Science of the Law

Jurisprudence Science of the Law

Introduction to Science of the Law

The word jurisprudence is usually used to describe what was often called at an earlier period the philosophy of law and what Continental writers now call the theory or science of law. An English or U.S. treatise on jurisprudence defines the essential elements in our conception of law; the relation that law bears to the cognate social sciences, politics, ethics, and economics; the way in which law originates-in popular customs, judicial usage, and legislation-and the way in which it ceases to exist-by desuetude, change of usage, abrogation, or repeal; its application with reference to persons, time, and place; and the way in which it is enforced. Jurisprudence formulates legal relations, rights, and duties. It may undertake to classify law and to construct a system in which every rule of law may find an appropriate place. It may also attempt to classify all the relations that the law recognizes or creates and which it regulates or orders, that is, the relations of state and government to individuals and groups, and of individuals and groups to each other. It may even analyze the fundamental conceptions of the family, of property, and of succession.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Science of the Law in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Science of the Law