What were the three stages of evolution according to August Comte?

Answer 1

Comte's theory attempted to explain the development of human understanding on the basis of human history. Comte formulated "the law of three stages" to explain the progress in knowledge that might be observed through the ages. The law consists of three different phases which follow each other. The first phase is teleological; it is manifested through a particular manner of causal explanation that tends to include mythological characters and gods that tend to be extremely anthropomorphic. An example of that stage can be well illustrated with the belief that the Romans adopted towards volcanic eruptions. The Romans believed that the god Vulcan lived in a volcanically active mountain. They thought that the smoke that rises from the mountain escapes from the chimney of Vulcan's blacksmith. The Romans believed that Vulcan was busy preparing weapons for the gods so they attributed the smoke and noise of the eruption to that activity. The second phase of Comte's law is metaphysical. It follows the teleological phase and it marks a development in human understanding. The anthropomorphic tendencies that were central to the teleological phase disappear. In the metaphysical stage people adopt a more abstract point of view regarding nature. They might speak about certain energies or forces that guide nature. For example, they might believe that the volcano erupts to release the energy that was contained in earth. The third phase that Comte mentions is scientific. In that phase the main goal is not to explain the events in nature, but to objectively observe and describe them. Thus, a volcanologist might observe the volcanic eruption and collect rock samples to study the effects and properties of lava. From those three stages we can trace the development of thought that occurs in a society. People move away from seeing their own qualities in nature to observing nature objectively, independent of themselves.

- Leonid