The Law Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
THE BEGINNINGS OF LAW 2100 bce – 500 ce
	Observe the words of righteousness
	This shall be an everlasting statute unto you
	The Mandate of Heaven
	The law of the sea
	The art of ruling well
	This shall be binding by law
	Law is master of the rulers
	True law is right reason
	A person is liable for wrongful damage
	The sacred laws of the castes
	We cultivate the virtue of justice
	Justice, truth, and peace
	Walk in the way of righteousness
LAW IN THE MIDDLE AGES 500 –1470
	Is God a just judge?
	A divine law and a traced-out way
	No yard of land was left out
	An accusation cannot be repeated
	Speak the truth
	To none will we deny or delay right or justice
	Every law is ordained to the common good
	The merchant’s companion
EMPIRE AND ENLIGHTENMENT 1470 –1800
	Protection for any ingenious device
	A boundary from pole to pole
	All governors shall keep every poor person
	Peace is glorious and advantageous
	Thy grave error and transgression
	A turning point in the history of nations
	Tyrant, traitor, murderer
	All slaves shall be held to be real estate
	The rights and liberties of the subject
	Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live
	The author shall have the sole right of printing
	A grand society of nations
	The most important book in the history of common law
	This Constitution shall be the supreme Law of the Land
	Men are born and remain free and equal in rights
THE RISE OF THE RULE OF LAW 1800 –1945
	Justice under the Constitution
	Every Frenchman shall enjoy civil rights
	Let the oppressed go free
	Purity, activity, vigilance, and discretion
	All contracts by way of gaming shall be null and void
	Bound to do no injury to fellow-creatures
	The damages should be fairly considered
	Who can condemn the woman in this book?
	To take a life is revenge, not justice
	Even war has rules
	The rights of every worker
	The Nordic nations are branches of a tree
	Evil customs of the past shall be broken off
	It is justifiable, but not for detestable curiosity
	The state will care for the victims of industry
	No necessity could justify killing
	Where we are is our property
	Free and unfettered competition
	The laws, rights, and duties of war
	A separate legal personality
	Factories are literally death traps
	The war against monopoly
	Illegal evidence is fruit of the poisonous tree
	Power is the ballot
	He shall not eat who does not work
	We want a peace which will be just
	A duty of care
	Deadly weapons must be regulated
	From a democracy to a dictatorship
A NEW INTERNATIONAL ORDER 1945 –1980
	New evils require new remedies
	Genocide is a violation of the laws of humanity
	The architects of the better world
	A safer world
	All are equal before the law
	The right to liberty and security
	A court with unparalleled power
	The sister nations have grown together
	Let us step back from the shadows of war
	My children will not be judged by the color of their skin
	The right to remain silent
	The foundation of freedom, justice, and peace
	End the blame game
	The safety and welfare of witnesses
	The right of a woman to decide
	Nothing is more priceless than animal life
LAW IN THE MODERN AGE 1980 – PRESENT
	Boundless, priceless, and threatened
	It is to justice what the telescope is for the stars
	Empower the watchdogs of wrongdoing
	Together we have overcome. Together we shall overcome
	A world free of chemical weapons
	To open trade for the benefit of all
	When does life begin?
	Every parent should have the right to know
	If creativity is a field, copyright is a fence
	The landmine does not recognize peace
	Patients, not criminals
	Marriage should be open to all
	Compassion is not a crime
	The cause of all humanity
	Doping destroys fair play
	The battle against climate change
	It’s sport against these people
	The right to be forgotten
	A free and open internet
	It’s not about the money. It is about equality
DIRECTORY
GLOSSARY
INDEX
QUOTE ATTRIBUTIONS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS