V.

Pioneers of Sociology
1. Auguste Comte (1798 - 1857)
- Frenchman born to a government bureaucrat
- Secretary of a famous philosopher, Henri Saint Simon
- Recognized as the founder of Sociology and focused on the improvement of
society. Since no science of society ever existed in his time, he thought of
creating one. He believed that if society were to advance, social phenomenon
had to be examined scientifically.
- According to Comte, studying social life should rely on Positivism, the
method of observation and experimentation used in the physical sciences.
- In his view of social evolution Comte believed that societies evolve through
three stages: Theological, Metaphysical and positivistic.
Theological - society is governed by supernatural external forces that
influence human actions and decisions.
Metaphysical - society is governed by abstract forces that shape human lives.
Example is the force of gravity, time and space, democracy
Positivistic - society is governed by scientific laws and human life may be
improved through the application of scientific processes like observation
and experimentation.
2. Harriet Martineau (1802 - 1876)
- Believed to be the first woman sociologist and acknowledged by some as a
founding mother of sociology.
- An Englishwoman born to a solid middle class family
- Best known for her translation of Comte's Positive Philosophy and gave
original contribution in the areas of research methods, political economy
feminist theory. Her sociological thoughts are contained in two books:
- In "How to Observe Manners and Morals" (first book on methodology) she
emphasized the use of a theoretical framework to guide social observation; the
use of predetermined questions for gathering information; the use of
objectivity and representative sampling.
- In "Society in America" she favorably compared America with England but
believed America did not live up to its ideals of democracy and freedom since
slavery and domination of women existed. Hence, she stands as an important
precursor of contemporary feminist theory.
3. Herbert Spencer (1820 - 1903)
- Born to an English school teacher
- Was taught mostly in Mathematics and the natural sciences by his father and
uncle; but had poor background in Latin, Greek, English and History. Thus, he
did not feel qualified to enter Cambridge University.

- Denied Comte's influence on his work, he developed his own theory of social
stability and change through the Organic Analogy theory: like humans society
is composed of interrelated parts that work together to promote its well being
and survival. Just as an individual has a brain, a stomach, a nervous system,
limbs; a society has an economy, a religion, a state and family system.
- This theory is inspired by Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and thought
that social change leads to progress for as long as there is no interference since
societies according to him pass through natural stages of growth from birth to
decay.
Therefore, they should be left alone as the principle of natural selection takes
place wherein those inferior or weaker will perish and give way to the stronger
ones. They are the ones that will survive. Hence, Spencer did not like the idea
of reform. To interfere with society is causing harm to it. The poor therefore
deserve to be poor, the rich to be rich.
Levels of sociological analysis - determine which aspects of social structure a
sociologist wishes to explain or examine.
Microsociology - analysis at the smaller unit or micro level of social relationships. It
is concerned with the sociological analysis of people as they interact in daily life. At
the micro level of analysis it is not the individuals per se that are important but the
interpretation of the parts they play as participants in social relationships.
Example, a person looks at the various episodes of his life when he decides to move
to the city and pursue his career despite objections from his family. The analysis looks
into the kind of interaction and its recurring pattern between that person and members
of his family.
Macrosociology - the level of analysis that focuses on relationships of social
structures without reference to the interaction of people involved.
Example, how does the economy affect the stability of the family?