Comte stressed that the methods of the natural
sciences should be applied to the objective study of
society. He sought to unlock the secrets of society
so that intellectuals like him could become the new
secular (as contrasted with religious) “high priests”
of society (Nisbet, 1979). For Comte, the best policies
involved order and authority. He envisioned
that a new consensus would emerge on social issues
and that the new science of sociology would play
a signifi cant part in the reorganization of society
(Lenzer, 1998).