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1、"[I]tismoreproperthatlawshouldgovernthananyoneofthecitizens"---Aristotle,350 BC,PoliticsWhatislaw?Theconceptoflawisverybroad.Althoughitisdifficulttostateaprecisedefinition,Black’sLawDictionarygivesonethatissufficientforourtext:“Law,initsgenericsense,isa
2、bodyofrulesofactionorconductprescribedbycontrollingauthority,andhavingbindinglegalforce.”“Thatwhichmustbeobeyedandfollowedbycitizenssubjecttosanctionsorlegalconsequencesisalaw”.DefinitionundertheprevailingcontemporaryChinesejurists:法是由国家权力机构制定或认可、并由国家强制
3、力保证实施的、规定人们权利和义务的社会规范的总和。Lawis1).Socialcriterionregulatesrightsandobligations2).establishedorratifiedbytheState’spowerinstitution3).implementedwiththeguaranteesofState’scoercivepower在我国古代，法与刑、律一直可互训，含义基本相通，即指“刑”，并不具有现代“法”的意义。灋，从“水”,表示法律、法度公平如水;从“廌”(zhì)
4、,即獬豸,神话传说中的一种神兽,据说,它能辨别曲直,在审理案件时,它能用角去触理曲的人。SchoolsofJurisprudentialThought:ThephilosophyorscienceofthelawisreferredtoasJurisprudence.Thereareseveraldifferencephilosophiesabouthowthelawdeveloped.Theyrangefromtheclassicalnaturaltheorytomoderntheoriesofla
5、wandeconomicsandcriticallegalstudies.Legalphilosopherscangenerallybegroupedintothefollowingmajorcategories.·TheNaturalLawSchoolofjurisprudencepostulatesthatthelawisbasedonwhatis“correct.”NaturalLawPhilosophersemphasizeamoraltheoryoflaw—thatis,law5should
6、bebasedonmoralityanethics.Naturallawis“discovered”bymanthroughtheuseofreasonandchoosingbetweengoodandevil.·TheLegalPositivismSchoolliesindirectoppositionofideasofnaturalrights,wheresomerightsareconsideredinherenttohumans.Theprincipalclaimsoflegalpositiv
7、ismarethat:a)lawsarerulesmade,whetherdeliberatelyorunintentionally,byhumanbeings;andb)thereisnoinherentornecessaryconnectionbetweenthevalidityconditionsoflawandethicsormorality.·TheHistoricalSchoolofjurisprudencebelievesthatthelawisanaggregateofsocialtr
8、aditionsandcustomsthathavedevelopedovercenturies.Itbelievesthatchangesinthenormofsocietywillgraduallyreflectedinthelaw.Totheselegalphilosophers,thelawisanevolutionaryprocess.Thus,historicallegalscholarslooktopastlegaldecisions(pr
