ABSTRACT
At this point, it is appropriate to examine a little more clearly the assumption of Wade and Bradley and the common sense that law is the bastion of order in our society. Already, it has been suggested that there are other apparently reasonably stable societies whose stability does not seem to rest upon law. Before considering examples of such societies, it is necessary to try to define what we understand by ‘order’ in our society. Under what circumstances might we describe our society as in a state of order and under which in a state of disorder?
