eatest aim of the Positive Philosophy is to advance
the study of society into the third of the three stages,--to remove
social phenomena from the sphere of theological and metaphysical
conceptions, and to introduce among them the same scientific
observation of their laws which has given us physics, chemistry,
physiology. Social physics will consist of the conditions and
relations of the facts of society, and will have two departments,--one
statical, containing the laws of order; the other dynamical,
containing the laws of progress. While men's minds were in the
theological state, political events, for example, were explained by
the will of the gods, and political authority based on divine right.
In the metaphysical state of mind, then, to retain our instance,
political authority was based on the sovereignty of the people, and
social facts were explained by the figment of a falling away from a
state of nature. When the positive method has been finally extended to
society, as it has been to chemistry and physiology, these social
facts will be resolved, as their ultimate analysis, into relations
with one another, and instead of seeking causes in the old sense of
the word, men will only examine the conditions of social existence.
When that stage has been reached not merely the greater part, but the
whole, of our knowledge will be impressed with one character--the
character, namely, of positivity or scientificalness; and all our
conceptions in every part of knowledge will be thoroughly homogeneous.
The gains of such a change are enormous. The new philosophical unity
will now in its turn regenerate all the elements that went to its own
formation. The mind will pursue knowledge without the wasteful jar and
friction of conflicting methods and mutually hostile conceptions;
education will be regenerated; and society will reorganise itself on
the only possible solid base--a homogeneous philosophy.

The _Positive Philosophy_ has another object besides the demonstration
of the necessity and propriety of a science of society. This object is
to show the sciences as branches from a single trunk,--is to give to
science the ensemble or spirit of generality hitherto confined to
philosophy, and to give to philosophy the rigour and solidity of
science. Comte's special object is a study of social physics, a
science that before his advent was still to be formed; his second
object is a review of the methods and leading generalities of all the