The practice of law aims at ensuring that society’s laws are unbiased and accessible. It also serves as a guide to government action and can guide people’s behavior. Law has a wide variety of functions and is a vital part of the public good. Some of its functions include settling disputes, protecting people from abuse of power, and governing political systems.
Law can be divided into different types, depending on its purpose. For example, religious law is based on the beliefs and precepts of the religion that enshrines it. Some examples include Jewish Halakha and Islamic Sharia. Some Christian communities also practice canon law. In religious law, religious precepts often imply the unalterability of God’s word, but the creation of complex legal systems often requires human elaboration. In Islamic law, the Quran itself contains some law and acts as a source for further law through Qiyas and Ijma.
Rule of Law is an ideal in liberal political morality that has many dimensions, including economic freedom, human rights, and political equality. In the case of democracy, for example, the Rule of Law is a core value. But it isn’t the only ideal. There are other ideals as well, such as economic freedom and social justice. The plurality of these ideals suggests that there are many ways to judge systems. While some legal philosophers believe that the Rule of Law is distinct from democracy, others believe that there is a close relationship between Rule of Law and democracy.
The Rule of Law is an ideal that has been prized throughout history. While its underlying principles are purely formal, people value it. It makes power less arbitrary, predictable, and peremptory. Furthermore, it sets up a mutual bond of reciprocity and constraint, which mitigates the asymmetry of political power.