Final answer:
Emile Durkheim is recognized as the founder of the sociology of knowledge and a major theorist of early sociology.
Step-by-step explanation:
The founder of the sociology of knowledge and a major theorist of early sociology is Emile Durkheim. While other sociologists like Max Weber, Karl Marx, and Karl Mannheim made significant contributions to the field of sociology, Emile Durkheim is recognized as the founder of the sociology of knowledge. Durkheim believed that society was a product of social facts and that these social facts influenced people's thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors.