Law is a system of rules that a society or government develops in order to deal with crime, business agreements, and social relationships. It is also the name of the people who work in this system: lawyers, judges, and police officers. The term can be used to refer to any branch of the law, but most often it is used to describe specific branches such as criminal or civil.
Law covers a wide range of topics, and there are many different types of legal systems in the world. This article focuses on the principles of law that are shared by most systems. It also discusses the different ways that laws are interpreted and enforced. For more information on the various aspects of Law, see the articles on censorship; crime and punishment; law and society; law and education; and law, philosophy of.
The most basic law is the law of gravity, which states that any object falling from a great height will come to rest at ground level, regardless of its mass or the force exerted upon it. This law is an example of a natural law, which are universally accepted observations that have been proven by scientific experiment and observation. Other examples of natural laws include the laws of thermodynamics and the law of independent assortment.
Generally speaking, there are three main types of law: civil law, common law, and religious law. Civil law systems are found in most countries and are based on Roman and Germanic concepts and categories, sometimes supplemented or modified by local custom and culture. These systems tend to be largely legislative, but leave room for interpretation and creative jurisprudence by the judiciary.
Common law is a legal system that developed in England and is now the basis for most American law. Its central feature is the idea that a judge should decide a case according to the evidence presented, rather than according to a preconceived notion of what justice might require. In other words, the judge should interpret the law based on the facts of the case, and not the prejudices or political beliefs of the litigants.
Religious law is a complex subject, covering the laws and rules of all major religions of the world. These rules and laws are not always consistent with each other, but they do share a common set of principles that are used in determining if something is against the law or not. In addition to these general rules, there are many individual laws that govern a particular faith or religious sect. These laws are usually based on religious scriptures such as the Bible, which contain laws of morality and ethics. Other religious laws are derived from the teachings of religious leaders, such as the Pope. These laws are often more individualized than those of the civil and common law systems. These differences between laws of different religious groups are often the subject of debate and discussion in the media and in politics.