Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Ferrier, James Frederick fĕrˈēər [key], 1808–64, Scottish philosopher. He was a professor at Edinburgh (1842–45) and at St. Andrews from 1845 until his death. His major work, the Institutes of...

(Encyclopedia) common law, system of law that prevails in England and in countries colonized by England. The name is derived from the medieval theory that the law administered by the king's courts represented the co...

(Encyclopedia) Beer's law [for August Beer], physical law stating that the quantity of light absorbed by a substance dissolved in a nonabsorbing solvent is directly proportional to the concentration of the substance...

(Encyclopedia) Ekholm, Gordon Frederick ĕkˈhōlm [key], 1909–87, American archaeologist, b. St. Paul, Minn., Ph.D. Harvard, 1941. Working with the American Museum of Natural History in New York City after 1937, ...

(Encyclopedia) Frederick I, 1657–1713, first king of Prussia (1701–13), elector of Brandenburg (1688–1713) as Frederick III. He succeeded his father, Frederick William the Great Elector, in Brandenburg. Throug...

(Encyclopedia) natural law, theory that some laws are basic and fundamental to human nature and are discoverable by human reason without reference to specific legislative enactments or judicial decisions. Natural la...

(Encyclopedia) canon law, in the Roman Catholic Church, the body of law based on the legislation of the councils (both ecumenical and local) and the popes, as well as the bishops (for diocesan matters). It is the la...

(Encyclopedia) Tout, Thomas Frederick tout [key], 1855–1929, English historian. Educated at Oxford, he taught at the Univ. of Manchester from 1890 to 1925. Considered an outstanding authority on medieval history, ...

(Encyclopedia) martial law, temporary government and control by military authorities of a territory or state, when war or overwhelming public disturbance makes the civil authorities of the region unable to enforce i...

(Encyclopedia) Frederick William III, 1770–1840, king of Prussia (1797–1840), son and successor of Frederick William II. Well-intentioned but weak and vacillating, he endeavored to maintain neutrality in the Nap...