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Which of the following early social thinkers created the term sociology?

A) Karl Marx
B) Sigmund Freud
C) Auguste Comte
D) Charles Darwin

User Alebal
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Final answer:

Auguste Comte reintroduced the term 'sociology' in 1838, and he is associated with the creation of this term. Karl Marx is recognized for the belief that the history of society is characterized by class struggle.

Step-by-step explanation:

The term sociology was reintroduced by Auguste Comte in 1838. Comte, who had initially studied engineering, later shifted his focus to social philosophy, becoming a pupil of Claude Henri de Rouvroy Comte de Saint-Simon. Together, they shared the belief that the study of society could be approached with the same scientific methods as used in natural sciences. Comte went on to propose that social scientists could potentially solve societal problems by identifying the governing laws of society. This scientific study of social patterns was named positivism by Comte.

In terms of the foundations of sociology, while there were several important contributors, the three primarily recognized as the classical sociologists are Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Émile Durkheim, collectively sometimes referred to as the early canon of sociology. Out of the options provided in the question, Auguste Comte is the one who created the term sociology.

Moreover, Karl Marx believed that societies changed and developed due to ongoing class struggles, a concept which forms a substantial part of his sociological and philosophical contributions. It is Marx's point of view that the history of society was one of class struggle.

User Lukas Wiklund
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