Short Essay on Austin – Austin was the first systematic exponent of a view of law known as “legal positivism”. English jurist was born on the 3rd of March, 1790.
At the early age of sixteen he joined the army. In 1812, he resigned and began to read law in the chambers of a barrister. He was called to the bar in the year 1818.
He discontinued his practice, and devoted himself to the study of law as a science, and became Professor of Jurisprudence in London University 1826-32. Thereafter he served on various Royal Commissions. By his works he exercised a profound influence on the views of jurisprudence held in England.
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These include The Province of Jurisprudence Determined (1832), and his Lectures on Jurisprudence (1839). These books presented a comprehensive analysis of the principles.
Although he was severely criticized on many fronts but Austin’s work is of permanent value. The rigour and clarity of his analysis have demonstrated the complexity of many important legal and political concepts.