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Importance of obeying the law essay
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Is it more important for you to follow the letter of the law or to follow the spirit of the law? In my opinion, following the letter of the law would be the most important due to the fact it means rule of law, which indicate that no person, government entity or official is above the law. In other words, you cannot make up laws based on your interpretation of the law and what you feel is right or wrong. For example, if you were riding public transportation such as a bus and a police officer entered the bus and told you to get off the bus for no apparent reason, this would be unlawful. This where the rule of law plays a vital rule and protecting your rights as a citizen in the United States. The circumstances that I believe the opposite to
The law, you'd think it would be common sense to follow your state, and country laws, but sadly, many people break our country's laws on a daily basis. "Disobedience to bad laws can sometimes jolt democratic processes into motion." Says Charles Frankel in his article Is It Right to Break the Law? Now, a democratic process, seems like what we need in this country. We need everyone to have equal rights, and though the government says everyone has equal rights, I don't think that's true.
It is very interesting to see that even though when someone breaks the law in the United States, they will still be protected by that very law. Even as one violates the rights of others, the law will make sure that their rights are protected. It almost seems that has more rights by breaking the law instead of following it. Police are prevented from using extreme force against them and lawyers are at the ready to serve these criminals. Criminals have forfeited their rights when they have violated the rights of others. Why should the law be so intent on protecting their rights, when they have no intent on following the law?
Is it okay to break the law if they are unjust and morally incorrect? This is a conflict both Antigone and Martin Luther King Jr. faced when their governments passed laws that went against the natural and god-given rights. In Antigone, the king, Creon, declared that is was illegal to bury the traitor, Polyneices. Antigone, the sister of Polyneices, was deeply upset as it was the law of the Gods to bury a family member or anybody. Martin Luther King was faced with a similar problem, when the government of the United States would not give blacks and other people of color their “God-given and constitutional rights”. By burying her brother, Antigone was not only honoring her brother but also the Gods and by MLK breaking the racist laws of the south
“When it comes to tax codes, or laws against littering or speeding or noise pollution, more and more ordinary citizens are becoming scofflaws [people who casually break the law]” (Trippett, A Red Light for Scofflaws). Frank Trippett in his excerpt, A Red Light for Scofflaws, argues that American citizens are casually breaking ‘minor’ laws in belief that these precepts are not that important, unlike the really violent crimes. The author supports his claim by first divulging what might the citizens think about the ‘minor’ laws. He then describe what he thought the people would do in regards to these laws (whether they would follow them or not). The author is trying to inform the commonality of the importance of this society’s laws, whether ‘minor’ or violent in order to make the people realize that every law are established and it is the people’s responsibility to obey them. In agreement with Trippett, today’s citizens are more prone to disobeying the ordinary, simple laws in thought that violent crimes are the main threats to the law and order of this society.
While laws should be reserved and upheld in society, particular circumstances justify the means of breaking the law. Laws exist solely to manage and regulate societies, but one should recognize the flexibility of laws when morals are involved. Even if the purpose these statutes are advantageous, it is acceptable to go against the law for various reasons. It is acceptable to break the law if these reasons are rational and provide benefits to others. When a complex situation arises, one should follow their conscience rather than to follow the law and abide to its restrictions. Though one should be mindful of the laws, exceptions can be made with the support of moral and ethical values.
Chapter two offers clarity on the subject of legalism and, through the words and actions of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., chapter two also conveys the dangers of blind obedience. The foundation of legalism is based on a set of laws that are intended to enforce morally correct behavior. Ultimately, in the grand scheme, these laws should protect personal rights, beliefs and safety whilst promoting ethical conduct. However, as Reverend Martin Luther King points out, laws should be carefully scrutinized for unfair and unreasonable policy that may only benefit a limited audience or agenda. If such laws are deemed unjust, doing nothing makes a person an equal contributor in the vain of moral corruption. Throughout the chapter it is shown that
As the outset, there are numerous reasons why the law can change human behaviour, but the most conspicuous one stems from the fact by keeping following the
The most important law for me is that, “everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of
The first law I thought was very important was all free people have equal rights before the law. I think this is important because if you have equal rights before the law you're allowed to have a fair case and ruling. The American government and Roman both recognize the importance of this law, of having equal rights before the law. Lastly if people didn't have equal rights or consequences regarding the law it would be completely unfair to the people who got a more severe punishment. This is why the law of all free people who have equal rights before the law is very important to a government and nation.
A lot of American Citizens are debating if the government should limit the civil liberties or not. The question is how many people know exactly the right meaning of civil liberties? Many American Citizens have a lot of critics about the liberties and yet some of them don’t even know what civil liberties are. They are just trying to destroy the freedom. On the other side, a lot of people feel that civil liberties are necessary tools to fight for their constitutional rights. These people that fight for the civil liberties are the people that full of education. I agree with them. The United States of America has guaranteed the citizens civil liberties, which is the right to speak, believe, and act freely. To make it clear, Civil Liberties are individual rights protected by law from unjust governmental or other interference. Who doesn’t want freedom In the United States of America?
Law is a tool in society as it helps to maintain social control, promoting social justice. The way law functions in society and its social institution provide a mechanism for solutions. There are many different theories of the function of law in relation to society in considering the insight they bring to different socio-legal and criminological problems. In the discussion of law’s role in social theory, Leon Petrażycki and Eugen Ehrlich share similar beliefs in the jurisprudence of society. They focused their work on the experience of individuals in establishing meaning in their legal relations with others based on the question of what it means to be a participant in law. Jürgen Habermas presents a relationship between law and morality. From a certain standpoint, law is a key steering mechanism in society as it plays an educational role in promoting conducts, a mean of communication and it
The three important canons in my opinion are two, four, and eight. “Number two illustrates the proper limits of how individuals, groups, or facilities supposed to maintain themselves accordingly to the laws set in place” (Bohm & Haley, 2011, p.200). This is important as a police official because these exact same laws are put in place to protect both the officer and the individual as to their civil rights. Number four displays the proper way officials supposed to respond to a crime by using the proper means to gain proper ends. Furthermore, officials should keep in mind the laws, training, and the oath that they agreed to as police officers seriously. For Example, when a police makes an arrest they should acknowledge the individual’s possession
According to Reference.com (2007), law is defined as: "rules of conduct of any organized society, however simple or small, that are enforced by threat of punishment if they are violated. Modern law has a wide sweep and regulates many branches of conduct." Essentially law is the rules and regulations that aid in governing conduct, handling disputes, and dealing with criminal actions.
Both law and morality serve to regulate behaviour in society. Morality is defined as a set of key values, attitudes and beliefs giving a standard in which we ‘should’ behave. Law, however, is defined as regulating behaviour which is enforced among society for everyone to abide by. It is said that both, however, are normative which means they both indicate how we should behave and therefore can both be classed as a guideline in which society acts, meaning neither is more effective or important than the other. Law and morals have clear differences in how and why they are made. Law, for example, comes from Parliament and Judges and will be made in a formal, legal institution which result in formal consequences when broken. Whereas morals are formed under the influence of family, friends, media or religion and they become personal matters of individual consciences. They result in no formal consequence but may result in a social disapproval which is shown also to occur when breaking the law.
It is important to follow all traffic laws to keep everyone safe on road. The amount of traffic accidents and losses drops significantly when people are obeying the rules on the road. Sometimes we forget what a big responsibility it is to drive carefully. Traffic laws are designed to protect you and other drivers on the streets. If we don’t follow them we are not only putting ourselves in risk but also other innocent people. By knowing the rules of the road, practicing good driving skills, you help play a vital role in preventing a crash. You will also be making the safety policies more effective. Many components play a major role in road safety including speed limits that are posted and making sure safety equipment is properly installed and used.