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THE ROLE OF LAW IN TRANSFORMATION OF INDIVIDUALS AND

SOCIETY.
The law plays a major role in the transformation of an individual and the society at large
through various ways.In this paper we shall be able to show some of the ways in which law
has a transforming role both in an individual and the whole of a society.First we shall look at
the role of the law in general , then we shall see how it plays its role in transforming an
individual , thirdly how the law transforms the society and finally we shall have a general
conclusion on the subject matter at hand.
Role of law.
Law is a body of official rules and regulations , generally found in constitutions,
legislation , judicial opinions and the like that is used to govern a society and to control
behavior of members.It can also be defined as law is a system of rules in the society that
governs it and everyone must obey and adhere to it, thus the law plays a significant role in
moulding the society towards a paticular sense of direction that ensures human dignity is
upheld in a given society. The law also ensures that there is administration of justice , which
has been defined as giving what is due to everyone as stated by !lpianus"a Roman
lawyer#.The law also facilitates integrity growth and maturity.This ensures wholeness and
completeness. $ince values are necessary for integrity the law consists certain values that
promote integrity .The higher the number of values the higher the level of intergrety. The law
can be viewed as to have originated from the main source who is %od , and it is known as
eternal law . The role of this law is to ensure certain things run in a certain order according to
the will of %od thus playing the role of ensuring harmony.&ternal law brings forth natural law
as it is the concrete application of natural law.'atural law is futher divided into two that is
natural moral law and natural physical law. 'atural moral law is the law that guides the
rational beings , while natural physical law guides the irrational beings.'atural moral law
brings forth manmade laws which are the reasoned conclusions of natural law.'atural law is
inhibited and inborn in that one is born with the insticts of what is right or wrong, acceptable
or unacceptable.For e(ample a se(ual relationship beetwen members of the same family is
seen as not morally upright despite the fact that it is not written anywhere, this is because it as
naturally wrong and it is human nature. The role of this reasoned conclusions known as
manmade law is to ensure efficient running of systems in the society and that a serene
peaceful enviroment is created.
Law regulates social intrests,arbitrates conflicting claims and demands securityof persons
and property of people.It also checks government power and all the people in power to
prevent abuse of power and ofice which will lead to poor governance and oppression of the
odinary people in a given region under governance.The law also facilitates planning in agiven
area under the law this transforms the society to its positive growth and development due to
planning which would have been impossible without planning. The law also acts as a
safeguard to the people to prevent them from oppresion by the powerful in the society , thus
ensuring people enjoy their rights and freedoms that are entitled to them in the process
personal freedom is enhanced .The law helps maintain a peaceful, oderly , relatively stable
society. They also facilitate in solving disputes within the society in a civilised fashion. It also
plays a punitive role in that , it provides conse)uences to those that do not follow or obey the
law.This ensures people do not break the set laws due to fear of facing the conse)uences of
going against the law , thus people live in a certain manner which is acceptable to the
community and in the process people become transformed.
In the past there were laws guided by a blend of custom , morality and religion therefore
people were transformed along those lines.Later on government structures arised and mordern
laws began to take shape in various societies around the world for e(ample Roman law which
was among the earliest sources of modern law. The Romans had organised systems of
government which led to the rise and creation of law most mordern laws have borrowed
heavily from the Roman &mpire*s systems and ways. The law generally prompts individuals
and communities at large to appreciate values that have been enshrined in the law.Laws carry
a legal obligation of greater or lesser weight , depending on the importance of specific statutes
in acheiveing that end. The law has several roles to play but transformation is seen as one of
the most outstanding functions it plays in a society .+ue to the rules and regulations that are
provided in the laws one transforms towards that line which is acceptable accorrding to the
law.This changes the thoughts of an individual on what is acceptable and thoughts build
character and character creates a habit which becomes a way of life this creates a chain of
how transformation takes place.
Role of Law In Transformation of Individuals.
Transformation of an individual depends on various factors for e(ample the willingness of
an individual to transform and also effects of regulations in an individual to compell to follow
a given law. The binds subjects in concience. The obligation in concience does not arise
immediately from the laws themselves but from the divine plan in which people are
envisioned as living in both civil and ecclestiatical society. ,nce a persons concience is
affected their thoughts and perceptions towhat is accepted and what is not accepted also
changes.Law easily transforms an individual this is because man has been created in a way
that they need rules and regulations to guide them towards a certain direction. Thus an
individual and laws cannot be easily separated.It is because it supplies moral and ethical
&(pectations thus an individual changes in order to live and co-e(ist peacefully in a given
society without becoming a social misfit. Thus change becomes almost automatic in an
individual.
Role of Law In Transformation of $ociety
Law and society is neither intellectually marginal nor culturaly deviant. Thus we cannot
separate the laws from our day to day life this is because they play a major role in influencing
our decisions thus affecting our social behviours and attitudes in the society.It affects our
behaviours this is because law gradually affects our school of thought which after some time
affects our behaviour.The law influences and regulates social behaviour which leads to a
society that runs effectivley.This is because it supplies ethical standards and e(pectations
while providing rules of conduct and measures to enforce those rules and a means of settling
disputes in a community. In regulating social behaviour the society has to stick in following
the accepted norms and in the process one changes their conduct to conform with the
measures provided.This transforms the society in a positive direction of living in an
enviroment filled with harmony and understanding within the individuals due to the influence
of the law which makes one live by certain standards..e as society look to a new law to
distinguish not only right and wrong , but the ethical from the unethical and moral from the
immoral.This creates an assumption that if the law has not forbiden it , it must be acceptable
this places a burden on legislaion ,regulation and judicial process to shape values of
society.This results to dependance on legal process to define limits and the result is
fundamental change in where the responsibility lies for establishing the behaviour and morals
of our society , however the law cannot and should not provide answers to all socio-economic
problems .This is because the primary role of the law is to articulate pre-established norms of
a society. This means that the transformation is based on what is widely accepted in the
society through virture of their customs, beliefs and practices.The society thus changes to be
on the right side of the law which has been based on those grounds.'orms observed by the
.people , whether in matters of religious habits,family life ,or commercial relations are law,
even though they are never recognised or formulated by norm of the state.The socieity is then
transformed at the different levels as stated above in various ways ,in religious habits the
society is transformed through observing the various morals of the given religion thus moral
behaviours or morality is transformed to the acceptable way of religion, in commercial
relations the society operates through certain guidelines which makes them operate in a
certain manner that conforms to the set guidelines and this ensures commercial activities run
as smoothly as possible,while in family life the norms observed in a family transforms the
society to live towards a certain accepted way of conduct in the given society since a society
is made up of different several familiies and this enables effecient relations beetwen people .
Transformation is vital in the society in that it ensures development takes place in the
society,it can either be positive or negative depending on th type of law governing or
influencing the given society.Therefore the law should have positive values to ensure positive
growth in a society./ highly urbani0ed and mechanised society, in which great numbers of
peoples live closeby together and are ever more dependant upon each others actions and the
supply of neccesities outside their own sphere of control , has lead to an increasingly active
and creative role of conscious law making instrumentalities of the state. /t times the state and
church judges of what are necessary and acceptable. The law must be based on the realities of
contemporary society in oder to maintain its relevance and thus we must recognise the
ubi)uitous strength of group power.If a law is not based on realities of the given society it is
hard for the society to conform this is because it will seem unpractible and unreasonable Thus
a law has to be relevant to a given society in order to transform a society towards a certain
given direction this is because it transforms and devolopes as society evolves inoder to
mmintain its relevance in the given society.
Law has been used as a mechanism for social change for instance at various times laws
have been passed to inhibit positive social discrimination and to improve the rights and
)uality of individual life in matters of health ,education and welfare of certain
individuls.This ensures the minority and the vulnerable are not discriminated upon thus the
society is transformed in respecting each others rights.
%eneral 1onclusion
If you transorm the individual the society at large will be transformed automatically. This
is because a society is made up of several individuals and thus you cannot transform a society
without first transforming an individual.It is also important to note that without laws to govern
actions of people and the society it would not be able to function effectively.
The effect of law on an individual and the society might be seen as small and insignificant
but the actual truth is it actually affects us in a major way.This is because the law affects ones
concience and thougths and finally actions and perspectives in life which leads to great
transformations.
It is also clear that laws must be based on the realities of contemporary society in oder to
have any change in both individual and society it would be very tragic if the law was so
petrified as to be unable to respond to the unending challenge of evolutionary or revolutionary
changes in a society.Thus new principles are laid to meet new social problems that arise in
that given society.
The role of law on transformation is major but is not the only means of transformation in a
given society.Laws are not only what is written but also the unwritten guidelines for evrything
such as natural law which e(ists in our mind and they transform an individual in various
ways.This happens due to the fear of facing the conse)unces that follow afterwards if one
does not adhere to the given law.
In order for a law to perfom the function of transforming the society it should be relevant
meaning it adopts changes in a given society and also it should be well drafted to set out the
guidelines and also it should be easy to understand because if an individual does not
understand transformation will be a very difficult proceess.
In general the law plays a large significant role in change hence it is highly valued for this
key role it plays in the society and no wonder people try to have laws that facilitate this and
are out to improve laws for e(ample in kenya, there has been a struggle to have a new
constitution that will do this effectivley.
Law and society are hard to separate because a society cannot function effectivley with out
guidelines and a society cannot tranform without an individal becoming transformed since the
two go hand in hand.2ence the importance of law.

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