Pufendorf was successively professor of natural law at lund. The political writings of samuel pufendorf samuel pufendorf this work presents the basic arguments and fundamental themes of the political and moral thought of the seventeenthcentury philosopher, samuel pufendorf one of the most widely read natural lawyers of the prekantian era. He was created a baron in the last year of his life. The reader has before them one of the most important works of pufendorf scholarship to appear in the latter part of the twentieth century. Samuel pufendorf was born on january 8, 1632 in dorfchemnitz, a small town southwest of chemnitz in saxony. Pufendorfs doctrine of sovereignty and its natural law foundations. Samuel pufendorf on the duty of man and citizen according to. This textbased pdf was prepared by the typesetters of the lf book. Pufendorf s father was a lutheran pastor, and, though the family was poor, financial help from a. In the early twentieth century when his main natural law works were reissued in the carnegie classics series,1 samuel pufendorf was known as a theorist of international law. Includes index title in double line border john adams library copy has bookplate.
Pdf pufendorfs major work on the law of nature and of nations has never been considered to have had much influence on economics and on the. Economists will, perhaps, be surprised to read something about externalities and future discounting in pufendorfs work. Samuel pufendorf was born near chemnitz in saxony on january 8, 1632. The political writings of samuel pufendorf samuel pufendorf.
Of the law of nature and nations work by pufendorf britannica. The following year he published an excerpt from it, titled the whole duty of man according to the law of nature, in which pufendorf departed from the traditional approach of the medieval theologians to natural law and based. Among his achievements are his commentaries and revisions of the natural law theories of thomas hobbes and hugo grotius. The fact that fiammetta palladinis samuel pufendorf discepolo di hobbes was first published in italian in 1990 takes away none of its freshness or intellectual excitement. Two books of the elements of universal jurisprudence online. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. His name was just samuel pufendorf until he was ennobled in 1684. Internet archive contributor john adams library at the boston public library language english. The regions protestant elector, johann georg, had just been compelled by the imperial edict of restitution 1629, and by tillys sack of magdeburg 1631, to abandon his neutral stance in the thirty years war and join the newly arrived 1630 swedes under gustavus. Over the past twenty years there has been a renaissance of pufendorf scholarship. He began studying theology, law, philosophy, history and political theory in 1650, rst in leipzig, then,from1656on,injena, and nally165961inleiden. Pufendorf argued that civil society was established largely on contract between individual wills, but that sovereignty rests in a.
After reading this article you will learn about the bio, life and political ideas of samuel pufendorf. The political writings of samuel pufendorf samuel pufendorf this work presents the basic arguments and fundamental themes of the political and moral thought of the seventeenthcentury philosopher, samuel pufendorfone of the most widely read natural lawyers of the prekantian era. Improve yourself, find your inspiration, share with friends. Resurrecting pufendorf and capturing the westphalian moment. His rstmajorpositionwas a professorship for law of nature and nations at the university of heidelberg 1661. His theory, which builds on grotius and hobbes, was immediately recognized as a classic and taken up by writers as diverse as locke, hume, rousseau, and smith. The aim of this essay is to feature pufendorfs concept of sovereignty within the context of his natural law doctrine and the theory of moral entities and to reconsider the degree to which this conception of sovereignty may be regarded as secularabsolute. Cambridge texts in the history of political thought i.
Pufendorfs father was a lutheran pastor, and, though the family was poor, financial help from a rich nobleman enabled his father to. Pufendorfs doctrine of sovereignty and its natural law. However, what pufendorf says about the importance of contracts among the members of a community and the formation of supreme sovereignty is highly relevant for the social sciences. Among his achievements are his commentaries and revisions of the natural law theories of thomas hobbes and hugo. Samuel pufendorf was born in saxony in 1632, the son of a lutheran clergyman. On the duty of man and citizen according to natural law. Career in sweden he published his great work, of the law of nature and nations.
Samuel pufendorf and the foundation of modern natural law core. From the house of john hayes printer to the celebrated university 1682 at the charges of john creed, bookseller, cambridge. The whole duty of man according to the law of nature. Or, covenants with mankind, represented 1695 the online library of liberty is a project of liberty fund, inc. Representative of the 17thcentury enlightenment in germany. Pufendorf, samuel, 163294 on the duty of man and citizen according to natural law. John adams library, in the custody of the boston public library. Samuel pufendorf is one of the most important moral and political philosophers of the seventeenth century. The whole duty of man according to the law of nature online. Pufendorfs moral and political philosophy stanford encyclopedia of. Pufendorf was successively professor of natural law at lund in sweden and swedish historiographer royal.
Samuel pufendorf is currently considered a single author. Translated by frank gardner moore, professor of latin in columbia university 1927. An introduction to the history of the principal kingdoms. He is especially noted as an early theorist of international law. The portrait of samuel pufendorf is to be found at the law faculty of the university of lund, sweden, and is based on a photoreproduction by leopoldo iorizzo. He studied at leipzig and jena and held the first modern professorship in natural law, at the university of heidelberg. As a young student of ethics and politics, pufendorf was impressed by the naturallaw theory of hugo grotius.
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