Law is a special framework that allows people to resolve conflicts in a peaceful way. For example, if two neighbours dispute over the ownership of a piece of land, they may turn to the law for a fair solution. The law shapes politics, economics and history in various ways and also functions as a mediator of relations between people.

Different people have many ideas about what law is, and this leads to much debate and discussion. One common theme is that a law is a set of rules created by the state that form a framework for ensuring a peaceful society, and that they can be enforced to punish people who breach them.

The term law encompasses a wide range of subjects, from the criminal justice system to labour laws, the environment, banking and financial regulation, corporate regulation, civil procedure and evidence laws. A fundamental feature of a legal system is that it is reasonably stable, so that citizens can plan their affairs over time with reasonable confidence as to the legal consequences of their actions.

Many definitions of law focus on the question as to whether a law is coercive. For example, some think that law is merely commands, backed by the threat of sanctions from a sovereign, to whom people have a habit of obedience. Others, such as Jeremy Bentham, believe that the law reflects a set of underlying moral principles that are universal and unchanging. Other legal philosophers, such as Hans Kelson, have argued that law is simply the result of a process of unconscious and organic growth.