Legitmacy of Law Exercises

This module focused on how law is influenced by values, morals and ethics as well as how we justify the legitimacy of law. Law must constantly try to create a balance between consistency and flexibility and must be flexible enough to adapt to the challenges presented in a modern society. We began the class with a discussion of the influence of values in the working of law, learning that natural law is derived from theology and based on morals and ethics. Law operates in context and there are multiple ideologies and belief systems that influence the way we perceive certain ‘neutral’ issues and which solutions we then propose. However, whilst there are different schools of thought in legal theory, ultimately law has the task not of determining who is right in a case but what is the most feasible outcome according to legal principles.

The task for this module described a situation in which a housemate of ours, Angelika, developed an addiction to drugs. Angelika received a package from the local drug dealer but as she was not home the package was left with us, the decision falling upon the different members of our student household to decide what to do with it and how best to confront the situation. Every member of our group had a different approach to law, depending on personal values and biases. Our group discovered that these personal beliefs affected the way we viewed this situation and what our solution to this situation would be differed because of this. The exercise taught us that there will always be a range of people with a range of different opinions and with a way of looking at the facts that will be different from our own. Our personal beliefs shape our actions but it is imperative that we form an argument that is inheren...

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...levant and important details. Our groups found that we needed deductive reasoning and an eye for detail in finding new facts and patterns that would assist us in solving the problem. I found this exercise challenging and had problems completing it, finding it difficult to discern the necessary facts. I discovered that I am not a particularly logical person, something that I need to work on as a helpful life lesson and particularly if I choose a career in law. To rectify this I realised that I needed to develop better organisational skills and practise critical thinking, starting with practicing reading articles and gleaming their meaning by taking notes and highlighting relevant facts and details as well as organising my notes in a neat and systemic fashion. This will assist me in my studies but also in dealing with the intricacies and complications present of law.