Unwritten Law Essay

We name law the principles and regulations established in a community by the authority, the system of rules of a particular country, group or area of activity. It is whether in the form of legislation or of custom and policies recognized and enforced by judicial decision. What is more, it is any kind of written rule or collection of rules accepted by the authority of the state or nation and by the people in it. For example there are laws that forbid theft, murder and other offences that are less significant. Like driving when you are drunk or ignoring a red light in the street. (Ammer, 2002)

Also, apart from a rule usually made by government that is used to order the way in which a society behaves which are the written laws, there is another kind of laws which sometimes are more powerful than the written. This law is called unwritten because even thought it exists in everybody’s life its violation is not punished by the authorities. It contains unwritten rules, principles and norms that have the effect and force of law though they have not been formally enacted by the government. (Burton, 1999)

A characteristic example is the Rules of the war. Unwritten law is most common in primitive societies where illiteracy exists in high percentages. In those societies, social disputes are resolved informally with the help of accepted modes of behavior. The governing body in primitive societies basically enforces these traditions. The unwritten law is of great importance to our society as well. It is obvious that the majority of people take under consideration what the rest of the people are going to think if they do something not illegal but improper. In these occasions we can see how the fact that we are all members of groups can affect our choices and help us make the right