Law is a set of rules and guidelines enforced by a government to regulate conduct, maintain order and ensure justice. It is also a source of scholarly inquiry into such topics as legal history, philosophy, economic analysis and sociology.
Law has been defined in a variety of ways, but most commonly it refers to the body of laws that govern a specific geographic area or country. These laws are often a combination of customs, traditions and written agreements that have evolved over time into codified forms. The most common examples include contract law, criminal law and civil law. Contract law is the branch of law that defines and regulates agreements to exchange goods, services or anything else of value. Criminal law governs the responsibilities of people who commit crimes, while civil law deals with disputes between individuals or organizations.
Despite these broad outlines, law is highly complicated and encompasses many different areas of study. Consequently, many scholars have devoted their careers to the study of law. For example, Max Weber reshaped thinking on the extension of the state, arguing that modern military, police and bureaucratic power are so vast that they pose special challenges for accountability that earlier writers like Locke or Montesquieu did not anticipate.
More recently, the philosopher Gary S. Becker has developed a theoretical approach to law, defining it as each individual’s prediction about the intersection of her own narrative and an external reality shaped by the narratives of others. According to this view, an individual’s choices and actions are based on her belief that the laws will be followed and she will be treated fairly if she behaves in accordance with those beliefs.