Jurisprudence is the knowledge of things Divine and human; the science of the just and the unjust.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) True jurisprudence encompasses both divine and human law and demands the ability to distinguish the just from the unjust — invoke this definition to remind a tribunal that law is a moral science, not mere procedure.

Where this applies

• A judge reminds the courtroom that the law is not merely a set of technical rules but a moral science concerned with distinguishing right from wrong in the light of both divine and human principles.
• A law student argues that morality has no place in jurisprudence; the professor responds that from Justinian onward, the science of law has always encompassed what is just and unjust.
• A party urges the court to apply a statute mechanically without regard to fairness; the court invokes the classical definition of jurisprudence to insist on justice as the law's ultimate aim.