rule of conduct
The American Heritage Dictionary defines law as "a rule of conduct or procedure established by custom, agreement, or authority." Since even the most primitive forms of life have been known to live by some "rule of conduct," by definition, law has existed before the dawn of the human race. However, no other species have adopted laws to fit their immediate needs more than humans. As groups of humans began living in larger and larger groups, competition for resources such as food, water, shelter, and even mating partners grew increasingly intense. Therefore, the leaders of these basic forms of society found it necessary to set guidelines for sharing and protecting these resources. As these societies grew in complexity, so did the need for laws. While in its nascent stage law primarily protected tangibles such as life, limb, and property, the scope of laws has grown to encompass moral values as well. However, these values often differed from society to society. With each passing y!ear, more and more laws are coming into effect. Consequently, more and more people are growing incognizant of the laws that govern them. In effect, this ignorance of the law nullifies its effectiveness as a deterrent of crime. Therefore, modern law has tak
penis of one person and the anus of another person. Any sexual penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the crime of sodomy." Assuming that both persons involved in the "crime" of sodomy are consenting adults, the law is clearly protecting an imposed moral position rather than the rights of the parties involved. Simply speaking, such laws are created to push a predetermined ideology of morality upon the public as a whole. In the view of some, laws are mere extensions of what people already know to be morally correct. The Ten Commandments, perhaps one of the best examples of what is known and accepted to be fundamentally moral, supports this claim. The Sixth Commandment, "thou shalt not kill," easily translates to California Penal Code 187, which states that "murder is the unlawful killing of a human being, or a fetus, with malice aforethought." Similarly, the Seventh Commandment, "thou shalt not commit adultery," can be likened to California Penal Code 285, which states, "persons being within the degrees of consanguinity within which marriages are declared by law to be incestuous and void, who intermarry with each other, or who commit fornication or adultery with each other, are punishable by imprisonment in the state prison." Lastly, the Eighth Commandment, "thou shalt not steal," directly correlates to California Penal Code 484, which states that "every person who shall feloniously steal, tak! idered to be moral and what is not is ambiguous at best. Most often in these cases the definition of morality lies within the eye of the beholder. With such variances in the moral values of cultures and individuals, the law must undoubtedly go beyond that of simple morality. In conclusion, although the creation of most laws can be observed as merely a byproduct of a natural fear of becoming victimized by crime, some laws have been unquestionably created with the sole intent of protecting a preordained ideology of the definition of morality. Nevertheless, law is sometimes viewed as an extension of what people already know, or should know, to be morally correct. However, since what is deemed to be right or wrong often differs from person to person, simply relying on an individual's
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1488
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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