law of three stages

E89089
sociological theory theory of intellectual development theory of social evolution

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.

Try in SPARQL Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
law of three stages canonical 6
Comte’s law of three stages 2

Statements (43)

Predicate Object
instanceOf sociological theory ⓘ
theory of intellectual development ⓘ
theory of social evolution ⓘ
alsoKnownAs law of three stages ⓘ
surface form: Comte’s law of three stages
appliedByComteTo development of religion ⓘ
history of science ⓘ
political institutions ⓘ
appliesTo collective social development ⓘ
individual cognition ⓘ
associatedWith French positivism ⓘ
assumes universal sequence of stages ⓘ
claims societies progress from theological to metaphysical to positive stages ⓘ
componentOf Course of Positive Philosophy ⓘ
surface form: Comte’s system of positivist philosophy
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 ⓘ
positiveStageCharacterizedBy explanation through empirical science ⓘ
proposedInCentury 19th century ⓘ
relatedConcept hierarchy of the sciences ⓘ
theologicalStageCharacterizedBy explanation through supernatural beings ⓘ
usedBy Auguste Comte to justify hierarchy of sciences ⓘ

Referenced by (8)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Auguste Comte → knownFor → law of three stages ⓘ
Auguste Comte → developedConcept → law of three stages ⓘ
law of three stages → alsoKnownAs → law of three stages ⓘ
this entity surface form: Comte’s law of three stages
Cours de philosophie positive → proposes → law of three stages ⓘ
Course of Positive Philosophy → describes → law of three stages ⓘ
Isidore Marie Auguste François Xavier Comte → notableIdea → law of three stages ⓘ
subject surface form: Auguste Comte
Comte → developedConcept → law of three stages ⓘ
subject surface form: Auguste Comte
Great Fetish → influencedBy → law of three stages ⓘ
this entity surface form: Comte’s law of three stages