ABSTRACT
The French philosopher August Comte used the term 'sociology' to integrate theoretical and practical studies of human beings. The sociological perspective offers some interesting insights into the role that objects and artifacts play in our lives, but it also raises some questions about how these objects function for people and what motivates people to purchase these objects. Another French scholar, Emile Durkheim, who is generally considered to be the founder of French sociology, argued that the relationship that exists between individuals and society is very complicated. A great deal of the reading we do in books and newspapers and magazines serves the purpose of giving us notions about what objects and other kinds of material culture are appropriate for individuals who are members of each socioeconomic class or taste culture. There is a conservative bias to structural-functionalism, since it posits the maintenance of society as the primary consideration rather than focusing on change and the evolution of institutions and societies.
