What is Law?

Question

No specific areas of asking, just want to see every knowledgable person in this law and ethnic to discuss freely their view of what is law?

To me, Law is both just and unjust, moral and inmoral, fair and unfair. It basically depend on the enacted of the law, the government of the day, political influence and the society need or changes. Basically, it is a political instrument that reflect the society need such as changes to criminal law, culture, custom, need of the society,religion, commecial activities. Like what Erhlich have said, the law is a living law that change according to the society and it depend largely of the country.

Answer 1

Contract law, company law, divorce law, property law, constitutional law, penal law, inheritance law, all these which we in simple words call law actually are the statute/enactments that tell us what is provided in these, each & every section, chapter & part in these books. We read them along with the rules enacted/provided along with them & say now we know what is law with regards to property or divorce or crime. But this not so. A police officer reads the penal law relating to obscenity & when he sees some nude photograph of a lady he'll say well this is obscenity & it should be punished. But when the same matter reaches the court, the court defines the obscenity first & then see if the said nude photograph can be covered under the said definition of obscenity or not. This interpretation of the term obscenity & its correct application in the given case is LAW. So what ever the courts/judiciary interperates regarding any statute/enactment becomes law of the country. I still remember my constitutional law professor had asked this same question in the class & the answers which almost all student gave was what I see here but I only gave this answer that 'Law' is what court/judiciary says & this was the only correct answer that was applauded by the professor. The morals, ethics, and customs all we talk about that we follow in our daily routine have been given the status of law by the courts by correctly interpreting them & applying even these in our matters of disputes, In end I will say all what ever is provided to us by our ancestors in the form of morals, customs & ethics or provided by our law makers as enactments, rules & applications etc combine to form a complete human law in lines with how they have to be followed told to us by our judiciary.

Answer 2

Law is a system of rules usually enforced through a set of institutions. Law affects everyday life and society in a variety of ways. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus ticket to trading swaptions on a derivatives market. Property law defines rights and obligations related to buying, selling, or renting real property such as homes and buildings. Trust law applies to assets held for investment, such as pension funds. Tort law allows claims for compensation when someone or their property is harmed. But if the harm is criminalised, and the act is intentional, criminal law offers means to prosecute and punish the perpetrator. Constitutional law provides a framework for creating laws, protecting people's human rights, and electing political representatives, while administrative law allows ordinary citizens to challenge the way governments exercise power.

Answer 3

A set of rules of what is morally (un)acceptable.
Made up by the person/organization with the most power, which, if you're lucky, is acting on behalf of the majority of the people.

Edit:
The purpose would be to maximize the freedom of an individual without those freedoms damaging the freedom of the group.

Answer 4

Law is a set of rules designed to keep order in society and prevent chaos from becommign a reality. Never add morality to laws...there are at times laws that conflict with our morality.

Answer 5

set of rules set by the peoples' representatives meant to govern the people for the good of the citizens and is usually followed by strict penalties in-case of breach.