Auguste Comte
By Zach Dewease
Background Information
Auguste Comte was born on January 19, 1798 in Montpellier, France. In his early years, Comte excelled in school, and went to Ecole Polytechnique in Paris. After 2 years there, he took part in a protest at the school and was expelled. He stayed in Paris after his expulsion, and met numerous fellow sociologists. The sociologist who made the biggest impression on Comte was Concordet. Also in 1817, Comte became the secretary to French socialist Saint-Simon. This job lasted until 1824. After parting ways, he began to teach mathematics and write books. In this time period, Comte famously coined the term "sociology". Comte also began to be known as The Father of Positivism. Comte's ideas had a huge influence on the people of the 19th and 20th centuries. A big part of his ideas were based on religion during the times. On September 5, 1857, Comte died of stomach cancer.
10 Facts of Contributions
1. Founder/Creator on Positivism - that truth only comes from scientific knowledge
2. Coined the word "sociology" - to describe the study of social behavior
3. He is the Father of Sociology because he created a science that focuses on humans and their interactions
4. He created the Law of 3 Stages, which basically states that the human mind has to go through 3 main stages before it is fully matured
5. His classification of social sciences shaped the way future sociologists looked at them
6. Made a hierarchy of sciences - including mathematics, physics, biology, astrology, chemistry
7. His ideas paved the way for many other great sociologists
8. Wrote multiple books on the topic of sociology
9. Pushed the scientific method on people, telling of its importance
10. Contributed to the progress of theoretical sociology