Which of the following men coined the term positivism, and is widely considered the father of sociology?

The man who coined the term "positivism" and is widely considered the father of sociology is Auguste Comte.

Here are the steps to how he developed this:

1. Auguste Comte was born in 1798 in Montpellier, France. He was a philosopher who developed the science of sociology to investigate how society works.

2. Comte introduced the term "positivism" to describe his approach to studying society. Positivism is the belief that the only authentic knowledge is scientific knowledge, and that such knowledge can only come from positive affirmation of theories through strict scientific methods.

3. He believed that social behaviors could be studied scientifically in the same way as natural science, and that by doing so, society could be improved. This was a revolutionary idea at the time.

4. Comte's work was influential in the development of theoretical perspectives in sociology and he laid the groundwork for future sociologists. His emphasis on the use of scientific methods to study society is still a major part of sociology today.

5. Therefore, due to his significant contributions to the field, Auguste Comte is widely considered the father of sociology.