Auguste Comte. Engraving of Auguste Comte (1798- 1857), French philosopher. He is regarded as the father of modern sociology, coining the term in his description of the science. His ideas were to treat it as any other science, with its own laws and rules, and use it as the basis of social development, planning and regeneration. He taught maths and later philosophy, and founded the ideas of Positivism. This said that all sciences went through stages, from theological and metaphysical through to the positive experimental side. He was outspoken on several scientific issues, and died insane.