In Brief: August Comte, a French philosopher, is known as the father of sociology and proposed the theory of Positivism. He argued that human thought progresses through three stages: theological, metaphysical, and positive, with the positive stage representing a scientific understanding of the world. Comte believed that society evolves through these stages and that science should be the guiding principle for social progress. His ideas laid the foundation for the development of the social sciences and emphasized observational, empirical research.
In More Detail and in Four Sentences: August Comte's theory of Positivism posits that human knowledge evolves through three stages: the theological stage, where explanations are based on religious beliefs; the metaphysical stage, characterized by abstract reasoning and philosophical speculation; and the positive stage, where knowledge is grounded in scientific observation and empirical evidence. In the positive stage, Comte emphasized the importance of sociology as the "queen of the sciences," aiming to apply scientific methods to understand and improve society. He believed that understanding societal laws could lead to social stability and progress, as informed by scientific insights. Ultimately, Comte's vision for society centered on using scientific principles to cultivate social harmony and ethical progress.