Arnfinn Madsen
07-11-2005, 09:14 AM
There has been some interesting discussions about laws but they go onto specific subjects, so more interesting is a thread for a political philosophy-discussion about laws in general (mentioning specific laws here is allowed only for illustration of point, not for cheap shots /images/graemlins/smile.gif).
I once asked a politician why they care to make so many laws, when in reality much of them are broken and there is no real apparatus to follow it up. He said that he was aware, but as attitudes shapes laws, laws shapes attitudes and many laws thus should be seen as the lawmakers attempt to missionary their attitudes. Thus they might make a new law, but still put it low on police's priority list.
It is an interesting approach, since all laws that has been here for a while, people seems to think are right, without even knowing or reflecting why it is right. Maybe lawmaking after all is some sort of philosophical/religious battle, not a quest to improve society.
I once asked a politician why they care to make so many laws, when in reality much of them are broken and there is no real apparatus to follow it up. He said that he was aware, but as attitudes shapes laws, laws shapes attitudes and many laws thus should be seen as the lawmakers attempt to missionary their attitudes. Thus they might make a new law, but still put it low on police's priority list.
It is an interesting approach, since all laws that has been here for a while, people seems to think are right, without even knowing or reflecting why it is right. Maybe lawmaking after all is some sort of philosophical/religious battle, not a quest to improve society.