1. Background of sociology.

Background sociology begins with the emergence and development of society and man, with the appearance of the theoretical level of reflection of society.The process of anthropogenesis (human evolution) and sociogenesis (formation of the society), which began 1.5 - 1.6 mln. Years ago, finished 35-40 thousand. Years ago. This period covers the Paleolithic ("Old Stone Age"), perhaps our ancestors came to him with wooden tools. Late Paleolithic, Mesolithic ("Middle Stone Age") and Neolithic lasted no more than 30-35 thousand years. This is the period of movement from appropriating to the producing economy, ie primary or primitive formation (Scheme №9). The first civilization unifying concept economic system (a society based on commodity-money relations), appeared at the end of IV millennium BC between the Tigris and the Euphrates and the Nile Valley. With the emergence of civilizations formed philosophy, including general arguments about society and about man. Elements of the social philosophy of the most highly developed in the ancient world reached in China and Greece. Many arguments Kong Zi (Confucius) (551-479 BC.) And Plato (427-347 BC.) Of the person and of society, and are relevant in the XXI century. Among them - the concept of Confucius 'Ren' in which the central place occupies the position that man - "the measure of all things" that man - the main link in the social system. Confucius believed that for the improvement of society must be moral perfection of each person. Importance of sociology also has a Platonic idea of the objective nature of the laws of functioning and development of society.

Each stage of civilization, philosophy brought something new to the development of social philosophy, revealing new truths about society and about man. By the end of the XVII century. All scientific knowledge developed within philosophy. Only with the advent of the main works of Newton's "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy" (1687) she begins to separate from the mechanics and physics. Later, there are chemistry and biology, and only in the XIX century - sociology. Among the main forms of motion: mechanical, physical, biological, social, the latter is the most confusing. Separate truth from error in the reflection of the social form of motion of matter is very difficult, because social life is linked with people's interests and the interests of different social groups often are not only different, but opposite. Search for Truth - the main task of science, including sociology.

All the founders of the science that emerged in the XVII-XIX centuries., Were outstanding philosophers. It is generally considered the founder of the sociology of the three great philosophers Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim. The recently released in England big explanatory dictionary of sociology called "trinity major classical sociologists." [7, Volume 2, S. 73]. Although Marx and Weber did not consider the sociology of science separate from social philosophy, they have formulated its basic provisions.

Social philosophers in Western Europe, especially in the XX century made ​​a number of important discoveries, reflecting the development and functioning of society. Among them, the idea of the epoch (formations, phases) of human development, Marx and Saint-Simon are three main stages of development of society, past, present and future.

According to Marx, the main criterion of social progress in favor of human freedom. If the "primary" formation person is a prisoner of the elemental forces of nature and society, then in the "secondary" economic system is relatively free, and freedom is expanding with each of its period. And finally, the future of humanity will come to a "tertiary" formation of free people.

According to Saint-Simon, the main criterion of social progress serves the change of social consciousness. In the past, up to the occurrence and spread of Enlightenment ideas of atheism in the public mind, the dominant position was wholly owned by religion, theology. Further, among the kinds of social consciousness begins to belong to the decisive role of philosophy and metaphysics. In the future, this role goes to science, to the positive (specific, expert) knowledge. This provision of Saint-Simon, like many others, adopted and used with some modifications Comte, attributed last named the "law of the three stages."