Societies operate by law and not by morality

Many people believe that societies operate only on morality. But it’s not true, they operate on Law. “Societies think they operate by something called morality but they don’t. They operate by something called law......And not by our laws. No. By the laws of the time.” says a law professor played by Bruno Ganz in The Reader. He further says “The question is never was it wrong but was it legal?” Whatever action a human being does, it’s accessed in only two parameters legal and illegal. There simply does not exist any third parameter. What one considers as morally correct may be morally wrong for another person. Like killing of any person or doing any social crime is considered as morally incorrect, but terrorist may consider it as morally correct. Perjury may seem as morally correct for a convict, but for others it’s not so. Morality depends on person to person, Law does not. Law acts as common principles on which society is governed. Also, laws made in 18^th century are not applicable in 21^st century. A growing fast society cannot run on laws made for society of past. Laws keep on changing. These laws are updated whenever society feels changes are required. So, laws govern societies and societies make laws. These laws are not made by a single person; these are made by a group of person and act as a neutral platform for everyone.

Laws guide individual towards certain ways of things which are right and away from certain ways which are wrong, this helps to bind individuals in a society. Laws supplement morality in unifying individuals and society along a particular scheme of right and wrong. This scheme of right and wrong is morality. But the content of morality can be anything. Laws may support say Christian morality or they can be flexible enough to allow killing of human being (during war or execution) at sometime and decry it at other times. The content of morality depends upon the country, period of civilization, etc. But whatever be the content of morality, it’s the laws which help to bind individual in a society towards a scheme of right and wrong principles.

Laws and moral principle go hand in hand. Moral principle alone cannot work, it’s the common laws which governs society and binds people to society.