Sociology 2240E Chapter Notes -Auguste Comte, Positivism, Totalitarianism
12 Dec 2014
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These laws can be derived from doing research on the social world and/or from theorising about that world . Can only be valid insofar as it is an exact and complete representation of the relations naturally existing . Would not recognise version of positivism that exists today . Basic methods: observation, but not w/o connecting it to theory, experiment, comparison. Compare societies in diff parts of the world. Compare the diff stages of societies over time: historical research (most important) Each stage involves search for explanation of things around them: theological stage: Searching for essential nature of things; esp purpose and origin. All phenomena created, regulated, and given their purposes by supernatural forces or beings (gods) belief that abstract forces like nature" explain virtually everything: metaphysical stage, positivist stage: belief in science. Give up search in absolute causes (god or nature) and use observation to search for laws governing the social and physical world.
