Purpose of Law
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What is the purpose of law? The resolution is not a simple one to derive because of the many different functions that law serves in the many different environments it exists in. To answer the question then, we must first define law. Let us identify law as being "a collection of rules imposed by authority" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Obviously this allows for the essence of law to be subjective upon both the intent(s) of the imposing authority and the interpretation perceived by the population whom it is made obligatory to. Consequently, we must assume that the aim of a lawmaker is to progress his or her society by improving its aspect of social harmony (because more can be accomplished through "teamwork"). However, it is not prudent to coerce the populace into a union if that would mean infringement upon the so-called "birthrights" of each individual to be a requisite. The only way to ensure such an accord is to preserve the rights of the individual and maintain equality among all persons. Therefore, I will conclude that the purpose of law in a society is to protect the freedoms of the people within that society.
I believe that the purpose of law is to protect and not to punish because it is designed to separate the people who are detrimental to a society from those who are self-supportive, functional, and possess the willingness to collaborate with other members in that society...