“The origins of sociological thought can be traced to the scientific revolution of the late 17th and early 18th centuries” (Kendall 11). At that time, great importance was placed on possessing critical reasoning and experiences. In France, the Enlightenment was dominated by a group called philosophers; these men believed that human society could be improved through scientific discoveries (Kendall 11). In France at this time, women were excluded from public life, but some women managed to influence philosophers by participating in a "salon" which was akin to an open day that encouraged discussion and debate. During these shows, men generally viewed women as someone who was a good listener, or perhaps even a mistress; they did not consider them intellectual equals. Sometimes they even used women's thoughts and ideas as their own (Kendall 11). Some sociologists view society as a fundamental, continuous entity, some view it as groups competing for scarce resources, and others view it as fundamental daily interactions between people (Kendall 23). ). Each of them uses a theory that attempts to describe, explain, and sometimes predict social events (Kendall 23). It is perspectives which means "having a mental vision or perspective or having the ability to perceive things in their actual interrelations or comparative importance" (dictionary). Three major theoretical perspectives have emerged in sociology. The first would be the functionalist theory, which designates “a system of thoughts based on the postulate that all mental processes derive from their usefulness for the organism in its adaptation to the environment” (dictionary). Second, conflict theory, which is based on the idea that the fundamental approach considers values ​​as the core of culture, because values ​​give meaning to what people do, direct people's lives and unite people. people together” “For Parsons, society is a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. He defines social structure as any relatively stable pattern of social behavior” (Encyclopedia). Works Cited http://www.egs.edu George Simmel Library, biography, online source, October 29, 2011 http://www.criminology.fsu.edu /crimtheory/chambliss, online source, October 29, 2011 http:/ /www.dictionary.com, online source, October 29, 2011 http://www.encyclopedia.com/people, online source, October 29, 2011 http://www.historyguide. org/intellect/marx, online source, October 29, 2011 Kendall, Diana. Sociology 111 General Sociology: Columbia College Edition. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.