Born in
Salzgitter, Ahrens studied in
Wolfenbüttel and the
University of Göttingen. Ahrens, whose main interest was the philosophy of law and the state, was a disciple of
Karl Christian Friedrich Krause, with whom he defended his habilitation
De confoederatione germanica (
Of the German Confederation) in 1830. After being forced to leave Hanover as a result of his participation in the revolutionary movements there in 1831, he spread the knowledge of Krause's system in France and Belgium through lectures in Paris in 1830 and in Brussels in 1834 and through his extensive writing activity. He was a professor in Brussels during the years 1834–50. In 1848, Ahrens returned to Germany and was sent by the electors of his hometown as a deputy to the Frankfurt parliament. He resigned from the parliament in 1849 along with the other Hanoverians. In 1850 he became a professor in Graz and in 1859 in Leipzig. His works include
Cours de droit naturel (Paris 1838), published in German under the title
Naturrecht oder Philosophie des Rechts und des Staates (1856, sixth edition Vienna 1870–71), and
Juristische Encyklopädie ( 1855–57). ==Works==