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Unearthing the Repressed Grandfather: Comte's Vision for Sociology, and Why Teaching it is Important for the Future of Sociology
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Unearthing the Repressed Grandfather: Comte's Vision for Sociology, and Why Teaching it is Important for the Future of Sociology

Glenn Ewan
Proceedings of the 2009 Australian Sociological Association Annual Conference, pp.1-12
Australian Sociological Association Annual Conference: The Future of Sociology Australia, 2009 (Canberra, Australia, 01-Dec-2009–04-Dec-2009)
Australian Sociological Association
2009
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Abstract

Environmental Science and Management Sociology Comte teaching sociology classical sociology pure sociology positivism
There is a repression within the discipline of sociology and in the teaching of sociology of its own birth. This is unhelpful for young sociologists when they are developing their own sociological identity, and when they communicate their study to others. Like our own grandfather, Comte demands our respect and understanding, along with a constructive criticism of his misguided concepts; but only after we have properly listened to him, not to careless cliches. Concepts such as: positivism, altruism, historical method, comparative method, teaching sociology, and the relationship of religion, biology, economics, and psychology towards sociology, all have new life breathed into them by a careful reading of Comte's wide range of theories. Comte's voice helps inform us of how we got to where we are currently in sociology today, to locate ourselves, and of what we can aim for in the future when guided by a moral passion.

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