His Covenant Ministries Menus His Covenant Ministries Menus

Law is a negative concept from A Treatise on Man's Law, Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850)

HisCovenantMinistries.org YHWH God's True Name Freely Sharing Mind Liberating
Information Among God's Children
 
 

Law is a negative concept from A Treatise on Man's Law, Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850)

Law Is a Negative Concept

The harmlessness of the mission performed by law and lawful defense is self-evident; the usefulness is obvious; and the legitimacy cannot be disputed.

As a friend of mine once remarked, this negative concept of law is so true that the statement, the purpose of the law is to cause justice to reign, is not a rigorously accurate statement. It ought to be stated that the purpose of the law is to prevent injustice from reigning. In fact, it is injustice, instead of justice, that has an existence of its own. Justice is achieved only when injustice is absent.

But when the law, by means of its necessary agent, force, imposes upon men a regulation of labor, a method or a subject of education, a religious faith or creed - then the law is no longer negative; it acts positively upon people. It substitutes the will of the legislator for their own wills; the initiative of the legislator for their own initiatives. When this happens, the people no longer need to discuss, to compare, to plan ahead; the law does all this for them. Intelligence becomes a useless prop for the people; they cease to be men; they lose their personality, their liberty, their property.

Try to imagine a regulation of labor imposed by force that is not a violation of liberty; a transfer of wealth imposed by force that is not a violation of property. If you cannot reconcile these contradictions, then you must conclude that the law cannot organize labor and industry without organizing injustice.

Proceed to The Political Approach

Return to A Treatise on Man's Law, Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850)

Return to Man's Law directory page



Would you invest a $1,000 in a Hydro Assist Fuel Cell to possible double your mileage?

Mileage Calculator Mileage Calculator Tool and Fuel Saving Tips



This domain launched on the seventh day of the second month, in the year of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus, the Christ, two thousand and four.