How did Auguste Comte think sciences should explain natural and social phenomena?

Auguste Comte, the originator of positivism, argued that human knowledge evolves through three stages: theological, metaphysical, and finally, the scientific or "positive" stage.12

In this final stage, Comte believed that sciences should abandon the search for absolute causes or essences—which he viewed as fruitless—and instead focus exclusively on observable facts. He maintained that the task of science is to study the regularities of nature and society and to formulate these as descriptive laws.23

Comte applied this rigorous scientific method to all phenomena, including human society, which he termed sociology. He believed that social phenomena could be reduced to laws just as effectively as physical phenomena, such as the movement of celestial bodies. By identifying these laws, he aimed to provide a basis for social planning and the improvement of society, moving away from outdated supernaturalism toward a system grounded in empirical observation and experiment.231