Page 30 - DSOC401_SOCIOLOGICAL_THOUGHT_ENGLISH

Sociological Thought

notes day and night. In this way, the earth rotates around the sun in an eliptical (egg - shaped) path, which
is its called its yearly orbit. This yearly revolution caused the change of seasons in an year.
If the earth did not revolve around the sun in the given time of an year, there would be no change
of season, the whole year would pass in just a single season. The earth revolves around its axis; this
axis is not straight, but tilted to make an angle of 66 ½. If this axis of the earth straigtens out, the
result would be that day and night would remain equally same everywhere and neither would there
be the changes of the season in an year; in other words, throughout the earth, the seasons would
remain constant. It is because of the tilt of the earth that the height of the sun at noon is different in
different parts of the world, day–night keep increasing and decreasing throughout the year; there
are changes of seasons, the seasons differ in the northern and southern hemisphere of the earth and
the day and night of the northern and southern poles last for six to six months. All these events leave
their effects on the physical–bodily related activities. Therefore it is clear that biology is also related
to astronomy. Besides, whatever truths and facts are discovered after a study of biology, is because
of mathematics. If study of biology is done without the help of mathematics, then in reality it would
be faulty, indefinite and undependable. Therefore it is clear that Biology is dependent on the sciences.
that come before it in the hierarchy.
The second half or part of life events is related to the community. This part is studied under Sociology,
which is the end–most science in Comte’s hierarchy of sciences and which is dependent of sciences
and which is dependent for its study–activity on mathematics, astronomy, chemistry and biology.
These sciences are dependent on each other, and the science that came before it in the order, is the
order in which they developed.
It is evident from the above reasoning that Comte presented his hierarchy of sciences according to
the order of expansion of dependence. The most fundamental place is given to mathematics, because
it the most generalized and ancient of the sciences. Astronomy is placed above it, which in its origin
is dependent on the science before it, mathematics. Above it are placed the two sciences that study
terrestrial events eg. physics and chemistry. Physics is dependent on astronomy and mathematics,
when chemistry has to depend for its study activity on physics, astronomy and mathematics. After this
is placed life and body related subject Biology, which is dependent on Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy
and Mathematics. Based on these science, the science which studies community and social events
and facts, Sociology or Social Physics is placed top–most. In this relation it is important to note that
while developing the theory of ‘positive religion’ or ‘humane religion’ Comte specially mentioned,
besides these six sciences, also a seventh science, placed at the acme, ‘Behaviorial Science/or ethics’.
But this last science is not mentioned clearly or stressed important in his writings. For this reason in
the classification of sciences or knoweldge presented by Comte Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics,
Chemistry, Biology and Sociology are only generally included and this is only correct. One of the
main objectives of presenting this classification to attract attention favourabley to their completeness
and factuality Compte himself wrote, “This classification in the form of reality/truth informes about
the completeness of the various sciences; a science’s completeness is depended on the amount of pure
knowledge and its relationship with its various branches. This can be observed simply that events
that are mainly general, simple, and abstract, are least dependent on other factors, and their truth
on purity is maximum, and so too their relation to other sciences is clear and maximum. In this way,
organic events are less factual and regulated than inorganic events; and particulary the terrestrial/
events as compared to astro nomical events are the least factual and regulated. This truth is revealed
fully in the classification of sciences.
Comte believes that we cannot receive correct knowledge about the subject of a science, until we are
properfly informed about its predecessor science or sciences on which it is dependent. For example,
we can get complete knowledge about social events and human society from sociology only if we
have some general knowledge of its precedent sciences – Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy

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