Who are the forerunners of sociology?

Although social philosopher as far back as Aristotle made observations about society, it wasn't until the late eighteenth century that Auguste Comte suggested that a formal science of society be developed. Initially, he called this science "positivism." In a later work, he used the Latin root for group or relationship ("socius") and the Greek Word for study or knowledge ("logos"), linked them together, and today we refer to the study of society as "sociology."

However, Comte never did a sociological study. It wasn't until decades later that Emile Durkheim did a study, "Suicide," that demonstrated Comte's vision of a scientific method of studying a social phenomenon.

Within a very short time, Max Weber, in Germany, used the ideas introduced by the two Frenchmen (Comte and Durkheim) to reexamine data from his original doctoral dissertation. The new study was published as "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism," probably the most widely known sociological theory ever written.

At about the same time, fellow Germans Georg Simmel and Ferdinand Tonnies were doing their sociological works. Simmel became known for his small-group research, featuring dyads (two-person groups) and triads (three-person groups). Tonnies paved the way into "urban sociology" with his classic "Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft" (Community and Society).

In Great Britain, Herbert Spencer was introducing the study of sociology through his theories of social Darwinism. He championed a philosophy known as "laissez-faire," (let it be as it is). In other Words, in Darwinian fashion, leave society alone and the good parts will survive while the "bad" parts will die out.

Spencer's ideas were the basis for the brand of sociology taught by William Graham Sumner, who taught the first class in sociology at Yale University in America. Like Spencer, Sumner was a social Darwinist.

His theories were challenged by Ward, a professor at Brown University, who became known as the "Father of American Sociology." Lester Frank Ward came from very humble beginnings to be a presidential advisor as well as a college professor. He saw education as a way for people to better themselves in society. So, he opposed Sumner's idea of letting people "fetch for themselves." Ward favored government-sponsored programs, especially in education, so that lowly-born citizens could improve themselves.

Certainly, there were other notable figures between Comte and Sumner and Ward (each of whom died between 1905 and 1910), but I think that these are certainly the people who ought to be credited with founding modern sociology.

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