"The human person, whose definition serves as the touchstone according to which good must be distinguished from evil, is considered as sacred, in what one might call the ritual sense of the word. It has something of that transcendental majesty which the churches of all times have given to their Gods."
Emile Durkheim was a French sociologist widely regarded as a founding figure in modern sociology. He established key concepts in social theory and wrote influential works including The Division of Labor in Society and Suicide. His methods shaped the academic study of social facts and institutions.