According to ChatGPT we can define law as:
> # Dictionary definition > Law refers to a system of rules that are created and enforced through social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior. It serves as a mediator of relations between people and can encompass a wide variety of disciplines. Laws are created by governments, based on statutes, court decisions, and administrative regulations. > > The purpose of law is to provide order, resolve disputes, protect rights and freedoms, and establish standards for conduct to ensure the welfare and safety of society. Law is essential for maintaining social order and is often interpreted and applied by courts and other legal authorities.
But here, in this context, we are using the term law in the technical or philisophical sense - that is in its performative sense.
Specifically we are not refering to any specific cultural or historical form of law, but rather as a wider philisophical term that encompasses a general class of languages that perform a legal and not simply descriptive function in the human or non-human context that it is used.
We have agreed to use Law with a capital "L" and hyperlinked whenever we wish to use the work in a technical sense.
# Redefinition
With appropriate coaching we can pursuade ChatGPT to rewrite this definition as: > Law, in its most expansive and philosophical sense, is a fundamental concept that encompasses various forms of governance and regulation across different realms of existence, from human societies to digital environments and beyond. The classic notion of law as practiced in contemporary society, with its statutes, regulations, and legal procedures, represents just one expression of this broader concept. > > In this wider context, law is not only about the written statutes and judicial decisions that we traditionally associate with legal systems, but it also includes the emerging realm of digital contracts and automated legal processes. In the rapidly evolving digital age, much of company activity, taxation, and regulatory compliance is being transformed through digitization. Laws are increasingly finding expression in both conventional legal contracts and digital formats. > > These digital contracts, coded as algorithms and executed in software, perform legal actions that are directly comparable to their traditional counterparts. They represent a new frontier in the performative aspect of law, where legal agreements and obligations are automatically executed and enforced through technology. This digitization of legal processes reflects a significant shift in how law functions, extending its reach and impact into the digital domain. > > Thus, law, in this broader sense, is a multi-dimensional concept that not only governs human societal interactions but also shapes the digital landscapes and potentially even guides extraterrestrial or non-human civilizations. It is a construct that transcends traditional boundaries, evolving and adapting to new contexts and technologies, while retaining its core function of establishing order, governance, and normative behavior across diverse realms.
This is not bad so we will stick to that for now.
# To do
- [ ] Rewrite this by hand.
# See also - Future Law