Each department of knowledge passes through three stages. The theoretic stage; the theological stage and the metaphysical or abstract stage.

Auguste Comte's quote outlines his theory of the evolution of human knowledge, which he divides into three distinct stages: the theoretic, the theological, and the metaphysical or abstract stage. According to Comte, each area of knowledge, whether it’s in science, philosophy, or other fields, progresses through these phases as it matures and develops. The theoretic stage is the initial phase where knowledge is grounded in observable facts and empirical evidence, leading to the development of theories based on those observations.

The second stage, the theological stage, marks a shift where knowledge and explanations are framed within the context of religion and spiritual beliefs. In this phase, people tend to attribute events and phenomena to divine forces or supernatural causes, relying on religious or mythological explanations rather than empirical evidence. This stage is often seen as an earlier and more primitive form of understanding the world.

The third stage, the metaphysical or abstract stage, represents a more advanced phase where knowledge becomes more conceptual and less tied to concrete experiences or religious explanations. In this stage, thinkers begin to use abstract reasoning to explore underlying principles, laws, and theories that cannot always be directly observed but are inferred through logical reasoning. Comte believed that the ultimate goal of knowledge was to move beyond both theological explanations and abstract metaphysical speculation and reach a more scientific understanding of the world.

The origin of this quote lies in Comte's broader philosophical framework known as positivism, which advocates for the idea that knowledge should be based on observable, empirical evidence and that society’s understanding of the world progresses through these stages. His theory of the development of knowledge was a major part of his intellectual contributions to sociology and philosophy of science in the 19th century. Comte's ideas laid the groundwork for the later development of modern social sciences and scientific approaches to understanding society and knowledge.