Law is a set of rules that a society creates to ensure a peaceful and orderly society. These laws are enforced by institutions created by the society and can lead to consequences for breaking them. For example, stealing is against the law and can lead to jail time. The word is also used to refer to a career in the legal field, or for any profession that involves advising people about laws or representing them in court.
The study of law includes a number of subfields, including administrative law, criminal law, constitutional law, tort law, property law, labour law, family law and civil procedure. These fields of law are important because they deal with the various ways that a society governs itself, and the relationships between individuals in that society.
Laws can be a powerful tool for a nation, and they are often used to protect the rights of its citizens, keep the peace, preserve the status quo, maintain economic stability and promote social justice. However, they can also be used to oppress minorities or the political opponents of the government (e.g., military rule in Burma or Zimbabwe).
A major issue with law is the question of whether or not it should incorporate morality into its structure. The utilitarian theory of law, popularized by Jeremy Bentham, states that it is simply “commands, backed by the threat of sanctions from a sovereign to whom the people have a habit of obedience”. Other philosophers, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, argue that law should be based on innate, moral principles.
Throughout history, many different systems of law have been developed. Some are derived from religion, such as Jewish Halakha and Islamic Sharia. Others are derived from human elaboration, such as legal doctrines like precedent, equity and common law. Other laws, such as those governing the United Nations and the European Union, are created by international convention.
Despite the many types of law, some are more similar than others. Contract law, for example, encompasses the agreements between two or more parties to exchange goods or services, while property law determines a person’s rights and duties toward their tangible property, including land and buildings. Similarly, civil and criminal procedure are both processes by which a citizen goes to trial or appeals his case, but they are significantly different in their details.