Law is a system of rules, often enforced by a government, that form the framework for a society to function in an orderly manner. When a rule is broken, sanctions can be applied. Law informs everyday life in a variety of ways and can be found in a range of different branches, such as banking, financial, environmental, property and water laws.
The word “law” has numerous definitions, as many people have very different ideas about what it means. A number of books containing different definitions of law have been written, but the most commonly accepted idea is that law is a set of rules created by the state to ensure a peaceful society. The law sets the boundaries within which citizens are allowed to interact with one another and ensures that, if a person breaks the rules, they can be punished.
Despite its seemingly abstract nature, law is extremely important in people’s lives. It helps to keep the peace, maintain stability and the status quo, protect individuals and groups against oppression, and provide for orderly social change. Different legal systems serve these purposes differently. For example, a nation ruled by an authoritarian regime may keep the peace and maintain the status quo, but it may also oppress minorities or political opponents.
As a rule, the law should be fairly easy to understand, and it should be enforceable in an equitable way. It should apply to all people regardless of their wealth or status, and it should be transparent and accountable. People should be able to find out how the law works and how it affects them, and they should be able to collaborate with government officials to improve the law.
It is also important for a society to have a clear sense of morality, as this can help to guide behaviour. This can be achieved through a combination of the law and religious teachings, which can help to define what is right and wrong. Examples include Jewish halakha and Islamic Shari’a, which act as a source of further law through interpretation, Qiyas (reasoning by analogy) and Ijma (consensus).
Other important legal principles are fairness, proportionality, privacy, public interest, due process and natural justice. The latter is a principle developed by Max Weber and others, which defines the limits of state power. These limits are now more important than ever, as modern technology and militaries have given governments far greater powers over their citizens than writers such as Locke or Montesquieu could have imagined. Other articles on this site explore these issues in more detail: agency; air law; bankruptcy; carriage of goods; constitutional law; contract; criminal law; family law; inheritance; labour law; maritime law; medical jurisprudence; and property law. See also: law, philosophy of; legal profession; and legal education.