Law or Justice?
Which concept is more important to society?
How is the law different from justice?
The concepts of law and justice can be both complementary and conflicting with regards to each other. However, there are subtle distinctions that separate them theoretically and practically. The concept of law is practical in nature and is a body of codified guidelines which is based upon most of our individual moral beliefs with regards to justice. In other words, law is essentially how justice is applied. Thereof, the concept of justice is basically what we believe to be fair and just based on our principles of what we believe to be right or wrong.
What concept is more important, Law or Justice?
“An eye for an eye” was the legal and moral construct that guided our ancestors. As a result, their time was a time of despair and chaos, crippled by corruption and injustice. Alas, we have developed and evolved to be civilized and more intelligent. Thus, we came to realize just how important of a role the law plays in our society. The law serves to ensure justice is served, maintain order and form a unified belief of what justice is supposed to be. Therefore, I believe the concept of law to be a more important concept than the concept of justice.
First of all, there is no justice without the law. The concept of justice is purely conceptual, and like many theoretical/conceptual concepts, it needs a practical concept to be applied or practiced. Think back to the days of our ancestors, the concept of justice was a rare commodity that was only sold to the elite of society that could afford it. In other words, the concept of justice was rarely practiced due to its conceptual nature because there ceased to exist a practical system to apply justice, like the legal system we have today. Even today at our modern times, places where there cease to exist a practical concept, like the law are gripped by parallel unjust circumstances. Places like Syria and Afghanistan, where laws cease to exist; the beautiful concept of justice is again a rare occurring that is only practiced for the elites. This is the horrendous results of a lack of the practical concept of law, even when the concept of justice is in place. To conclude, justice is a beautiful and majestic concept in theory but due to its conceptual nature, it is rarely practiced. Thus the concept of law proves to be more important than the concept of justice.
Secondly, the concept of law is essential in maintaining peace and order in society. Without the law, there is no order. When order ceases to exist, there can only be chaos. And in time of chaos, the concept of justice is nothing but a mere afterthought in the conscious of the masses. In layman’s terms, in times of chaos and disorder, people are too busy trying to survive and fend for themselves that the concept of justice is really the least of their worries or basically forgotten. Look at the chaotic places around the world; places such as Syria, the people of these chaotic societies have forgotten the concept of justice or have simply developed a repressive belief that “justice does not exist”. This demonstrates how vital of a role the law plays in establishing order and peace in our society, resulting in justice being served in the long run.
Lastly, the law serves to form a unified belief in what justice is “supposed” to be. Think about it like this; if everyone in society had their own view of what justice was, how chaotic would that be? This would result in everyone having differing perspective/opinion to punishing crimes fairly and justly. Thereof, chaos and anarchy would erupt. For example, say someone raped and murdered your daughter and therefore was sentenced to prison for only 2 years because the perpetrator was only 16 years old. However, you and others believe this to be unfair and an unjust punishment and believe the perpetrator should receive a much harsher punishment or be hanged to death. It is rational to say you would likely take it upon yourself to serve justice by killing the perpetrator, if there were no laws prohibiting you. This would then result in the family and the others who feel believe the punishment is fair to be enraged and likely seek revenge, resulting in an atrocious cycle of vengeance and revenge leading to chaos and anarchy. However, because we have a legal based upon the beauty of the concept of law, which passes on a common punishment, disregarding individual beliefs, this is prevented. This is a clear demonstration of how the concept of law serves to form a unified belief in what justice is supposed to be, ultimately resulting in order and peace.
In conclusion, the concepts of law and justice, one being practical and the latter being conceptual can be both complementary and conflicting under certain circumstances. Both concepts are vital fundamental building blocks of society, that instantiates peace and order. However, the concept of justice is purely conceptual, therefore rarely practiced without a practical concept applied. As a result, the concept of law is applied to serve justice, maintain order and form a unified belief in what justice is supposed to be. Thus I believe the concept of law to be more important than the concept of justice.
- Law
- Justice
- Society
- Principles & Morals