Final answer:
The Enlightenment laid the foundation for sociology through an emphasis on rationality, empiricism, and social reform. It encouraged the use of scientific methods to study society and sparked new inquiries about traditional institutions, paving the way for sociological study.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Enlightenment period set the groundwork for the development of sociology in several ways. Thinkers like Immanuel Kant believed that human reason could develop a moral society over generations. This laid the basis for using rationality and empiricism to understand human behavior and social structures. Auguste Comte later proposed a science of society - sociology, which would apply empirical methods to social issues, enabling progress. This methodological approach, alongside the various changes, including the Industrial Revolution and exposure to diverse cultures, raised new questions about traditional institutions such as family, work, and religion, thereby creating a fertile environment for sociological inquiry. Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau developed theories like the social contract, emphasizing individual rights and rational governance, challenging divine rule, and absolutism. The call was to address social ills and propose reform through principles derived from reason and observation. These philosophical underpinnings, in combination with the dramatic societal shifts of the Industrial Revolution, constituted the backdrop against which sociology emerged as a field dedicated to understanding the new social order.