Do you know when, where and how sociology was born and developed? And who were the influential sociological figures at that time? Sociology is the youngest of the known social sciences. Sociology as a science, was born in the XIX century. The birth of sociology was related to the social changes of society in Western Europe during the Industrial Revolution (England) and the Social Revolution (France).
The existence of this revolution has an impact on harmony in community relations. There was chaos and social inequality among the people. This situation prompted the French philosopher Aguste Comte to make an extraordinary work. In his work entitled Course of Positive Philosophy (1844), Comte calls the study of human social life with the term sociology.
For this reason, Aguste Comte is known as the Father of Modern Sociology. However, besides Aguste Comte, there are several experts who have tried to study human relations, such as Karl Marx, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber.
In England Herbert Spencer in his book ” Principle of Sociology ” in 1876 applied the theory of organic evolution to human society and developed a large theory of “social evolution” which was widely accepted several decades later.
An American, Lester F. Ward published the book ” Dynamic Sociology ” in 1883, calling for social progress through social actions which sociologists should direct.
Emile Durkheime , a French sociologist gave a demonstration of the scientific methodology in sociology. In his book Rules of Sociological Method , published in 1895, he describes the methodology of sociology.
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Since the 19th century, Europe has been a region that has experienced the fastest development of civilization as a center for the growth of world civilization. The process of social change affects the development of science. The condition of European society attracted the attention of scientists to study various aspects of people’s life.
20th century sociology flourished in the United States. During this time the United States grew big cities, large industries and a massive wave of migration. As a result of this urban growth, there are large and complex social upheavals and changes. This condition becomes the study of sociologists to find new approaches, thus giving birth to modern sociology.
Broadly speaking, the development of Sociology as an independent science can be described chronologically in four phases or four periods.
■ This first stage extends from the golden age to the Middle Ages.
■ This period began around the 16th to 17th centuries, when individualism developed in Europe.
■ Sociology as a science of society that stands alone, but uses other scientific methods. This period is a continuation and extension of the realistic social psychological outlook of the 18th century.
■ The era of sociology as an independent science, has specific objectives and methods that reflect an independent science, namely the 19th century.
The term sociology has been discussed by many observers as a new field of observation since around 1830-1854. Auguste Comte (1798-1857) was the first French philosopher to use the term “Sociology” to refer to the knowledge of society. Comte gave it the name in 1839 and published in his famous 1942 book Cours de la Philosovie Positive .
According to Comte, science must be systematic, logical, carried out according to certain stages (methodical) and objectively. Science is objective when it focuses its attention on concrete and symptomatic symptoms, without any other considerations preventing it from being able to reveal the truth of the phenomena that occur, thus enabling science to develop and be verified by any party.
