Who is considered the founder of sociology?

August Comte is regarded as the founder of sociology because he was the first to propose that society could be studied using scientific methods, much like the natural sciences. He introduced the term "sociology" in the early 19th century, advocating for a systematic and empirical approach to understanding social phenomena. Comte emphasized the importance of social order and progress, laying the groundwork for sociological theory and research that follows. His vision of sociology as the "queen of the sciences" aimed to establish it as a distinct discipline within the broader landscape of knowledge, emphasizing the application of observation and classification of social facts.