysical stage using abstract concepts, and finally the positive stage where phenomena are explained through natural causes and observation. 2. According to Comte, during the theological stage prevailing beliefs saw all phenomena as produced by immediate supernatural actions. The metaphysical stage took a more abstract approach focusing on personified abstractions. 3. The positive stage focuses on reasoning and observations to establish connections between phenomena and general facts rather than seeking absolute explanations. Comte believed social phenomena would be the last to fully enter the positive stage due to their complex nature

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176 views

Study Guide 1

1. Auguste Comte developed the "law of three stages" which described the progression of human thought from the theological stage, where supernatural explanations were used, to the metaphysical stage using abstract concepts, and finally the positive stage where phenomena are explained through natural causes and observation. 2. According to Comte, during the theological stage prevailing beliefs saw all phenomena as produced by immediate supernatural actions. The metaphysical stage took a more abstract approach focusing on personified abstractions. 3. The positive stage focuses on reasoning and observations to establish connections between phenomena and general facts rather than seeking absolute explanations. Comte believed social phenomena would be the last to fully enter the positive stage due to their complex nature

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Dhara
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Development of Sociological Thought - Reading Study Guide

Study Guide #1 August Comte


August Comte The Positive Philosophy
1. What did Comte mean by the law of three stages?
a. Comtes Law of three stages consisted of theological stage,
metaphysical stage, and positive stage in order of importance. The
theological stage is an explanation of facts and events by supernatural
means. The metaphysical stage is the explanation of facts and events by
the abstract. The positive stage is the explanation of facts and events by
explicable cause and effect.
2. What was the prevailing belief system during the theological state, according to
Comte?
a. According to Comte, the prevailing belief system during the theological
state is that, all phenomena [are] produced by the immediate action of
supernatural beings (Comte). The theological state runs around the idea
of absolute knowledge, meaning that every thing has a specific meaning or
reason of existence; things are very concrete.
3. What are some of the common characteristics of the metaphysical state, according
to Comte?
a. According to Comte, the metaphysical state takes a more abstract
approach. Unlike in the theological state, in the metaphysical state the
characteristics are more abstract and focus on personified abstractions
(Comte).
4. What are the characteristics of thought associated with the positive state?
a. The positive state focuses on reasoning and observations. With this state,
rather than trying to form a concrete answer to everything, its goal is to
establish a connection between single phenomena and some general
facts (Comte).
5. Did Comte believe it was possible for civilization to jump from the theological to
the positive state? - Why or why not?
a. Comte did not believe that it was possible for civilization to jump from the
theological to positive state. Comte states, the two are so radically
opposed that there has to be some sort of intermediate between them to
bridge the gaps.

6. What is the connection between facts and theory according to Comte?


a. According to Comte, the connection between facts and theory is that
theories can arise from the observations of facts. Other than observed
facts, there is no real knowledge. The connection also goes in the opposite
direction. There are some facts that were formed with direction from
theories.
7. According to Comte, was every branch of knowledge within the operation of the
positive philosophy at the time of his writing?
a. According to Comte, he believes that it is difficult to assign specific times
to the revelations in science, so no, he did not believe that every branch of
knowledge within the operation of the positive philosophy was at the time
of his writing. He assigned a vague time limit to the research that dated to
about 2 centuries before his time.
8. Did he believe that every branch of knowledge would follow this line of thinking
eventually? Please explain.
a. Yes, Comte does, indeed, believe that every branch of knowledge would
follow this line of thinking eventually. He believes that every branch of
knowledge would follow this line of thinking to form a sense of
universality, which is necessary to have a definitive constitution.
9. Why are social phenomena likely to be the last to enter this line of thinking,
according to Comte?
a. According to Comte, social phenomena are likely to be the last to enter
this line of thinking because social phenomena are the most difficult and
most complicated to understand. This also has to be the last to enter
because it is heavily dependent on the other phenomena (astronomical,
physical, chemical and physiological).
10. What does Comte say about social physics and the development of laws?
a. Comte says that now that humans have grasped all of the other sciences,
social physics is what we have the most need of. After social physics is
done being researched, Comte believes that the philosophical system of
the moderns will be complete. Comte believes that we technically do not
have the ability to study social sciences without understanding the study of
phenomena, laws, and facts. In order to understand social physics and use
it in positive philosophy, we need to understand the development of laws.

11. Comte argued that there was a great political and moral crisis in his time. How
could the development of the positive philosophy help to alleviate this crisis, from
his point of view?
a. Positive philosophy is made of social and moral principles that push
individuals to want stability in society. Comte felt that there was in issue
when the three states began conflicting with each other, which could be
alleviated with the creation of a system that was mutually agreed on,
hence, positive philosophy.

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