By obeying laws peace prevails in society and individuals are saved from difficulties
Importance Of Obeying Laws And Commands
Even before 300 B.C, the importance of law and command in the society baffled many thinkers. This was when Plato came up with the right republic and wrote about obligation and justice to the state. Laws and commands are very important if a society is to achieve order, justice and security.
In the place where the laws do not exist, insecurity and chaos are the norm. What’s more, civilization cannot occur in a world that is lawless (Hobbes 256). Law however is not absolute and it can be amended or revised based on societal needs. This means that laws and commands to a large extend depend on the societal values. It is also an indication that laws cannot be effective if the society does not enforce and obey the laws.
The Nature Of Law And Command
Law by definition means a set of rules that are prescribed by a given authority with an objective of maintaining law, order and peace in the society. Law is also made up of different rules that are applied in administration of justice (Hussain 1). Enforcement of laws and commands can also take many forms including sanctions, penalties and other punishments forms depending on the nature of the offense.
Punitive norm of laws and commands also make them binding. However, Hobbes (254) states the difference between moral and coercive authority. Moral authority refers to correlative duty to obesity and coercive authority means having the right to coerce. This also indicates that laws and commands do not mainly occur because of fear of sanctions or punishments but due to moral considerations.
There are also two types of laws including formal and informal laws. Cates and McIntosh (15) believe that formal laws are deliberate and are documented to facilitate compliance, enforcement and interpretation. Informal laws on the other hand just like natural and customary law exist based on shared understanding of how people should behave under different situations.
To appreciate the importance of laws and commands, it is essential to understand their classification. In the US, law is structured under five different categories including federal law, constitutional law, civil law, criminal law and state law. Federal laws are also applied to the entire country and are supreme laws of the land as stipulated by the American constitution.
Therefore, the law is applicable to all American citizens and residents as well as businesses based and operated within the borders of the United States of America. State laws on the other hand are confined to different matters within the state. However, within the state and federal level, constitutional laws are applicable because each state in the US has a constitution that serves as supreme law as long as it is consistent with Federal law (Melvin 6).
Civil law on the other hand is very useful in different circumstances especially those related to domestic disputes such as divorce, breach of contract issues, accidents and ownership cases. Finally, criminal law is quite similar to civil law based on the fact that they are both processed and reviewed within the judicial arm of the government. However, in cases related to crime, criminal law is applicable especially if crime is committed against the state.
As a result, individuals and businesses are ordered after prosecution to serve a jail term or pay a fine when found guilty.