Law, Ethics, and Mystery

Abstract

For almost as long as mankind has been self-conscious about how a person should act, it has been recognized that we respond to several different guides to conduct. Children in their youngest years begin with simple ideas such as "I want"- "I want milk," for example. Also, "I don't want"- "I don't want to go to bed," or "I don't want spinach." Not long after, a child learns that there are family rules, such as "It is time to go to bed..." As life moves along, we discover that there are rules at school, at the playground, in our circle of friends, and in the workplace. In political society we learn that there is law, a formidable body of norms having something to do with the police, the courts, and formal regulations.