The Law of Three Stages
According to Comte, societies pass through stages that are defined in terms of the way its members explain natural events. The first stage, and the most primitive, is theologi- cal, and explanations are based on superstition and mysticism. In the second stage, which is metaphys- ical, explanations are based on unseen essences, principles, causes, or laws. During the third and highest stage of development, the scientific descrip- tion is emphasized over explanation, and the pre- diction and control of natural phenomena becomes all important. In other words, during the scientific stage, positivism is accepted. Comte used the term sociology to describe the study of how different
Martineau (1802–1876) in 1853. As a result of the Cours, Comte began to attract new admirers, among them John Stuart Mill. However, soon after the publication of the Cours, Comte’s wife left him. In 1844 he met and fell in love with Clotilde de Vaux, and although she died of tuberculosis shortly there- after, she remained an influence on his work.
In the late 1840s, Comte began writing Système de Politique Positive (System of Positive Politics) in which he introduced his religion of humanity (dis- cussed later). The Système cost Comte most of his influential followers, including Mill. Undaunted, Comte continued to concentrate on his new reli- gion, of which he installed himself as high priest. Comte spent his later years attempting to gain con- verts to his religion. He even tried to recruit some of the most powerful individuals in Europe, includ- ing Czar Nicholas I and the head of the Jesuits.
