Law is the system of rules and regulations that defines a state’s relationship to its citizens. It encompasses both the rules that are imposed upon people by the government and the decisions made by judges as they interpret and apply the laws to specific cases. It is complex from a methodological viewpoint, and raises fundamental questions concerning justice (the proper distribution of goods/privileges/burdens in society).
It can be applied to specific issues such as immigration, family or business transactions. It also includes the rules for trial courts and what is admissible as evidence in court. Law is a major subject of study for scholars in the fields of legal history, philosophy, economic analysis and sociology.
A general definition of law is that it is “a set of rules governing the conduct of individuals and groups, and regulating their relations with one another.” However, as a concept law is difficult to define since it contains elements of both a science and a human art. For example, the law is a body of rules created by the state and enforced by the state. However, the law is also a normative and prescriptive force, telling people how they ought to behave or what they may or may not ask from others.
A legal system can be based on religion, such as the Jewish Halakha and Islamic Sharia or Christianity’s canon law. These systems can also incorporate further human elaboration through interpretation and creative jurisprudence. They can be legislative, but they also allow room for the judiciary to adjust rules to social change through judicial precedent and creative jurisprudence.