law of three stages
E89089
The law of three stages is Auguste Comte’s theory that human thought and societies evolve through theological, metaphysical, and finally scientific (positive) stages of development.
Aliases (1)
Statements (43)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
sociological theory
→
theory of intellectual development → theory of social evolution → |
| alsoKnownAs |
Comte’s law of three stages
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|
| appliedByComteTo |
development of religion
→
history of science → political institutions → |
| appliesTo |
collective social development
→
individual cognition → |
| associatedWith |
French positivism
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|
| assumes |
universal sequence of stages
→
|
| claims |
societies progress from theological to metaphysical to positive stages
→
|
| componentOf |
Comte’s system of positivist philosophy
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|
| coreConceptOf |
positivism
→
|
| critiquedFor |
Eurocentrism
→
overly linear model of history → teleological assumptions → |
| describes |
evolution of human thought
→
evolution of societies → |
| emphasizes |
primacy of scientific knowledge in mature societies
→
|
| field |
epistemology
→
philosophy of history → sociology → |
| formulatedBy |
Auguste Comte
→
|
| goalStage |
positive stage
→
|
| hasStage |
metaphysical stage
→
positive stage → scientific stage → theological stage → |
| historicalContext |
early development of sociology as a discipline
→
|
| influenced |
classical sociology
→
philosophy of science → theories of modernization → |
| inspired |
later evolutionary theories of social change
→
|
| language |
French
→
|
| metaphysicalStageCharacterizedBy |
explanation through abstract essences
→
|
| normativeImplication |
scientific stage is considered superior
→
|
| originalName |
loi des trois états
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|
| positiveStageCharacterizedBy |
explanation through empirical science
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|
| proposedInCentury |
19th century
→
|
| relatedConcept |
hierarchy of the sciences
→
|
| theologicalStageCharacterizedBy |
explanation through supernatural beings
→
|
| usedBy |
Auguste Comte to justify hierarchy of sciences
→
|
Referenced by (5)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
law of three stages
("Comte’s law of three stages")
→
|
alsoKnownAs |
|
Course of Positive Philosophy
→
|
describes |
|
Auguste Comte
→
|
developedConcept |
|
Auguste Comte
→
|
knownFor |
|
Cours de philosophie positive
→
|
proposes |