Many great historical figures such as Karl Marx, Max Weber and Émile Durkheim have shaped our understanding of society. They all presented different perspectives on culture, society and individuals. Karl Marx viewed economics as the basis that determines the social superstructure, Weber viewed it as an extension of religious belief, while Durkheim viewed it as a social institution constituting a society. However, Durkheim was able to represent the best concept still applicable today. Émile Durkheim was a functionalist who believed in morality and social cohesion. He believed that aspects of social life shape our actions as individuals and that these social facts could be studied scientifically. According to Durkheim, organic solidarity was the result of social cohesion that made society as a whole function. Social norms lose their hold on individual behavior, which is called anomie. It was the result of rapid changes in society that caused individuals to feel a lack of meaning in life. He believed that our society is like a human body. Each organization works...