Auguste Comte, a French philosopher, offered a classification of the science in his written work ‘System of Positive Polity’ in 1854. This classification of sciences also draws its insight from his other written works such as ‘Law of Three Stages’ and six volumes of ‘The Course of Positive Philosophy’ published from 1830 to 1842.

Comte believed that sciences have varying degrees of complexity, generality and interdependency. He was of the view that some sciences are complex while some sciences are simple. Some sciences are more dependent on other sciences while some sciences are less dependent on other sciences. Similarly, some sciences are very specific while some sciences are very specific. Based on these characteristics of sciences, Comte classified sciences into six categories: 1) mathematics, 2) astronomy, 3) physics, 4) chemistry, 5) biology, and 6) sociology.

Comte classified sciences based on the following criteria:

1. The order of increasing complexity or simplicity of sciences.
2. The order of their increasing dependence on one another.

 

Comte believed that the sciences are dependent on one another. For instance, Biology is dependent on Chemistry because the biological processes involve chemical processes. For instance, the production and working of hormones, and enzymes in the human body involves certain chemical processes. For this reason, these processes are also called biochemical processes. This means that to understand the biological processes, a person must also have some knowledge of chemical processes. In other words, the knowledge, theories and explanation of Biology are dependent on the knowledge of Chemistry. Similarly, Chemistry is dependent on Physics because the physical characteristics of an object also influence its chemical characteristics. For instance, the physical form of an object may change under pressure into solid, liquid or gas, and the object in its different physical form may have different chemical characteristics such as its reactivity with another object.

Comte believed that this degree of the dependence of one science on other sciences varies for different sciences. Some sciences are more dependent on other sciences while some sciences are less dependent on other sciences. He believed that in order of degrees of dependency, Sociology is the most dependent science which means that Sociology depends on all other sciences. For instance, to explain human behaviour (the primary subject matter of sociology), we also need to understand its underlying biological dynamics. This is because human behaviour is not influenced only by social factors, but is also influenced by genetic composition, hormonal fluctuations, general health status and other biological factors. These biological dynamics are itself influenced by chemical processes in the body as well as external physical characteristics such as temperature in the surroundings, etc.

Comte arranged the scientific disciplines in the order of their dependence on other sciences, as follows.

1. Sociology, 2. Biology, 3. Chemistry, 4. Physics, 5. Astronomy, and 6. Mathematics

Unlike Sociology which is dependent on all other sciences, Comte viewed Mathematics as the most independent science which does not depend on any other science. In other words, mathematical knowledge does not require explanations from Biology, Physics, Sociology or any other science.

In the above order of sciences, every science is dependent on the other sciences which follow it. For instance, Sociology is dependent on Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics. Similarly, Biology is dependent on Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics.

Mathematics is the last science in the above order which means it does not depend on any other science. However, all other sciences depend on Mathematics. Comte was of the view that every science involves mathematical knowledge. For instance, a larger part of chemistry and physics is directly based on statistical information such as atomic number, atomic mass, units of measurement for physical phenomena such as pressure, and force. Similarly, biological sciences involve counting attributes of biological phenomena such as genetic codes, or measurement of daily nutrients allowance for the human body. Likewise, in Sociology, the research involves analysis based on measurement of statistical and quantifiable data.

According to Comte, the degree of complexity or simplicity of sciences was another criterion for the classification of sciences. He believed that some scientific disciplines are complex while others are simple. In terms of the complexity of the subject matter of different sciences, Comte viewed Sociology as the most complex science. He was of the view that social phenomena are multi-dimensional and linked with many observable as well as unobservable dynamics. This is because, in order to understand human behaviour, we need to consider its social, biological and psychological dynamics which may directly or indirectly shape the behavior of an individual. For instance, to understand the aggressive behaviour of an individual in a social setup, we must look at different factors such as circumstantial factors, prevailing social norms and values, emotional state of mind, religiosity, social influence, economic considerations, and so on. These are some factors which generally influence human behavior. However, there can be several other unobservable factors and motives which may lead to aggressive behaviour. This means that social phenomena are complex because you have to consider their various dimensions to understand them in their entirety. For this reason, Comte viewed Sociology as the most complex science among all scientific disciplines.

Comte arranged the scientific disciplines in the order of their complexity, as follows.

1. Sociology, 2. Biology, 3. Chemistry, 4. Physics, 5. Astronomy, and 6. Mathematics

He believed that Sociology is the most complex science whereas Mathematics is the simplest science. Every science in the given order is more complex than the science that follows it. For instance, Sociology is a more complex science than Biology. Biology is a more complex science than Chemistry. Chemistry is a more complex science than Physics and so on. 

Auguste Comte’s classification is linked with his theory Law of Three Stages. According to Comte’s theory of three stages, human’s thought has evolved in three stages over the course of history. These stages are 1) Theological Stage, 2) Metaphysical Stage, and 3) Positive or Scientific Stage.

According to Comte, human’s thought has evolved in these three stages such that human thought in each stage became more rational than the preceding stage. In the theological stage, human beings thought that everything is governed only by divine powers. In the metaphysical stage, human beings thought everything is partially governed by divine powers and partially by rational factors. In the positive or scientific stage, human being believed that everything is governed only by rational factors which can be explored scientifically.

Comte believed that since human’s thought became more and more rational in a stage-wise manner, its such effect was also seen in the knowledge over these three stages. Each academic discipline has undergone these three stages to become a true science. The degree of rationality and objectivity in academic discipline increased in a stage-wise manner such that academic disciplines in each stage became more rational and objective than its preceding stage. Going through these stages, some disciplines reached the positive or scientific stage earlier than others. In the order of reaching the scientific stage, Mathematics was the first discipline that entered the scientific stage; and Sociology was the last discipline that entered the scientific stage.

In terms of reaching the scientific stage, the order of the six sciences is as follows.

1. Mathematics, 2. Astronomy, 3. Physics, 4. Chemistry, 5. Biology, and 6. Sociology

Mathematics was the first to reach the scientific stage and Sociology was the last to reach the scientific stage.

Auguste Comte, a French Philosopher, is known as the founder of Sociology. He coined the term ‘Sociology’ for the first time in 1838. He wanted to establish Sociology as an independent scientific discipline because, before 1838, Sociology was viewed as a part of philosophy. His purpose of classifying sciences was to provide a basis for this newly emerging discipline ‘Sociology’ as well as to prove sociology as a purely scientific discipline. 

Comte’s efforts for projecting Sociology as an independent science are reflected in his six volumes of ‘The Course of Positive Philosophy’ and the ‘Law of Three Stages’. In these written works, he has discussed all the sciences (e.g., Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology and Astronomy) and has laid the foundation of the new social science ‘Sociology’ which is the scientific study of human society. He emphasized the role of Sociology in understanding the structure and function of human society for social development.

As noted, that Sociology did not exist as an independent science before 1838, to establish Sociology as an independent discipline, Comte classified the sciences to specify the place of Sociology among other sciences. In addition to establishing Sociology as an independent discipline, Comte’s aim was to also establish it as a purely scientific discipline. Therefore, his classification reflected where does this new science lie among other scientific discipline and how does it work in relation to other scientific disciplines. Similarly, he believed that like other sciences the Sociology has also reached its positive or scientific stage and qualifies for being called a science.