Bibliography
Wolff’s own writings are easily accessible in the form of a Collected Works edition, published since 1962 in three series (German texts, Latin texts, and materials and documents, the latter including texts by disciples as well as enemies) (Wolff, 1962-), the first two of which are now complete.
Almost all of these are reprints of the most important original editions, many with substantial introductions. Wolff (1740, and especially 1754) are the basis for the arguments by Backhaus; Reinert and Daastol focus on Wolff (1733). Wolff’s strictly legal work is discussed in Nettelbladt (1754).In English, the literature on Wolff, let alone by him, is quite meagre. The European Journal of Law and Economics, 4 (213), June 1997, comprises the above-mentioned essays by Backhaus and Reinert and Daast0l, as well as a biographical sketch by Drechsler (1997a) and Peter Senn’s (1997) important study of the impact of Wolff on the social sciences, especially in the Englishspeaking world. There is a very good survey article on Wolff in the Encyclopaedia Britannica's celebrated 11th edition (Pringle-Pattison, 1910). The translation of Wolff’s Jus gentium (1934) is the most important Wolffian original text available in English. Among the German publications, a collection of essays on Wolff and his influence (Schneiders, 1986), including a comprehensive bibliography of more recent works on him, deserves special mention.
Notes
1. The biographical segment is based on Drechsler (1997a), where detailed references are available.
2. Fuhrmann (1997, pp. 40-44), presents a good synopsis of the concept of the house in the history of economic thinking.
3. This focus on the self-reliance of the smallest functioning unit, the household, is probably more than just homologous to communitarian (see Reese-Schafer, 1994) as well as to neoconservative (see Drechsler, 1995, pp.
217-18) approaches today, in that it is arguably based on a similar view of society and individual.References
Backhaus, J.G. (1997), ‘Christian Wolff on subsidiarity, the division of labor, and social welfare’, European Journal of Law and Economics, 4 (213), June, 129-46.
Cramer, J.U. von (1742-67), Opuscula, 5 vols; now also reprinted in Wolff (1962-) 3rd ser., 34 (1-5) (1996).
Drechsler, W. (1995), ‘Benjamin Disraeli’s social Toryism. Sanitas sanitatum, omnia sanitas reconsidered’, International Review of Comparative Public Policy, 6, 217-43.
Drechsler, W. (1996), ‘Einfuhrung’, in Cramer (1742-67), 34 (1), pp. vii-liv.
Drechsler, W. (1997a), ‘Christian Wolff (1679-1754): A Biographical Essay’, in European Journal of Law and Economics, 4 (213), June, 111-28.
Drechsler, W. (1997b), ‘Public administration as “state science”’, Foundations ofPublic Administration. A European Collection, Tartu: at the University Press; in Estonian.
European Journal of Law and Economics, 4 (213) June; special issue on Christian Wolff, (ed.) J.G. Backhaus, now also reprinted in Wolff (1962-), 3rd ser., 45 (1996).
Fuhrmann, H. (1997), ‘Die Lehre vom Haus und das Haus des Gelehrten’, Uberall istMittelalter. Von der Gegenwart einer vergangenen Zeit, 2nd edn, Munich: Beck.
Goebel, J. (1920), ‘Christian Wolff and the Declaration of Independence’, Deutsch-Amerikanische Geschichtsblatter. Jahrbuch der Deutsch-Amerikanischen Gesellschaft von Illinois, 18/19 (Jg. 1918/19), Chicago: Deutsch-Amerikanische Gesellschaft von Illinois.
Nettelbladt, D. (1754), ‘Von den Verdiensten des Freyherrn von Wolf um die positive Rechtsgelahrtheit’, Hallische Beytrage zu der Juristischen Gelehrten Historie 1[1755](2)I, 207-49.
Pringle-Pattison, A.S. (1910), ‘Christian Wolff (less correctly Wolf)’, in The Encyclopaedia Britannica. A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information, 11th edn, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Reese-Schafer, W. (1994), Was istKommunitarismus?, Frankfurt am Main: Campus.
Reinert, E.S. and A.M. Daastol (1997), ‘Exploring the genesis of economic innovations: The religious gestalt-switch and the duty to invent as preconditions for economic growth’, European Journal of Law and Economics, 4 (213), June, 233-83.
Schneiders, W. (ed.) (1986), Christian Wolff, 1697—1754. Interpretationen zu seiner Philosophie und deren Wirkung. Mit einer Bibliographie der Wolff-Literatur, 2nd edn, Hamburg: Meiner.
Senn, P.R. (1997), ‘Christian Wolff in the pre-history of the social sciences’, European Journal of Law and Economics, 4 (213), June, 147-232.
Wolff, C. (1733), Vernunfftige Gedancken von der Menschen Thun und Lassen, zu Beforderung ihrer Gluckseeligkeit, den Liebhabern der Wahrheit mitgetheilet, 4th edn; now also reprinted in Wolff, 1962-, 1st ser., 4 (1976).
Wolff, C. (1740), ‘Von einer Erwegung der Staatsgeschaffte’, in Gesammlete kleine philosophische Schrifften, Sechster und Ietzter Theil, darinnen besonders die zur Staatsklugheit und der damit verbundenen Rechtsgelehrsamkeit gehorige Stucke enthalten (tr. and ed. G.F. Hagen); now also reprinted in Wolff (1962-), 1st ser., 21(6), 1981, 323-528.
Wolff, C. (1754), Grundsatze des Natur- und Volckerrechts, worin alle Verbindlichkeiten und alle Rechte aus der Natur des Menschen in einem bestandigen Zusammenhange hergeleitet werden, now also reprinted in Wolff, 1962-, 1st ser., 19 (1980).
Wolff, C. (1934), Jus gentium methodo scientifica pertractatum 2: The Translation, tr. J.H. Drake, Oxford: Clarendon and London: Milford. (Translation of the 2nd edn of 1764; 1st edn, 1749.)
Wolff, C. (1962-), Gesammelte Werke, ed. J. Ecole et al., Hildesheim, Zurich and New York: Olms.
Wolff, C. (1985), Oratio de Sinarum philosophia practica /Rede uber diepraktische Philosophie der Chinesen (ed.), M.Albrecht, Hamburg: Meiner.