Question by Tutsie: What does Auguste Comte’s theory mean?
Each department of knowledge passes through three stages. The theoretic stage; the theological stage and the metaphysical or abstract stage.
1. Theological: relies on supernatural agencies to explain what man can’t explain otherwise.
2. Metaphysical: man attributes effects to abstract but poorly understood causes.
3. “Positive”: because man now understands the scientific laws which control the world.
can someone please explain what it means?
Best answer:
Answer by radish
an example:
1. Why does the sun disappear at night:
Theological answer: the Sun God sleeps at night
2. Metaphysical answer:
The earth is stationary and at the center of the universe.
Heavenly bodies are perfect: they are spheres, move only in circles, and at uniform speeds.
There is thus a qualitative distinction between the bodies and the governing laws in the celestial realm vs. the bodies and laws in the terrestrial realm.
‘The Sun is the major celestial body circling the earth in terms of the ‘laws of the celestial bodies’. Because the Sun circles the earth it seems to diappear, creating’night’
3. Positivism’ is based, not only on philosophical reasoning, but on empirical observations made possible with the invention of the astronomer’s telescope.
“It is the earth that circles the sun whilst it is itself revolving…thus it seems to disappear at night to those living on the side of the earth on which the sun does not shine during that 24 hour revolution. The earth is just another one of the celestial bodies and obeys the same rules”
4. Each department of science Astronomy .Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology go through these stages at different times in history. Comte believed we had reached the height of a Scientific, Positivistic Era, because, in his time, it was the most complex, the ‘Queen of Sciences’ which had at last achieved status as a Positivist science ..which is why he called the scientific study of society “Sociology’
5.There have been many criticisms of Comte’s Positivist history of Science and interpretation of the nature of Sociology since then
You have could have a go at explaining
-earthquakes
-rainbows
-the difference between animal species
-ill health
-criminality
-etc
in these three different sets of terms:
Religious – that the gods cause it all
Metaphysics ..untested theorising
Positivism: theories put to the test of observation
Add your own answer in the comments!
Comte believed that society, the individual, and the mind passed through these stages, in the order that they were presented: theological, metaphysical, positivistic.
Let’s look at the mind of a child, as an example.
Theological Stage:
“Mommy, why is the sky blue?”
“Because God made it blue.”
The child mind is satisfied with the theological answer.
Several years pass, and the mind enters the metaphysical stage. In this stage, abstract forces replace a simple theological answer.
“Mommy, why is the sky blue?”
“Because God made it blue.”
“But, Mommy, my favorite color is red. Why didn’t God make the sky red?”
“Well, the sky really isn’t blue; it just APPEARS to be blue.”
For a short time, the child will accept this answer. Comte believed that the metaphysical stage was a brief period of transition from theological to positivistic. In the positivistic stage, the mind seeks concrete or “scientific” explanations.
“Mommy, why is the sky blue?”
“Because God made it blue.”
“But my favorite color is red. Why didn’t he make it red?”
“Well, it just appears to be blue.”
“Mommy, why does it appear to be blue?”
Now, Mommy has to have some knowledge of physics and astronomy to give a correct answer, which involves how the atmosphere affects long and short light rays, pointing out that sometimes the sky does appear to be red when atmospheric conditons filter our the ultrviolet light.
In keeping with Comte’s idea that society proceeds from simple to complex forms, this progression seems to make sense. However, later theorists challenged Comte’s simplistic analysis. A much better theory of social evolution was developed by Emile Durkheim.