Culture as a foundation concept for the social sciences

The gradual emergence of the idea of culture is traced from the writings of Comte to those of Durkheim, Weber and Parsons, from whom Almond and Verba derived the concept of political culture. The idea of culture emerged as a response to a problem raised by Comte around 1830: how the social sciences, when developed, would differ from the other positive sciences, yet remain a branch of a unitary 'positive philosophy'. It is suggested that the idea of culture is an appropriate solution to Comte's problem, a solution preferable to its chief historic rival, utility (rational choice) theory.