Auguste Comte had a very interesting view on the social dynamics. He believed in the Law of Succession, also known as the Law of Three Stages. He stated that when studying society, we should compare the cultural system to the structural system through the Law of Three Stages. Through this concept, Comte was able to better distinguish how society functions and what is important. The three stages he mentions are theological, metaphysical, and positivistic. The image below shows what was all occurring in each era.
The theological stage explained that things were based on religion. Therefore people would rely on explanations that religion could answer. This stage also relied on small groups.
The next stage, metaphysical, relies on philosophy. This is controlled by the state, law or military.
The last stage is positivistic. This meant that people relied on science. It resembles the same ideas as the enlightenment - reasoning through science. Mutual dependence is important in this stage as well as coordination of functions by the state and general spirit.
One thing I found interesting about this concept is that Aguste Comte turned it into an analogy stating that society is becoming like a machine. If one part of it were to break, it will affect the rest. This means that if one of these stages did not function properly, it would affect society as a whole.
It is interesting to see how in these days this concept is still pretty relevant. There are different aspect and stages in today's society that affect how we live our everyday life. If one thing were to change, it could drastically alter the rest of society and how everything is functioning.
Auguste Comte had great reason to believe society should be examined by comparing the cultural system to the structural system. By doing so, we now have a better insight on society as a whole.
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