Law is the system of rules, customs and practices that are enforced by a controlling authority through penalties. Law shapes politics, economics, history and society and acts as a mediator of relations between people. It is a complex and diverse concept that requires a holistic approach to its study.
While many books on law have been written with numerous different ideas and definitions, a consensus has emerged that law is comprised of a set of principles and guidelines geared towards ensuring human behavior and maintaining societal order. These principles and guidelines are based on social and judicial viewpoints of rationality, justice, morality, and order from the legal standpoint, and reflect adjustments and justifications over time based on changing societal and judicial needs from the societal point of view.
The main elements of law are that it must be reasonably understandable by people of all backgrounds, and that it should be sufficiently stable to facilitate planning and coordinated action over time. The rule of law also protects against anarchy and the Hobbesian war of all against all, while guaranteeing core human, procedural and property rights.
Law includes many diverse disciplines, ranging from contracts and business transactions to land and family law. It also covers areas such as tort law, which compensates individuals when they are harmed through the negligence of others, and criminal law, which punishes offenses against the state or community. These laws may be enacted by a legislature, creating statutes; by the executive branch through decrees and regulations; or by judges, through the use of precedent and interpretation of court cases.