PetrażYcki, Leon (1867–1931)

Leon Petrażycki was born in Witebsk, a province of Poland that was then under Russian rule. Petrażycki was an undergraduate at Kiev University and later moved to Berlin to pursue graduate work. He became professor of jurisprudence at the University of Warsaw, a post he held from 1897 to 1931.

To develop better legal theory and practice, Petrażycki examined the intricate interplay between law and society by embracing sociological concepts. He won acclaim by developing a unique theoretical model that included social policy, philosophy, psychology, sociology of law, and human morality. Petrażycki's primary works were published in Russian; a limited selection was translated into English for American audiences.

Petrażycki, a refined Darwinian, used trends that incorporated a variation of social engineering. He combined behaviorism and legal ...