John Austin (1790-1859) was the first professor of jurisprudence in the University of London, now University Collge. This study provides an analysis of six of his lectures during the years 1828 to 1833. Austin exercises himself, in the earlier part of the work, with marking off law from what would now be called the social sciences. He decides that the term law, used simply and strictly, consists of rules laid down by political superiors for political inferiors in independent political societies. Austin confines the relevant rules to commands: significations of desire with a power and purpose of inflicting an evil in case the desire be disregarded. The term rule here in turn is confined to those directed to acts or forbearances specified as a class. The term superiority connotes superior might, having nothing to do with precedence or excellence.
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