Auguste Comte (1798-1857) was a French philosopher and sociologist who is widely considered to be the

founder of the discipline of sociology. He is known for his development of the philosophy of positivism,
which held that knowledge can only be gained through empirical observation and scientific methods. Comte
believed that sociology should be based on scientific principles and should seek to understand society and
social phenomena through systematic observation and analysis.

Comte's major work was the "Course of Positive Philosophy" (1830-1842), in which he developed his
philosophy of positivism. He believed that society progressed through three stages: the theological stage, in
which people explained the world through religion and superstition; the metaphysical stage, in which
people tried to explain the world through abstract concepts and ideas; and the positive stage, in which
people used empirical observation and scientific methods to understand the world.

Comte also believed in the importance of social cohesion and order, and he developed a system of "social
physics" to study and understand social phenomena. He argued that society could be studied in the same
way that the natural world is studied, through the observation of regularities and patterns.

Comte's ideas had a significant influence on the development of sociology as a discipline, and his
philosophy of positivism is still studied and debated today.