Henry James Sumner Maine
Sir Henry James Sumner Maine, KCSI (15 August 1822 – 3 February 1888), was an English comparative jurist and historian. He is famous for the thesis outlined in Ancient Law that law and society developed "from status to contract." According to the thesis, in the ancient world individuals were tightly bound by status to traditional groups, while in the modern one, in which individuals are viewed as autonomous agents, they are free to make contracts and form associations with whomever they choose. Because of this thesis, Maine can be seen as one of the forefathers of modern sociology of law.
Read more about Henry James Sumner Maine: Early Life, In India, Oxford Professor, Death, Works
Famous quotes containing the words henry, james, sumner and/or maine:
“In matters of the intellect follow your reason as far as it will take you, without regard to any other consideration... and do not pretend that conclusions are certain which are not demonstrated or demonstrable. That I take to be the agnostic faith, which if a man keep whole and undefiled, he shall not be ashamed to look the universe in the face, whatever the future may have in store for him.”
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)
“There is ... an organic affinity between joyousness and tenderness, and their companionship in the saintly life need in no way occasion surprise.”
—William James (1842–1910)
“through the Sumner Tunnel,
trunk by trunk through its sulphurous walls,
tile by tile like a men’s urinal,
slipping through
like somebody else’s package.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“Oh, there are people, all right, settled in the sea;
It is as populous as Maine today,
But no one who will give you the time of day.”
—William Meredith (b. 1919)