The concept of social ontology refers to exploring the nature and features of society. Comte, one of the most prominent French philosophers, discussed social ontology from the point of positivism. The ideas of this philosopher composed the fundamentals of modern sociology. Comte’s law of three stages shows the evolution of society and sets the prospects for its future development, including such stages as theological, positive, and metaphysical ones.
Comte considered society from the point of positivism and realism, stating that people existed only as abstract in that period. It meant that the social reality denied an individual life, and thoughts and feelings were attributed to either biology or sociology. In other words, the mentioned philosopher excluded psychology from explaining the phenomena that characterized people. Instead, society was described as a continuous whole and a biological entity, which consists of different parts that are involved in various activities. For example, Comte stressed that families produce individuals, while the commonly accepted view was contrary to this statement (Ashley and Orenstein 82). Accordingly, families shape cities and cities form societies, where families serve as distinct, functional parts.
Another direction of social ontology was associated with the etymologization of human attributes. Namely, Comte distinguished between cognitive (conception, contemplation, expression), affective (egoism, sexuality, attachment, pride), and active functions (firmness, prudence, courage) (Ashley and Orenstein 91). According to the view of this philosopher, an individual should have been passing all the stages of development to arrive at positivism. Nevertheless, not all persons were considered to have equal intellectual abilities. The highest level was to be achieved only by a minority that would understand and change the world. As for minorities, Comte denied racial and ethnic differences regarding intellectual ability but believed in male intellectual superiority, which makes them the only persons who can study reality and scientific issues. However, it should be stressed that children and females were seen as important individuals who can impact men, thus promoting social harmony.
As a philosopher, Comte argued that sociology should be a practical discipline to discover new knowledge and implement it in the constant improvement of society. The work of this scholar was based on the French society that was considered to be in an urgent need to receive changes (Ashley and Orenstein 77). Among the key negative issues of that society, a lack of spiritual integration and stable political order was noted. The theory of social ontology suggested by Comte was expected to address the above challenges. In addition, ideological disagreements and governmental corruption were included in the list of social atrocities to be eradicated. This social imagery was based on the recreation of “a unified spiritual order that would help to institutionalize a new era of political and social stability” (Ashley and Orenstein 79). The achievement of this goal was expected to replace the canons of the Roman Catholic Church, but prevent chaos and contribute to the al harmony.
To conclude, social ontology by Comte studies the properties and nature of the social world, focusing on social interactions. Individuals, families, cities, and societies were perceived by this philosopher as the key entities shaping the social world and able to change it for the better. Comte’s understanding of social harmony in France was based on addressing political disorder and poor spiritual integration through the transformation of social norms and achieving spiritual and political stability.
Reference
Ashley, David, and David Michael Orenstein. Sociological Theory: Classical Statements. Pearson College Division, 2005.