The-Importance-of-Law-(法律的重要性)

TheImportanceofLawChapter1ofthesecondeditionofLetterstoaLawStudentdealswiththequestionofwhyanyonewouldwanttostudyLaw,andinthecourseofsodoingdefendstheimportanceoflaw,andbyextensiontheworkthatlawyersdo.TheobjectofthissectionistoprovideagatewaythroughwhichyoucanexploreontheInternetingreaterdetailexactlywhylawissuchanimportanceforceinourcivilisation.ThefunctionsoflawLawcanbesaidtoperformfourdifferentfunctions,eachofwhichisofhugeimportancetoourwelfare.(1)DefendingusfromevilThefirstandmostbasicfunctionoflawistodefendusfromevil–thatis,thosewhowouldseektoharmusfornogoodreason.Thisfunctionoflawunderlies20thcenturydevelopmentsinInternationalLawsuchastheNurembergTrialsandthecreationoftheInternationalCriminalCourt.(2)PromotingthecommongoodLawisnotjustconcernedwithbringingevilpeopletoaccountfortheiractions.Acommunitymadeupofpeoplewhobearnoill-willtoanyoneelseandaresimplyconcernedtopursuetheirownself-interestneedslawbecausetherearesituationswhereifeveryonepursuestheirownself-interest,everyonewillbeworseoffthantheywouldhavebeeniftheyacteddifferently.(Thisisthereverseofthe‘invisiblehand’phenomenonwhereifeveryonepursuestheirownself-interest,everyoneinthecommunityismadebetteroff,asifeveryone’sactionswereguidedbyan‘invisiblehand’toachievethatend.)Soacommunityofself-interestedactorsneedslaw:(i)tosolve‘Prisoner’sdilemma’situations;(ii)todistributeintoprivatehandspropertythatwouldotherwisebeexploitedbyeveryone,therebyavoidinga‘tragedyofthecommons’situationarising;(iii)topreventpeopleactingontheirnaturaldesiretoextract‘aneyeforaneye’inrevengeforactualorperceivedwrongsthattheyhavesufferedatotherpeople’shands.(3)ResolvingdisputesoverlimitedresourcesAseveryfamilyknows,inanycommunitytherewillalwaysbedisputesoverwhoshouldhavewhatofalimitednumberofresources.Lawisneededtoresolvethesedisputes,asexemplifiedbythefamousstoryoftheJudgmentofSolomon.(4)EncouragingpeopletodotherightthingItwasthoughtevenfromclassicaltimesthatlawperformedafourthfunction–thatofencouragingandhelpingpeopletodotherightthing.Forexample,Aristotle(384BC–322BC)arguedthatpeopleneededthedisciplineoflawtohabituatethemintodoingtherightthing,fromwhichstandpointtheycouldthenappreciatewhydoingtherightthingwastherightthingtodo.Upuntilthe20thcentury,thisviewoflawwasacceptedbylawmakers,withtheresultthattheUKlegalsystemcontainedalargenumberof‘moralslaws’–thatis,lawsthatweredesignedpurelyandsimplytostoppeopleactingimmorally,accordingtothelightsofChristianteachingonwhatcountedasimmoralbehaviour.However,inthe20thcentury,the‘harmprinciple’propoundedbyJohnStuartMillinhisbook‘OnLiberty’,accordingtowhichthelawshouldnotsanctionpeopleforactingimmorallyunlesstheirconductinvolvedsomeharmtoothers,gainedmoreandmorepopularity,andresultedintheabolitionoflargenumbersof‘moralslaws’.ThesetrendstriggeredwhatisnowknownastheHart-Devlindebateovertheextenttowhichitislegitimateforthelawtoenforcemorality.LordDevlin–atthetime,ajudgeintheHouseofLords,thehighestcourtintheland–arguedthatlawshouldenforcemoralitysoastopreservethecohesivenessofsociety.ProfessorH.L.A.Hart–atthetime,themostfamouslegalphilosopherintheworld–basedhispositionsquarelyonMill’sharmprinciple,thoughsubjecttothecaveatsthatthelawmightlegitimatelypreventsomeoneactingimmorallyifdoingsoinvolvedharmtohimselforwouldcauseoffencetoothers.Hart’sviewsaresetoutinhiswidelyreadbook‘Law,LibertyandMorality’.Hartisthoughttohavewonthedebate–buthisconcessionsthatitmightbelegitimatetomakeitillegalforsomeonetoengageinimmoralbehaviourthatwill(i)harmhimselfor(ii)offendothers,seemtomakelittlesense.Thesamepointcanbemadeaboutthose‘moralslaws’thatsurvivedthe20thcenturycull:iflawdoesnothavearoletoplayinencouragingustodotherightthing,whyisitillegaltohavesexinpublic,ortohavesexwithanimals,ortodigupdeadbodies,ortotakehallucinogenicdrugs,ortohelpsomeonekillthemselves?TheruleoflawWhetherornotlawhasaroletoplayinencouragingustodotherightthing,noonedoubtsthecontinuingimportanceoflawinperformingthefirstthreefunctionssetoutabove.Asaresult,thereisawidespreadacceptancethatthehealthandwealthofnationsiscruciallydependentonhowfartheruleoflawismaintainedandobservedinthosenations.Seeforexample,thisWorldBankwebsite,orthisUnitedNationswebsite,orthiswebsitemaintainedbytheAmericanBarAssociation,orthisessayontheimportanceofobservanceofpropertyrightsandtheruleoflawtoacountry’sdevelopment.Asaresult,alotofattentionispaidtoindexesthatattempttocharthowfarcountriesaroundtheworldrespectsuchthingsastheruleoflawandprivatepropertyrights.Forexamplesofsuchindexes,seeWorldJusticeProjectandInternationalPropertyRights.CriticsofthelawHavingsaidallthat,itshouldbeacknowledgedthatnumerouscriticismsaremadeofthebenefitsthataresupposedtoflowfromtheexistenceoflaw,andtheobservanceoftheruleoflaw.Forexample,somepointoutthatthefactthatasocietyrespectstheimportanceoftheruleoflawandprivatepropertyrightsisnoguaranteethatthatsocietywillbeparticularlyjust(oreventhatwealthy).Theruleoflaw,itisargued,iscompatiblewithgreatoppression,inequalityandpoverty;apointsummedupbyAnatoleFrance’sfamousobservationthat‘Thelaw,initsmajest