Law is a body of rules and regulations that are created by government and enforced to ensure a harmonious society. The exact definition of law is a subject of long-standing debate. Various theories of law exist and are argued by scholars and legal professionals alike. The field of law is broad and encompasses many aspects of human life and civilization.

The term law is often used in a more general sense to describe any strong rule set by an authority that must be obeyed. For instance, a parent’s house rules or something one might do instinctively in a dangerous situation could be described as a law. Law also has specific meanings in the legal profession, and as a career option, as in “I always wanted to be a lawyer,” or, “Zola is killin’ it with her law school applications.”

Most of us are aware that there are rules in our society that must be followed, but not all of us know what the precise laws are. Some philosophers have tried to give a definition of law. One such theory states that law is the aggregate of all the rules set by a sovereign over men as political subjects, which can be enforced by means of sanctions against transgressions.

Other legal scholars have interpreted law in more narrow terms. For example, Hans Kelsen argues that law is a “normative science.” According to this theory, a society must have laws in order to function properly and achieve its goals. This view is somewhat influenced by the fact that many people have a natural propensity to follow rules and laws.

Law is not just a system of rules, but also a framework that governs the behavior and activities of individuals and groups in a society. It shapes politics, economics, history and society in myriad ways. A constitution – written or tacit — is the basis of the law in most countries, with provisions regulating the relationships between the executive, legislative and judicial branches and ensuring individual rights against the state.

A country’s laws are made either by a group legislature, resulting in statutes; by a single legislator, resulting in decrees and regulations; or by judges through precedent, as in common law jurisdictions. Private individuals can also create legally binding contracts and arbitration agreements to resolve disputes outside of standard court litigation.

A country’s law is a complex network of overlapping and intersecting fields. The fields of labor law, criminal law, civil law and evidence law are just a few examples. Civil law is the study of a tripartite industrial relationship between worker, employer and trade union, involving issues like workplace safety and collective bargaining; criminal law is the study of offences against public morality, including murder, suicide and drug trafficking; and evidence law deals with which materials are admissible in court to build a case. Each area of law has its own specialized subfields.