Understanding the Concept of Law
Law is a set of rules that are created and enforced by social or governmental institutions to regulate behaviour. It is a multifaceted concept with many different aspects to explore including the purpose, principles, history and philosophy of law. Law shapes politics, economics, history and society in a variety of ways.
Laws serve a number of different purposes, but the four main ones are establishing standards, maintaining order, resolving disputes and protecting liberties and rights. Laws can be created and enforced by a group of legislators, resulting in statutes; by the executive through decrees and regulations; or by judges under the principle of stare decisis. Individuals can also create their own legal contracts and agreements, such as arbitration or non-liability contracts; tort laws covering compensation for damage caused to people or their property by negligent acts; or criminal laws, which deal with offences committed against a person, such as homicide or fraud.
The purpose of law varies with the context and situation. It can be purely utilitarian, as in the case of a traffic rule to protect others’ safety; or it can be moral, as in the case of an anti-discrimination law to protect against discriminatory actions. It can also be a combination of both, as in the case of a crime law, which protects against both crimes and the misuse of power.
Another theory of law is that it is simply a tool for social control, and therefore needs to be coercive. This would explain why, for example, tyrannical dictators are able to create bad laws, which they can then use to justify their control over people.
Some modern theories of law, such as legal positivism, take this view of law a step further by stating that the only valid laws are those created by a controlling authority. This, they argue, ensures that laws are consistent and fair, and that everyone understands what is expected of them.
However, other scholars have pointed out that there are deeper dimensions to the idea of law. For example, many laws seem to reflect a moral position against cruelty or injustice, which cannot be reduced to mere utilitarian considerations. They also note that not all laws are the result of a written document issued by a sovereign ruler; for instance, some international customary law has developed through practices rather than being imposed by a controlling authority. The idea that there are various levels of law is reflected in the term “en banc” in US federal court practice, which refers to all judges in a particular appellate chamber hearing a case. This is in contrast to the regular practice of a case being heard by a panel of three judges. The en banc process is often used in cases involving high-profile or controversial issues. The decision of the en banc panel is then binding on all the other judges in that appellate court. The Supreme Court of the United States has held that there is a fundamental difference between the judicial and legislative branches of the US government, so the en banc procedure does not violate separation of powers.