How did Auguste Comte and his theories influence the social sciences?
What will be an ideal response?
Answers will vary. In a sense building on the concept of social Darwinism, Comte explained his ideas of positivism, in which he proposed three stages of human development to explain history. He explained history as the steady progress of humanity's understanding of the world through rational observation. In the first phase, the theology phase, Comte said that humans needed to understand the world around them by resorting to a religious explanation. In the second phase, the metaphysical, he suggested that people matured beyond the simple explanation to conceive of the history of ideas instead of the supernatural, such as Hegel's dialectical explanation of history. In the third phase, the world would be explained by scientific and rational thought and all branches of human knowledge would come together and support each other. Comte's call for a scientific study of society and the idea and method of positivism was widely influential.
You might also like to view...
Which of the following is considered America's most distinctive art form?
A. Jazz B. Motion pictures C. Musical comedy D. Ragtime
Which of these remained neutral in World War II?
A) Spain B) Bulgaria C) Austria D) Vichy France
The Umayyad forces allowed conquered peoples to maintain their own religions, but insisted that they pay a special head tax called the
What will be an ideal response?
For which of the following was Bill Clinton impeached by the Senate?
A) perjury and obstruction of justice B) making unwelcome sexual advances to Paula Jones C) having an affair with Monica Lewinsky D) selling missile technology to China for campaign contributions E) being involved in a crooked real estate scheme in Arkansas