…although bad laws, if they exist, should be repealed as soon as possible, still, while they continue in force, for the sake of example they should be religiously observed.
- Abraham Lincoln
While one may or not agree with Lincoln, most people would have to acknowledge that laws do have their utility. As Hobbes impressed upon us in a more barbarous age, that since men are by nature bad, safety and security of life, limb and property dictate that they be restrained from causing harm which their innate propensity would prompt them to do. Law, thus, is a safeguard in a world that has many men who rarely agree with each other, and few resources to satisfy their needs and dreams. At times law have been used by those in power to serve their own purpose, but as Cicero told us in his succinct language, “the welfare of the people is the ultimate law”. Lincoln believes that even bad laws, when made, should be respected to instill discipline in what is called ‘rule of law’.
Law is an organizing principle that makes for orderly life. As such laws have been used in all walks of life – do mind that all laws are not legal laws, and there can be religious laws, sports laws, etc – in every age, and in all communities. The famous law codes like the Code of Hammurabi, or the Christian laws in the form of The Ten Commandments, have helped people in conducting their business. Civil and criminal laws, laws of torts, business laws, etc are all important in their respective fields, and provide useful guidelines for orderly action and arbitration.
In this section, we provide links to various related resources.