Final answer:
Auguste Comte founded sociology and the positivist approach, believing that society can be studied using scientific methods, leading to the improvement of the human condition. His work laid the academic foundation for sociology, influencing both quantitative and qualitative research methods in the discipline.
Step-by-step explanation:
The French philosopher Auguste Comte is credited with the founding of sociology and the concept of positivism. Comte believed that just as the natural world follows scientific laws, so too does society. By applying scientific methods to the study of society, he proposed that sociologists could discover these laws and use them to improve the human condition. This belief that society could be studied empirically and improved through knowledge is the essence of positivism. Comte’s ideas laid the groundwork for sociology as an academic discipline, which was later established in United States universities thanks to scholars like W. E. B. Du Bois. It is also important to note that Comte’s approach influenced both quantitative sociology, which focuses on data that can be measured, and qualitative sociology, which seeks to understand social worlds in depth.