Law is a set of rules created by a government that forms a framework to ensure a peaceful society. When these rules are broken, sanctions can be imposed. Most places have laws against stealing or hurting others, for example.
Many people have different ideas about what laws should be. Some, like utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham, suggest that laws should be commands, backed by threats of punishment, from an authority to whom people have a habit of obedience. Others, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, argue that law reflects innate moral principles that are unchangeable.
A law is not just a set of rules, but also an institution that shapes politics, history, economics and society in many ways. Some scholars see law as a way to control and organize society, while others point out that laws are often used for illegitimate purposes or by oppressive governments. Despite these limitations, scholars of law have found that it is important to study the law as an intricate network of institutions that interact with society in many ways.
Law is a multifaceted field that has been shaped by the different traditions and legal systems of various cultures and civilizations. In the modern world, lawyers and historians of law have focused on documenting the ways in which these institutions have opposed, adapted, and altered aspects of society over time. Scholars of law have also looked at how these institutions act together with society to resist or promote specific societal goals and to define the boundaries of social justice and equality.
