Who is regarded as the Father of Sociology?

Sociology can be defined as a study of society or social life, of group interaction, and of social behaviour. Sociology is used in the discipline of social work to analyse and understand social problems. Social work is concerned with the uplift of those socially deprived, physically handicapped, etc. Sociology is not concerned with the reformation of society as nor is it directly involved in social planning or directed change.

🔑Key Points:
Auguste Comte, Spencer, and many other social thinkers sought to establish the idea of society as a matter of study, unique in itself.
They examined society as a whole – which is more than the sum of its parts.
Society is more than the actions, thoughts, values, beliefs, and wishes of its individual members. It is a complex and abstract reality, yet all human beings live in a society.
A sociologist is interested in the general study of social behavior as it occurs in groups, large or small, and lays special stress on understanding social life in the contemporary world.
​🛑Important Points: 
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)
Auguste Comte is regarded as the father of sociology. He is the first one to have used the word 'Sociology'. He tried to create a new science of society. which could not only explain the past of mankind but also, predict its future course.
He felt that society moves through definite and fixed stages and that, it progresses towards ever-increasing perfection.
The three stages, according to him, in which society moves, were: –
 the theological or the religious to
 the metaphysical or the philosophical to
 the positive or the scientific stage.
In the first stage. people thought all phenomena were caused by supernatural forces. 
In the second stage, Abstract forces of either a religious or secular type were considered to be the source of knowledge
In the last stage, scientific laws were supposed to determine both the natural and the social worlds. According to him, sociology was to be the queen of all sciences.