Law is a set of rules created by the state to ensure that a society remains peaceful. The government enforces the law by punishing those who violate it. The concept of law is very important to the modern world and many different books and debates have been written about it.
There is no single definition of what law is because the concept varies greatly depending on which legal system is being discussed. However, some general ideas about the meaning of law have emerged.
The primary purposes of law are to (1) keep the peace, (2) maintain the status quo, (3) preserve individual rights and the integrity of the state, (4) protect minorities against majorities, and (5) promote social justice. Different systems of law achieve these goals in different ways, and some are more effective than others. An authoritarian government, for example, can keep the peace and maintain the status quo by oppressing minority groups or political opponents.
There are also many different branches of law, which address specific topics. For example, contract law deals with agreements between individuals or businesses to exchange goods or services. Tort law provides compensation for harm done to people or their property, such as from an automobile accident or defamation of character. International law addresses the relations between nations, while environmental law focuses on protection of the environment. Tax law and banking laws regulate financial institutions to insure against economic crises.
In common law legal systems, decisions by judges, known as the doctrine of precedent or stare decisis, bind lower courts in similar cases. This is contrasted with civil law systems, in which legislative statutes and executive decrees have more weight than judicial decisions.
A fundamental question about law is the extent to which it reflects morality. Utilitarian philosophers such as Jeremy Bentham have argued that the primary function of law is to serve the needs and wants of society. In contrast, natural lawyers, such as Jean Jacques Rousseau, have argued that the law is a reflection of an underlying, moral, and unchanging nature that must be obeyed. The conflict between utilitarian and natural law theories continues to shape legal philosophy and debate.