According to auguste comte, the writings of thomas hobbes, john locke, and adam smith shifted focus from moral obligation to god and king (theological stage) to "the pursuit of self-interest" (metaphysical stage).
Comte said that this stage began around the middle Ages in Europe, or some place around the 1300s. In the metaphysical stage of society, individuals saw the world and occasions as normal impressions of human inclinations. Individuals in this stage still had confidence in divine forces or divine beings, yet they trusted that these creatures are more conceptual and less specifically engaged with what occurs consistently. Rather, issues on the planet are because of deformities in mankind.