JHERING, RUDOLF VON

born Aug. 22, 1818, Aurich, Hanover died Sept. 17, 1892, Gttingen, Ger. Jhering also spelled Ihering German legal scholar, sometimes called the father of sociological jurisprudence. He developed a philosophy of social utilitarianism that, in emphasizing the needs of society, differed from the individualist approach of the English utilitarian Jeremy Bentham. Jhering taught Roman law at Giessen (185268), at Gttingen (from 1872), and at four other universities for briefer periods. In his most ambitious book, Geist des rmischen Rechts, 4 vol. (185265; The Spirit of the Roman Law), he elaborated the relation of law to social change. Perhaps more influential in the 20th century was his Der Zweck im Recht, 2 vol. (187783; Law As a Means to an End). In his view as expressed in this work, the purpose of law is the protection of individual and societal interests by coordinating them and thus minimizing occasions for conflict. If interests clash, he would give precedence to those of society.