Auguste Comte (1798-1857), a French philosopher, known as the "father of sociology", who coined the term 'sociology' as a scientific study of society. He divided sociology into two main branches: social statics (the study of the forces that hold society together e.g., family, religion, language), and social dynamics (the study of the causes of social change).
He proposed a theory named “Positivism”, which meant obtaining knowledge through scientific methods. According to Comte, the knowledge, which is obtained using experimental methods and observation, is the only authentic and valid knowledge. The notion, “law of three stages” was discussed in his book “Positive philosophy”. Comte argues that all societies go through three phases; Theological, metaphysical and positive. As the stage progresses, the role of religion diminishes, whereas positive or scientific methods take over to explain or justify social phenomena and events.
Three Stages:
Theological (مذہب کے متعلق): In ancient nomadic societies all social phenomena were interpreted through religious perspective. At this stage every, every event was believed to be the will of the Almighty. Moreover this stage was further divided into three stages;
Fetishism (ا شیا ء پرستی): Worship of trees, stones, sun, moon, etc.
Polytheism (شرک): Concept of more than one God.
Monotheism (توحید): Worship of only one God.
Metaphysical (مابعدالطبیعی): At this transitional stage, people gave a little space to science. An occurrence was regarded as a will of God alongside the scientific interpretation. Fore example, a personal gets sick due to germs, but with the will of Supernatural Power i.e. God.
Positivism (عقلیت پسندی): At this stage, the role of religion is almost diminished and the science is prioritized. That’s why every phenomenon is proved scientifically. According to Auguste Comte, it is positivism.
Religion of Humanity: He said that Religion is False but Necessary. He envisaged that Religion has a function in society; promotes social cohesion by bringing people together for common rituals. Somehow, he was worried of advancement in science at the expense of religion, which was tantamount to weakening social cohesion in the society. Therefore, he proposed "The Religion of Humanity” to keep society united in the age of science.