Law is a system of rules that regulates human relationships and behaviour. It is a complex concept that has provoked debate over many issues since ancient times. The precise nature of law varies greatly between societies, and even within individual nations. The law has numerous purposes: establishing standards, maintaining order, resolving disputes and protecting liberties and rights. In the context of a nation, it is best defined as the system of government that determines who can command military, police and administrative power over citizens; how such power is exercised; and how laws are created. The most important function of a nation’s law is to ensure that the people are protected against abuses of political and military power by providing an effective and impartial system of justice.
The precise definition of law has long been a source of debate, with many books containing diverse ideas and views. The most commonly accepted definition is that it is a set of enforceable rules that provide a framework for ensuring a peaceful society, and that these are enforced by a powerful authority whose decisions can be challenged and sanctions imposed if the law is broken. The law also defines a legal framework for governments, which limits the power of any one person or group to control other individuals, based on the principle that ‘all men are created equal’.
There are many different types of law, with each one regulating and controlling a specific area of society. Contract law, for example, governs agreements between individuals or groups involving the exchange of goods and services. Labour law, on the other hand, studies a tripartite industrial relationship between worker, employer and trade union, and concerns collective bargaining and the right to strike. The legal process involves the court system, and includes criminal procedure (rules that a prosecutor must follow in bringing a case to trial) and civil procedure (the rules that apply as a dispute between two or more parties is mediated). Evidence law concerns which materials are admissible in a court of law for a case to be built.
The law is a complex subject with numerous branches and sub-branches, ranging from the purely technical to the philosophical. Articles on the subject of law are found under such headings as legal education; jurisprudence; legal philosophy; and the history of legal systems. The law’s relationship to other social structures is examined under such articles as the constitution; ideology; politics and governmental systems; and social service and community development. The law is often seen as an instrument of social control, and for this reason is examined under articles such as political philosophy; sociology of the law; and social control. The law is a dynamic and constantly changing phenomenon, shaped by the conflicting pulls of many competing interests. This has led to revolutions against existing political-legal authorities, and aspirations for democratic rule or greater ‘rights’ for citizens. This tension is reflected in the wide variety of definitions of the term ‘law’.