Sage, a calm owl in a scholar's robe, stands at a town square chalkboard sorting glowing rule-cards beside curious students at sunset.
Define a law as an enforceable rule made by a recognized public authority.
Name the three features that turn a rule into a law: official source, broad public reach, and official consequences.
Explain at least two reasons why societies create laws rather than relying on informal rules alone.
Distinguish a law from an informal personal, family, or group rule using a concrete example.
Apply a three-question test — who made it, who does it cover, who enforces it — to decide whether a given rule is a law.
Key terms
Law
An enforceable rule made by a recognized public authority
Public authority
A government body empowered to make binding rules
Informal rule
A private rule from a family, club, or group
Official consequence
A government-enforced penalty like a fine or court order
Legislature
A body of lawmakers that creates laws
Three Features That Make a Law
Not every rule is a law, and three features working together mark the difference. First, a law comes from a recognized public authority such as a legislature or city council, not from a parent or coach. Second, it applies broadly to the people or entities the authority decides it covers, whether everyone in a country or only drivers or food sellers. Third, it carries official consequences enforced by the government, like a fine or court order, rather than a private penalty such as extra chores or being benched.
Why Societies Make Laws
Societies could simply ask everyone to be reasonable, but laws do important work that goodwill alone cannot. They create a shared standard strangers can rely on even when they have never met. They protect people who cannot easily protect themselves, such as children or communities harmed by pollution. And they give disagreements a peaceful place to be resolved so disputes do not turn into open conflict. These purposes explain why nearly every organized society builds a system of enforceable public rules.
Worked examples
Is a red-light traffic rule a law?
Issue: a rule says cars must stop at a red light — is it a law or just an informal rule?
Rule: a law is made by a public authority, covers the public broadly, and is enforced by the government with official consequences.
Apply: the traffic rule was made by a government, applies to all drivers on public roads, and is enforced by police with tickets and fines.
Conclusion: all three answers point to public government authority, so the rule qualifies as a law.
Answer: Yes — it is made, applied, and enforced by public government authority, so it is a law.
Hello, thinker. I am Sage, and today we untangle two things at once: what makes a rule a law, and why societies bother making laws at all.
Not every rule is a law. Your family might say "shoes off indoors." A club might say "wear a green shirt." Those are real rules with real consequences, but they are not laws. So what is the difference?
A law has three features working together. First, it comes from a recognized public authority — like a legislature (a group of elected lawmakers) or a city council — not from a parent, a coach, or a group of friends. Second, it applies broadly to all people or all entities it covers, as determined by that public authority. Some laws cover every person in the country; others cover only drivers, or only employers, or only businesses that sell food. The key is that the public authority, not a private group, decides who must follow it. Third, it carries official consequences enforced by the government — such as a fine, a court order, or imprisonment — rather than a private penalty like extra chores or being benched.
Why do societies go to the trouble of making laws instead of just asking everyone to be reasonable? Three big reasons. First, laws create a shared standard everyone can count on, even strangers who have never met. Second, laws protect people who cannot protect themselves — children, people with fewer resources, communities affected by pollution or unsafe products. Third, laws give disputes a peaceful place to be resolved, so disagreements do not have to turn into conflict.
Here is your thinking tool. When you meet any rule, ask three questions: Who made it? Who does it apply to and cover? Who enforces the consequences? If all three answers point to a public government authority, you are likely looking at a law. If they point to a family, club, or friend group, it is an informal rule. Walk through those three questions one at a time and you will not get lost.
Activity
Sort each rule into Law or Not a Law using all three questions: who made it, who does it cover, and who enforces it.
Practice
Apply the three-question test to a family rule about screen time.
Explain two reasons societies create laws instead of relying on goodwill alone.
Common mistakes to avoid
Any rule an adult gives is a lawA parent or coach is not a public lawmaking authority, so their rules are private, not laws.
A rule must be written to be a lawWriting does not make a law; club handbooks are written yet private, while some laws need no printed page.
Check your understanding
What makes a law different from a household or club rule?
Your family makes a rule: "no snacks after 8 p.m." Why is this a rule but NOT a law?
A club says members must wear a green shirt. Is this a law?
Recap
A law is an enforceable rule from a recognized public authority that applies broadly and carries government-enforced consequences. Societies make laws to set shared standards, protect the vulnerable, and resolve disputes peacefully rather than through conflict.
Reflect
Which informal rule in your life would you want turned into a real law, and why?
Law Legal Reasoning