Law is the set of rules that are created and enforced by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior. It has been variously described as a science and as the art of justice.
The primary purposes of law are to keep the peace, maintain the status quo, preserve individual rights, protect minorities against majorities, promote social justice and provide for orderly social change. However, the way law is applied and interpreted differs dramatically from nation to nation.
There are many types of laws, and each can have different effects on society. These include laws made by a legislature or by the executive (statutory or administrative law); laws established by judges through precedent, usually in common law jurisdictions; and other non-enforced legal orders such as arbitration agreements.
In a civil law system, laws are codified and consolidated by a legislature or other central body; in common law systems, judge-made precedent is accepted as binding law. Other kinds of laws include religious laws, such as Islamic Sharia law, and the laws of other nations.
Propertylaw governs the ownership and possession of land and movable objects. Personal property includes things that are not attached to land, such as computers, cars and jewellery.
Rightslaw concerns the ways people have a right to things, which they can exercise in a variety of ways, such as claims against the owner or powers over the person who owns it. These rights may be active, involving actions, or passive, involving a lack of action by the right-holder.