Law is the set of rules governing human conduct that are imposed by a social or political order. There are many fields of law, including contract law, property law, criminal law and family law. The study of law raises important and complex issues that touch on philosophy, ethics, history, economic analysis and sociology.
Among the most complex are the questions of what constitutes a legal rule and how a rule becomes a law. Some legal rules have a normative or prescriptive nature, telling people what they ought to do or not do; these are sometimes called moral laws or ethical laws. Other legal rules are descriptive or explanatory; they describe a situation and provide a framework for interpreting it. These are sometimes called ex post laws or ex ante laws.
For example, a judge’s decision in a case is not just an explanation of why the plaintiff has won or lost but is also a description of why the law is as it is. The concept of law is also complicated by the fact that it is impossible to verify its contents empirically. In addition, law is dependent on the shape of the world and the limitations of the human mind. This makes law, as a system of rules, unique in comparison with other sciences and disciplines.
In addition to a rich source of scholarly inquiry, law is central to the lives of people around the world. It governs commerce and trade, protects the lives of individuals and families, and provides a framework for political stability and freedom. Yet it is not an easy system to create or sustain. Each year there are revolts against existing law or aspirations for greater rights for citizens. In most nation-states (as countries are called in law) it is possible for the people or groups who command military or bureaucratic power to make the laws and direct their enforcement.
Law can be seen as a kind of bargain between the ruled and those who hold political power. Being ruled through law diminishes the power of the ruler over the ruled because it establishes what Fuller 1964 calls a bond of reciprocity that constrains both sides. It is precisely this reason that the principles of law are cherished in most societies.
Nevertheless, the law does not always work as it should. This can be due to the fact that there are societal pressures for laws to do certain things rather than others or because the way in which laws are made is flawed. For instance, legislative processes often produce legislation that seems to be contradictory simply because a group of politicians decide that it should be. This sort of legislation may not be in the interest of justice and does not satisfy the standards that would be required to fulfil the role of law as a system of rules.
