People have been captivated by the interaction between individuals and the society to which they belong since the dawn of time. Numerous themes explored in contemporary sociology were also examined by ancient philosophers in pursuit of a perfect society, including ideas of social conflict, economics, social cohesiveness, and power (Hannoum 2003). Ma Tuan-Lin, a Chinese historian from the thirteenth century, was the first to acknowledge social dynamics as a fundamental component of historical evolution in his landmark encyclopedia, General Study of Literary Remains. The next century witnessed the development of what some regard to be the world's first sociologist: Tunisian historian Ibn Khaldun (1332â1406). He published on a variety of contemporary subjects, laying the groundwork for modern sociology and economics, including a theory of social conflict, a comparison of nomadic and sedentary life, a description of political economy, and a research linking a tribe's social cohesiveness to its ability for power (Hannoum 2003).
Comte's positivism should not be confused with the 1920s Vienna Circle's Logical positivism. Logical positivism is a school of philosophy that combines positivist–the view that the only legitimate knowledge is scientific knowledge–and a kind of apriorism–the belief that certain propositional knowledge may be acquired independently of, or "prior to," experience. Comte highlighted the critical link between theory, practice, and human comprehension of the universe in his exposition of Positive philosophy. In the 1855 edition of Harriet Martineau's translation of Auguste Comte's The Positive Philosophy, he observes that:
Stage Positive or Scientific
Each social phenomena is described at this level by scientific discoveries and empirical study. For instance, if someone becomes ill, it is not regarded and explained as the consequence of God's will or caused by some supernatural force, but rather as the result of the individual's wrongdoing, which enraged God and prompted him to release his anger in the form of disease. People logically and scientifically explain that sickness is caused by germs. According to Comte, positivism is an entirely logical approach to determining social phenomena; it excludes supernatural force. At this point, religion became less influential and scientific techniques grew more influential in acquiring information.
A last complaint to notice on this page is one that may not have as many merits as the previous two, and is summed up by C.E. Vaughn as follows: "However, its basis is entirely negative and destructive. It is incapable of construction and, when endowed with the capacity to do so, produces nothing but anarchy and slaughter." Assuming he is challenging the presuppositions that prevent the theoretical framework from contributing to the three-stage hypothesis, he is most likely attempting to demonstrate that Comte's description of society does not result in a functioning society. It seems to be a watered-down version of the first critique, which is based on the notion that anarchy is inherently evil and that 'bloodshed' (by which I think he means violence) would result. [7] (Author's note: In my perspective, this is a rather poor critique, but hey, it is a criticism, so judge it on its own merits.)
