Definition of Law

Definition of Law

Some of the definitions/concepts from the writings of eminent jurists are given below:

According to Blackstone:--

“Law signifies a rule of action, and is applied     indiscriminately to all kinds of action”.

According to Holland

“Law refers to a general rule of action, taking cognizance only of external acts enforced by a determinate authority, which authority is human, and among human authorities is that which is permanent in a political society”.

According to Hobbs

“The commands of him and them that have coercive power”

According to Austin

“A law is a rule of conduct imposed and enforced by the sovereign”

According to Salmond

“Law is the body of principles recognized and applied by the State in the administration of justice”

According to John Erskine

“Law is the command of a sovereign, containing a common rule of life for his subjects and obliging them to obedience”.

According to De Montmorency

“Coercion is a weapon of law which law has forged, but it is not the basis of law.”

According to Pound

“Law is the body of principles recognized or enforced by public and regular tribunals in the administration of justice”

According to Wilson

“Law is that portion of the established thought and habit which has gained distinct and formal recognition in the shape of uniform rules backed by the authority and power of Government.”

According to Green

“Law is the system of rights and obligations which the state enforces.”

According to Lord Radcliff

“You will not mistake my meaning or suppose that I depreciate one of the great human studies if I say that we cannot learn Law by learning Law. If it is to be anything more than just a technique it is to be so much more than itself; a part of history and sociology, a part of ethics and a philosophy of life