Law is the system of rules developed by a government or society over a certain territory. These rules cover crime, business, social relationships, property, finance, and many more areas of life.
Legal Systems
A nation’s laws serve several important functions: to keep the peace, maintain the status quo, protect individual rights, and promote social justice. Different legal systems serve these functions differently, and some nations do better than others at achieving these goals.
The most common definition of law is that it is a set of rules that govern the behavior of individuals. This definition is based on the theory that law is a social institution, which serves the purposes of the society.
In some cases, law can be seen as a tool of social engineering (Roscoe Pound). It is the means by which conflicting pulls of political philosophy, economic interests, and ethical values struggle for recognition.
Defining Law
The concept of “rights” has occupied an important place in jurisprudential thinking. There are several competing theories of how rights function, including two theories based on claim-rights and a demand-rights theory. The claim-rights theory of rights emphasizes the capacity or power of right-holders to assert or demand their rights. It is sometimes called the “demand” theory of rights, and it is defended by a number of scholars, especially Joel Feinberg.