Classical Social Theory and Ideas of Responsibility and the State in France and Germany
Classical Social Theory and Ideas of Responsibility and the State in France and Germany

Summary/Abstract: Social theory can aid comparative legal studies by revealing currents of social ideas in which law develops. A comparison of major contributions to French and German social theory between the mid-nineteenth and the early twentieth century presents striking contrasts in understandings of the nature of legal responsibility and the function of the state. It shows two different movements of thought: one elaborating a view of law mainly as a technology of government overseeing and co-ordinating individual interests; the other emphasising the law’s importance in nurturing social solidarity and facilitating collective responsibility.

• Details
• Contents