Law is an important part of human culture. It typically involves rules that are connected with sanctions and is designed to prevent or resolve social conflicts. These rules can be of a normative (rules for what one ought to do) or prescriptive nature (rules that dictate what is permitted, forbidden or enforceable). These rules are usually built on (unwritten) traditions replenished with case decisions and judge’s dispensation of justice (case law).
Law should be epistemically accessible, which means that people should be able to study it, internalize it and use it as a framework for their plans, expectations and for settling disputes with others. This requires independence of the judiciary and transparency of public business, as well as respect for the dignity of people and their rights.
However, many of the functions of law are problematic: for example, it is not enough to simply regulate the distribution of goods/privileges and burdens in a society; rather, it also must guarantee the fairness and security of legal decisions. In addition, it is difficult to ensure that the aims of law—such as preventing or resolving conflict or protecting freedoms and rights—are fully realized in practice, especially when state power is extended to areas outside the control of democratic institutions.
These problems are a source of scholarly inquiry in the fields of law history, legal philosophy, political science and economic analysis. They have shaped thinking on the extension of state power, including modern military, policing and bureaucratic authority over ordinary citizens’ daily lives.