Man is a part of nature, but is is also a bit more. It not only follows the laws of nature, but also makes laws of its societies and masses. As a result, humans are subjected not only to the laws of nature, but also to the laws made by mankind. Understanding the laws of nature may be a good thing for those who are interested in making manmade laws. In fact, a comparison of the two can provide very interesting and invaluable insights for law makers…
When we talk about laws, there are two kinds of laws that we are
faced with. First are the laws of nature that exist in our universe and govern every single event, action or reaction that we can observe around us. The second set consists of laws made by human beings, dictating how individual men and women should do or not do something. Thus, in this universe, man is perhaps the only other entity other then the nature itself, that makes laws …. or at least tries to do so!While the laws of nature apply on everything, living or dead, the laws of man apply only on human being… actually only those within the sphere of influence of the law making body. While the laws of nature are as eternal as the nature itself, the laws of man often have a limited life, and in that way, are just about as mortal itself. But these are not the only differences between the two. A detailed analysis of how the laws of nature differ from the laws made by man can actually help us understand the basic qualities that a law should have, and maybe help us in making laws that are as sustainable as nature…!!
The Laws of Nature or the Rules of Science
The laws of nature have always existed and apply to each and every object or form of energy or space that exists in our universe. We do not really know about the power, if any, that might have created these rules. In fact, we are only in the initial stages of deciphering and discovering these rules. We want to know these rules so that we can understand how nature works, and try and use these rules to our advantage, when we want to do something more complicated than what we have been doing so far. For example, we want to understand the rules of physics, chemistry and mathematics to be able to understand how we can use those rules to make new scientific equipments that will help us in leading more empowered lives. We want to understand the rules of biology to be able to understand our own selves and the living beings around us, so that we can serve ourselves better. We want to understand the rules of space, time and nuclear physics so that we are able to control conversion of matter into energy and vice versa, and maybe, also with an objective of being able to fulfill our fantasies such as travelling around time, some day.
The Laws made by Man
Another set of laws are those created by humanity to control itself. These are rules about what a man or a woman can or should do or not do. These laws impose restrictions and obligations on the people who are being subjected to these laws. Such laws are generally made by humans with the intention of streamlining social behavior on expected or desired lines for a broader social objective, though not always. Sometimes, as in the case of unaccountable dictatorships, laws can also be made by those in authority to serve their own very limited interests, without any concern for those on whom these laws are being applied. Unlike the laws of nature, the man made laws are not permanent. They keep changing with times, philosophies, politics, culture and tradition. In a way they are very unstable.
Comparison between Laws of nature & Man made Laws
The comparison between the two sets of laws that regulate our existence can provide many interesting insights into the world of laws.
Law without Exception
The first major difference between laws of nature and manmade laws is that in the laws of nature, there is no exception. Sun keeps rising from the East and invariably, keeps setting in the West. It never takes leave, and cannot be granted one, to the best of our understanding. Gravitational force will always pull an object downwards, without exception. The big fish devours the smaller one, without any compassion or any sense of justice. Man is born and one day he or she invariably dies, even though humanity is working hard to break this rule. In the laws of nature, there are no exceptions – neither on grounds of compassion, nor justice, nor any other excuse. Laws of nature are infallible.
Contrary to nature, man-made laws often
begin with exceptions. A person who kills another will be guilty of murder, except when he kills in self-defense, or if she is insane, or if there was enough mitigating circumstances to justify the fury that led to the actions resulting in death, i.e. homicide not amounting to murder. Man made laws are hardly, if ever free of exception.This difference gives to several significant implications. A very straightforward implication of this difference is that laws of nature are easier to understand and decipher. Our scientists must thank the nature for its simplicity. Had the nature been as confused as man in making its laws, we would have never been able to understand physics, chemistry, biology or any of the other basic sciences. Had that been so, all scientific and technological achievements of humanity would have remained an illusion.
Consistently Similar Outcome
Laws of nature lead to a consistently similar outcome. In other words, the result is always predictable. Man made laws try to achieve that character, but never with absolute success. Let this be explained with an example. It never happens that 2 and 2 will make 5. Invariably, they only make 4. However, under manmade laws 2 and 2 can possibly make 5 by using the process of rounding off. 2.3 and 2.4 can both be treated as 2 and their addition leads to 5, not 4. Interesting ! This is the basic dichotomy that leads to all moral and ethical dilemmas faced by humanity. Human mind works on an approximate basis, and so does laws made by man. In comparison, the laws of nature are always absolute.
An obvious implication of this difference is that under natural laws, we are able to predict seasonal changes, cosmic events and other natural phenomenon with reasonable accuracy, and often with minimal costs, once we have the tools and skills to do so. On the other hand, predicting outcomes under man-made laws is often far more complicated. Court cases, and the manner in which the judgment of a lower court is overturned by a higher one constitute only the tip of a strange iceberg, most of which lies unseen, unheard and unobserved!
No Normative Interference
Laws of nature are consistent and always apply, irrespective of whether the result is good or bad. A soldier, who stands in front of his General to save him, still dies from the bullet that hits him, even though he is displaying the greatest sense of duty and sacrifice. In manmade laws, he would have been excused from the outcome called death, in our pursuit of justice. A man who commits a crime can be held not guilty if the facts and circumstances of the crime so justify. Justice is perhaps the single biggest difference between laws of nature and laws made by man. The universe, it seems, does not share the concept of justice that humanity seems to be so obsessed with !
Inescapable Laws
The laws of nature cannot be escaped. The manmade laws are frequently escaped by the people. Another way of putting it is that laws of nature are inherent in the nature itself and everything that constitutes it. These laws of nature are actually little more than the characteristics of its constituents. Every object of nature is characterized by them, and hence follows them without exception, without having anybody to monitor or supervise the various particles, objects and constituents of this universe.
This is a very important difference. What it tells us is that the laws of nature are not imposed by a superior authority who needs to continuously monitor the objects to see whether they follow and comply with its rules or not. Laws of nature are inescapable, because every object of universe is characterized by them. It is as if these laws are inherent in the nature of each and every object that is governed by them. Or, in other words, every object of universe is a part and parcel of the authority that made that law. Simply put, nature follows it, so it becomes the law of nature, which makes escape from it impossible. The most interesting aspect is that as part of nature, human beings also cannot break those laws of nature, even if we wanted to.
Epilogue
The so called “Free Will” exists with reference to laws made by mankind, but does not extend to the laws made by nature !!
