A law is a set of rules that governs the behavior of a society and its members. It is enforced by a central authority through penalties for those who violate it. A legal system may also serve a range of other purposes, including establishing standards, maintaining order, resolving disputes, and protecting liberty and rights. It is important to understand that laws can be defined in a variety of ways and can be subject to interpretation.
Many countries have adopted a common law system, in which judicial decisions are considered law on equal footing with legislative statutes and executive regulations. Judges’ decisions are collected and published as case law to provide guidance for future cases, and the law is continually interpreted by subsequent judges through the “doctrine of stare decisis”. Other countries have adopted a civil law system in which legislative statutes and regulations form the basis for judicial decision-making.
Regardless of which system is used, the governing principles are similar. They include the concept of property in a physical sense (either real or personal), the principle of fair dealing, and the requirement of compensation for harm caused to individuals. The principles of contract law and criminal law are also fundamental to the operation of a lawful society.
In addition, some jurisdictions have religious law. This is based on the precepts of various religions, including Jewish Halakha, Islamic Sharia, and Christian canon law. Other religious jurisdictions rely on further human elaboration to provide detailed and thorough legal systems, including the Quran (the scripture of Islam), Qiyas (reasoning by analogy), and Ijma (consensus).
Some scientific laws are considered to be absolute, meaning that they cannot be changed through further research. However, other scientific laws have been shown to be flexible and can be modified through the use of new tools and technology. For example, the law of gravity was originally based on simple observations, but it has now been expanded to include theories on why objects fall at certain speeds and distances based on the equation F=G.
Other laws are more specific, covering the details of particular areas of social life. For example, immigration and nationality law are concerned with the right of foreigners to live in a country not their own, to acquire or lose citizenship, and to obtain asylum or refugee status. Labour law covers the tripartite industrial relationship between worker, employer, and trade unions. Family law encompasses marriage and divorce proceedings, the rights of children, and property and money in the event of separation. The study of the intersection between law and the biosciences is known as Biolaw. This is especially pertinent in countries where biotechnology companies are involved in developing medicines and medical devices. These technologies often cross the borders of traditional jurisdictions and require special consideration. This is an area where the development of international treaties and agreements, as well as regional bodies like the European Union, have been crucial. These organizations are able to help resolve conflicts between local governments and the biotechnology industry and provide a forum for international discussion.