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August
Comte
(1798-1857) Course
of Positive Philosophy Positivism,
law of three stages, social physics, progress. Saint-Simon From
science to prediction, from prediction to action. Critique
of French Revolution and metaphysical use of abstract Reason Emile
Littré, Comte’s main disciple, founds the Positivist Review in 1867. |
Against the
background of development of capitalism and the breakdown of older hierarchies
Comte thought that scientific sociology alone could provide the basis for a new
form of social integration by providing ‘an exact and complete representation
of the relations naturally existing” (quoted in beyond the sociology of
conflict pp 144)
Like
Spencer, Comte’s sociology develops alongside the idea of a natural process of
evolution or development of societies into more complex and differentiated,
multi-form states. So the sociology is positivist in its attempt to uncover
these natural laws and tendencies of development. This is important as it
introduces into the idea of society the conception of progress over static or
synchronic accounts. Durkheim,
Comte and Spencer all share affinities with Darwin’s approach; the idea that the
permanence of certain elements is due to their better disposition to adapt in
their environment. Hence the extensive use of the organic analogy in Durkheim.
Organic solidarity follows mechanical solidarity where in likeness to one
another actors in a social system have relatively fixed forms of interaction, through
complexification and differentiation these pass into the organic phase.
Solidairty systems of the more complex organic type involve deeper ties between
social agents.
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