Law can serve many purposes, including keeping a nation peaceful, maintaining the status quo, preserving individual rights, protecting minorities from majorities, and promoting social justice and orderly social change. However, some legal systems are better suited for these purposes than others. For example, authoritarian regimes can use the rule of law as a tool to suppress political opponents and minorities. Additionally, in the past, European and American empires have used law to impose peace on countries they ruled.
Public law
Public law is the branch of law that governs legal relationships with the government and within a state. It regulates relationships among the different branches of the government and between persons whose concerns directly affect society.
Natural law
Natural law is the theory that all human conduct follows certain universal moral principles. It assumes that all people want to live a good life, and that they all want to be treated equally. For example, natural law says that it is wrong to kill someone.
Interpretative theory of law
The interpretation of legal texts is a complex process that combines evaluative and factual considerations. While it may be tempting to see interpretation as purely factual, Dworkin rejects this approach, maintaining that it is essentially an evaluative exercise.
Legal positivism
Legal positivism seeks to address the question of the nature of law. However, it fails to provide an answer that will help us understand why law exists.
Common law
Common law is the body of laws that govern certain countries and jurisdictions. It is a legal system that is based on precedents. In many cases, judges use precedents to help them decide a case. The problem with this system is that it has historically disadvantaged certain groups, including women. The common law also makes it difficult for marginalized groups to pursue favorable rulings.
International law
International law is a set of rules that govern international interaction. It can be applied in a variety of areas and is divided into domains such as human rights, international criminal law, and environmental law. It is a system that has both normative and procedural components and is often based on ethical and political standards.