Friday, January 28, 2011

Practice Essay #4: Laws in Free Society

Question: In a free society, laws must be subject to change. Explain what you think the above statement means. Describe a specific situation in which a law should not be subject to change in a free society. Discuss what you think determines whether or not a law in a free society should be subject to change.

Answer: 
People’s values and beliefs are ever changing. The world as we know it today is completely different from what it was in the past. Laws, like people, must be flexible and be subject to change to fit the time and the will of the people. The above statement uses the words “free society”, which implies that the citizens of the society have rights to voice their needs and contribute to the law making process.

Laws should not be subject to change in a free society when doing so would compromise what it means to be a free society. Take for example the Bill of Rights in the US Constitution which serves to protect basic human rights granted to US citizens. In a free society such as the US, extensive personal freedoms are given to its citizens to ensure the prosperous coexistence of a diverse population. The Bill of Rights cover an array of laws such freedom of speech, religion, to bear arms, and etc. These laws serve as the basic notion for what it means to be a free society. Seeking to change the Bill of Rights would, thus, be compromising what it means to be a free society.

In determining whether or not a law should be subject to change in a free society, the grounds upon which the law stands must be looked at. If the laws serve as the foundation for what it means to be a free society and gives the people their basic human rights then it is best for these to be stable and left untouched. The laws, however, must be made to ensure that it is fitting of the time and to the values and beliefs of the majority of the citizens as to not warrant it unjust.

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