La Pensée Bourgeoise

In this chapter Sahlins develops a critique both of economics’ taken-for-granted concept of utility and Marx’s notion of use value, inherent in the object. Instead he argues that utility is essentially cultural; it is the symbolic system of meaning that enables certain goods to satisfy culturally-specific needs. He expands this argument by suggesting that there exists a totemistic system of meaning, in which physical properties of objects correlate to the structure of symbolic meaning, forming a quasi-grammatical structure. Colours, material and shapes in this structure correspond to categories of culture.