ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the contributions of Auguste Comte and Herbert Spencer, the founding fathers of sociology. Both Comte and Spencer were early social theorists who emphasised the scientific study of society and successfully established sociology as a science of society. The learner would also get acquainted with the social and intellectual conditions that influenced the ideas of the founding fathers of sociology about social reality. This chapter also discusses their views regarding the subject matter of the discipline, the methodology to be adopted and some of their important concepts and theories on society and social change.
