The relationship between morality and law

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Law and Morality:

Laws: The body of rules which are recognized as binding among people of a community or state so they will be imposed upon them and enforced on them by appropriate sanctions are known as LAWS.

Morals: Morals are beliefs and values which are shared by a society or a section of a society. These tell those who share them what is right or wrong.

Problems in identifying the moral values of a society:

  • Some people sometimes regard things as morally right or wrong which at another time or in another place are thought to be matters of taste or indeed to be matters of no importance at all example drinking.
  • Moral attitudes tend to change overtime for example homosexuality and woman’s liberation. In a modern developed society it is difficult to pinpoint a set of moral values shared by all. Some tribal groups are likely to share a moral code however in a society such as our own where individuals defer widely in social status, income, occupation and ethnicity, the members are unlikely to share identical moral values even if they largely agree on some basic points.
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The relationship between morality and law:

  • The existence of some “unfair” laws proves that morality and law are not identical and do not coincide.
  • The existence of laws that serve to defend the basic values such as laws against murder, rape, defamation of character, fraud, bribery etc. proves that the two can work together.
  • Laws govern conduct at least partly through the fear of punishment. Morality, when it is internalized or become habit like governs conduct without compulsion. Virtuous person does the appropriate thing because it is a noble thing to do.
  • Law can be a public ...

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